5 Asian players with the most Serie A goals

Unlike the English Premier League or the German Bundesliga, the Italian Serie A doesn't boast too many Asian players to have graced the competition.

In fact, quite unbelievably, only 32 players from the continent have ever plied their trade in the Italian top flight.

Top five Asian goal-scorers in the Serie A

Despite not many players from Asia playing in the Serie A, some of the greatest Asian players to have played the game have plied their trade in the competition.

On that note, let's have a look at the five most prolific of them all:

#5 Shunsuke Nakamura (Japan) - 11 goals

Shunsuke Nakamura's exploits in Serie A attracted interest from Europe's top-five league clubs;

One of the few Asian players to have been nominated for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award, Shunsuke Nakamura is most fondly remembered for his time at Celtic, where he became one of the greatest Asian players to ever play in Europe.

But long before that, the former Japanese midfielder had three decent seasons in the Serie A with Reggina, making 81 league appearances and scoring 11 times.

However, due to injuries, he struggled to force his way into Walter Mazzari's XI towards the latter part of his Serie A tenure. The club's frequent flirts with relegation also disconcerted Nakamura, who moved to Glasgow in 2005.

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#4 Ilyos Zeytulayev (Uzbekistan) - 11 goals

Ilyos Zeytulayev was the first-ever Uzbek player to grace the Serie A.

Before Eldor Shomurodov signed for Genoa last year, there was just one Uzbek player to have played in the Serie A, a little known Juventus reject by the name Ilyos Zeytulayev.

After starting his career with the Bianconeri's youth side, Zeytulayev was unable to register with the senior team due to certain regulations involving non-EU players by the Italian Football Federation.

That paved his way for a move to Reggina in 2005, where he made just two Serie A appearances. Zytulayev then went on a loan spree, trying his luck with Crotone, Genoa and Vincenza in the next 12 months.

The three stints yielded just three Serie A goals - all of them coming for Crotone. The Uzbek found a permanent home in Verona in 2007. But once again, his first-team opportunities were limited, as he featured in just 13 top-flight games.

#3 Takayuki Morimoto (Japan) - 19 Serie Agoals

Takayuki Morimoto scored 19 Serie A goals in 104 appearances.

The youngest debutant and scorer in the Japanese league, Takayuki Morimoto had promising displays in his teens, which fetched him a move to Serie A with Catania in 2006.

In five mixed years in the Italian top flight, Morimoto managed to score 15 times from 81 games, his best run coming in the 2008/09 season, where he netted seven times.

Morimoto then joined newly promoted side Novara in 2011. But following an injury-ridden spell that yielded only four Serie A goals from 18 games, he returned to Catania but played only five times.

Since his Serie A sojourn, Morimoto has played for multiple Asian sides, managing to successfully resurrect his career.

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#2 Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan) - 24 goals

Hidetoshi Nakata was a part of the last AS Roma team to win the Serie A title.

Japan's forgotten hero, Hidetoshi Nakata, retired from football at just 29 years of age in 2006. But that wasn't before he left a lasting impression on the sport, so much so that Pele named him in his 'FIFA 100'.

His best years, unsurprisingly, came in the Serie A, where he played for four different sides in the competition. Nakata even lifted the Scudetto with AS Roma in 2001, becoming one of the few Asian players to win the Serie A title.

Nakata first carved a niche for himself with Perugia in 1998-99, netting 10 times in Serie A. That was his best return in a single Serie A campaign, as further spells with Roma, Parma and Bologna only yielded moderate success.

Nevertheless, the former Japan international's contributions in the Italian top flight were later recognised, as he was accorded the 'Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity', one of Italy's highest civilian honours, for improving the Serie A's image overseas.

#1 Mark Bresciano (Australia) - 31 goals

Mark Bresciano is the top Asian scorer in Serie A history.

Very few Australian players besides Tim Cahill have gone on to star for European sides in their careers; one of them is Mark Bresciano, who spent a good 12 years playing in Italian leagues.

After starting out in his native country's domestic league, Bresciano went on to star for Empoli in Serie B. He thereafter represented Parma, Palermo and Lazio in the Serie A, making 250 cumulative appearances.

While his only season in the Italian capital was an unsuccessful one, Bresciano was a regular with the other two sides, scoring 31 goals and making 29 cumulative assists in the Serie A for Parma and Palermo in eight years.