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The lure of the Premier League is such that players from all over the world yearn to ply their trade in the competition. Quite incredibly, 111 of 207 FIFA-affiliated nations have been represented in the English top flight.
Top five Asian goal-scorers in the Premier League
While most of them hail from European countries, the continent of Asia has also seen many of its brightest talents play in the Premier League.
On that note, let's look at the five most prolific ones.
#5 Chris Wood (New Zealand) - 39 goals
Only six players from New Zealand have ever graced the Premier League, with Chris Wood being the last and the only one currently active.
Wood first arrived on English shores with West Brom in 2008, but it was only after joining Burnley in 2017, he shot into prominence.
Wood has scored consistently for the Clarets, netting at least ten goals in each of his last three seasons. He has scored 38 Premier League goals in 114 appearances.
His one other top-flight strike came with Leicester City in the 2014-15 season, where Woods scored off the bench.
#4 Tim Cahill (Australia) - 56 goals
Tim Cahill may not have made it big with any elite European club in his career, but he is known as one of Asia's greatest ever players to have graced the Premier League.
In a 22-year professional career, Cahill played for only two English sides, with his only stint in the Premier League coming with Everton alone, for whom he played eight seasons.
Cahill conjured 68 goals for the Toffees, a tally that included 56 in the Premier League. He won numerous individual honours along the way such as the club's player of the year and a nomination at the Ballon d'Or.
#3 Harry Kewell (Australia) - 57 Premier League goals
For all his accomplishments, Tim Cahill isn't the greatest ever Australian player. That honour goes to Harry Kewell, who was voted so by the Australian fans, players and media in 2012.
In a storied career spanning 18 years and six different teams, Kewell started out at Leeds United. After two years in the Leeds academy, he broke into the first team in 1996 at just 17 years of age.
Over the next eight years, the winger established himself in the side and became a highly sought-after youngster. Liverpool came calling for Kewell in 2003, and the player changed clubs.
However, beset by injuries and loss of form, Kewell was a pale shadow of his illustrious self with the Reds. He never managed to hit a double-digit goal tally in the Premier League during five seasons at Anfield.
#2 Son Heung-Min (South Korea) - 66 goals
The only player from this list who's not from Oceania, Son Heung-Min needs no introduction.
The South Korean first arrived on English shores in 2015 when he signed for Tottenham Hotspur from Bayer Leverkusen. Since then, the Korean ace has firmly established himself as an all-time Premier League great.
With 66 Premier League goals for the Lillywhites from 183 appearances, Son is the second-most prolific Asian player in the league's history. At 28, Son is far from a finished product.
#1 Mark Viduka (Australia) - 92 goals
Mark Viduka's name was synonymous with the Leeds United side that used to be Premier League regulars in the early nineties.
Viduka used to be the face of the Peacocks at the time, leading their charge with his imperious scoring exploits. He famously netted 20 goals during the 2002-03 Premier League season.
However, after Leeds endured Premier League relegation in 2004, the Australian jumped ship. He joined Middlesbrough and then Newcastle United for a few more years in the top flight before hanging up his boots at the Tyneside in 2009.
Viduka scored 92 Premier League goals, the most by an Asian player in competition history.
