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Asian footballers have made significant contributions to the sport, both in their home countries and abroad. More and more Asian footballers are being signed by top clubs in Europe and around the world in recent years.
This has helped to increase the visibility of Asian footballers, and has also raised the level of competition within the continent. Football continues to grow in popularity in Asian countries and there are plenty of footballers from the continent that have become familiar faces in European football.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best Asian footballers in the world right now.
#5 Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan/Arsenal)
Unlike several of his teammates at Arsenal, Takehiro Tomiyasu is not a very flashy player. He is a no-nonsense full-back who is very effective at dispensing his defensive duties. Tomiyasu can play at right-back as well as at left-back.
He is also technically blessed and can whip in a very good cross. The 24-year-old has provided two assists in 25 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal so far this season.
#4 Hwang Hee-Chan (South Korea/Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Hwang Hee-Chan is nicknamed 'hwangso' (the bull) in South Korea due to his aggressive style of play. He is one of the best players South Korea has produced in recent years and initially turned heads during his spell at RB Salzburg.
After a couple of loan moves to FC Liefering and Hamburger SV, Hwang joined RB Leipzig in 2020, where he had an extremely forgettable debut season. He was subsequently shipped out on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2021.
Wolves, impressed with what he had to offer, signed him on a permanent basis last summer. Hwang Hee-Chan has scored one goal and provided three assists in 22 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League outfit so far this term.
#3 Mehdi Taremi (Iran/Porto)
Iranian centre-forward Mehdi Taremi is one of the most in-form attackers in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. Taremi also scored two goals and provided one assist in three appearances for Iran at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Taremi is a physically imposing forward and is a late bloomer as he is playing some of the best football of his career now and is 30 years old. He has scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions for FC Porto so far this term.
#2 Kaoru Mitoma (Japan/Brighton & Hove Albion)
Kaoru Mitoma has taken the Premier League by storm. A relatively lesser-known commodity until he joined Brighton in the summer of 2021, Mitoma has truly sprung to life over the past couple of months.
He has scored seven goals for the Seagulls so far this season and it has all come in his last 11 appearances. Mitoma is a pacy and direct forward who has already started causing nightmares for opponents with his incredible footwork.
Despite not being the tallest player around (178 cms), he has also proven to be an aerial threat. Mitoma, a graduate of the University of Tsukuba in Japan, wrote his university thesis on dribbling. That makes a lot of sense now as he seems to have mastered the art of ball progression.
#1 Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham Hotspur)
Son Heung-min finished the 2021-22 Premier League season as the joint-top scorer in the competition alongside Mohamed Salah. In doing so, he became the first Asian footballer to win the Golden Boot in any of Europe's top five leagues.
Son scored 23 goals in the league last term and what's even more impressive is the fact that none of them were scored from penalties. The Tottenham Hotspur attacker is undoubtedly one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time.
He is a quick, fleet-footed and dynamic forward whose consistency has helped him establish himself as one of the best attackers in Europe. In 28 appearances across all competitions so far this term, Son has scored eight goals and provided three assists.
