5 Best Asian Footballers of All-time
June 24, 2019
The Asian continent has produced some talented players, who left Fleur mark all over the world.
Who are the best Asian players of all time to have graced the pitch and left fans enthralled with their impressive football skills? Let’s find out.
1. Cha Bum Kun – South Korea
Cha Bum-Kun is the man who paved the way for Asian footballers in the German Bundesliga. Of course, he’s not the first Asian to participate in the league, but he certainly had the most significant impact proving to the whole world that Asians indeed have a knack for the sport.
Bum Kun made his first move to from South Korea, his home country to German in 1978 when he was signed to SV Darmstadt 98. He would later move on to Eintracht Frankfurt where he made over 120 appearances and scoring over 40 goals before moving Bayern Leverkusen and netting over 52 goals. He made many appearances and scored many goals in the UEFA leagues where he was described as ‘unstoppable’ and his striking ability would later lead to his fans calling him ‘Cha Boom.’
2. Ali Daei – Iran
Ali Daei has been touted time and time again as one of the finest strikers Asian has ever produced. He has been described as an extremely effective goal machine and considered to have one of the most brilliant finishing and goal-scoring ability in Asian football. With a record of over 220 goals in just 343 appearances, Ali no doubt is a player worth mentioning in this list of the best Asian players of all time.
3. Paulino Alcantara - Philippines
They call him the net breaker, and till date, Paulino is still regarded as the youngest goalscorer in FC Barcelona.
Paulino spent the majority of his career years in FC Barcelona and would later go on to score his first goal for the club at the age of 15. He soon became the club idol after breaking the net with a ferocious shot during a friendly match against France.
4. Hidetoshi Nakata – Japan
To many of his fans, Japan would have been nothing in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers match if it had not been for Hidetoshi Nakata. Hidetoshi Nakata set up all three goals against Iran during the match and scored over 12 goals in 48 matches.
He was signed to Perugia his first club and would later move on to Roma for a transfer fee of 21.6 pounds.
5. Park Ji-Sung – South Korea
A player with many abilities will always be a hot cake in any tournament. Park Ji-Sung is one such very rare player. He could play as a winger, a midfielder, second striker or even as a playmaker. After recognizing his exceptional ability to occupy many niches, the Red Devils went for Shinji in 2005 for a fee of 4 million Euros.
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This article is brought to us by our Sports Writers Club resident columnist – Collins Michael Nwokolo. Follow him on Twitter and Pinterest.
