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Most times, forwards and attacking midfielders are held up to the very high esteem. Scoring goals is seen as the topmost quality in a footballer given the dearth of defenders or Defensive Midfielder bagging the prestigious Ballon d'Or or the FIFA Best Award.
Italian World Cup Winner Fabio Cannavaro is the last defender to win the award and since then it has been all Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi barring the year 2007 when Ricardo Kaka won the silverware, also being an attacking minded player.
However, any erudite or keen football fan would not fail to realise the utmost importance and significance a defender has in the modern game. Millions of dollars are being spent to lure quality strikers who have a way bigger monetary value than the defensive players but without quality defenders in a side, the team cannot go a long way in any competition.
As Sir Alex Ferguson rightfully said, 'Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles'.
Let us go through the top 5 defenders that fans and pundits alike should watch out for in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup in UAE.
#1 Theerathon Bunmathan (Thailand)
The left-back will be key to Thailand's chances in the tournament as the southeast Asian nation looks to carry on the momentum in international football lately followed by impressive results against quality sides like Australia (1-2), Iraq (1-2) and the United Arab Emirates (1-1) in the past year.
Bunmathan's ability to run down the flanks and deliver in crosses will also be handy as Thailand goes against physical sides like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in their group whose defences could possibly only be breached by intelligent wing-play.
Bunmathan is currently plying his trade alongside big names like Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Lucas Podolski in Japan with Vissel Kobe on loan from Thai League side Muangthong United.
The Nonthaburi full-back has also a knack for scoring as he has found the back of the net 24 times in the 298 club games has played in.
#2 Maya Yoshida (Japan)
The 30-Year-old Nagasaki born Southampton centre-back will be on the spotlight as usual with the duties of keeping the Japanese defence tight and secure. Yoshida is an experienced campaigner at the top level of the sport with 129 games under his belt for the Saints in the Premier League.
Starting his football career with J1 League side Nagoya Grampus, the AFC Asian Cup Winner has come a long way to establish himself as a fearless and resilient defender.
Similar to Theerathon Bunmathan, Yoshida can score goals when needed as well. His bicycle-kick goal against PSV Eindhoven in 2011 for Eredivisie side VVV-Venlo earned him the 'Goal of the season' Award in 2012 in the Netherlands.
Yoshida will play the role of the leader at the heart of the defence for the Blue Samurais as they go looking for their 5th AFC Asian Cup title.
#3 Ali Al-Bulaihi (Saudi Arabia)
A comparatively lesser known name in football as far as the top defenders are concerned, the dynamic left-back from Al-Hilal will be one of the top names to look out for in the defensive prowesses of all the teams in UAE. Al-Bulaihi has played all of his football in Saudi Arabia itself with his first professional club being Al-Nahda in the Saudi First Division. He made his Saudi Professional League debut in 2015 with Al-Fateh.
After two seasons (47 games) with the Namothjis, Al-Bulaihi moved to one of the biggest clubs in Arabia and Asia, Al-Hilal in 2017. With a brilliant 2017-18 season on his back with the Saudi Professional League and the Saudi Super Cup title followed by the maiden FIFA World Cup debut in Russia, the 29-year old left-back will look to make his mark in Asia come January.
#4 Abdelkarim Hassan (Qatar)
The young and dynamic Abdelkarim Hassan has come a long way in a short period of time to emerge as one of the most impressive defenders in recent times across Asia. Graduating from the prestigious Aspire Academy in Qatar, Hassan signed for his professional football club in Al-Sadd in 2010 where he stayed till 2017. He now plies his trade for Belgian side Eupen on loan from the Qatari club.
Hassan made his debut in the AFC Champions League in 2011 as a 17-year old stalwart which made him the Youngest Player in Asia's Premier Club Competition in 2011. With resolute performances at the back, Hassan went on to win the 'Best Young Player' in the Qatar Stars League 2012-13.
With 119 games for Al-Sadd and a brief campaign for Eupen on Loan, Abdelkarim Hassan made headlines across Asia as he was rewarded the best 'Asian Football Player' in the year 2018, making one of the few defenders to win the prestigious individual honour.
Hassan is a natural left back and can also play as a centre-back.
#5 Sandesh Jhingan (India)
A relatively unknown name as far as Asian football is concerned. But those who have followed Indian football for a few seasons now would know the amount of versatility and resilience the Kerala Blasters Captain brings to any side he plays for.
Jhingan was introduced to the top level of Indian Football by United Sikkim in the I-League 2011-12. With inconsistent performances under his belt, Jhingan failed to rise to the limelight and come under the radar of the rich Goan and Kolkata clubs for a while.
His tenure with now-defunct Mumbai FC in the 2013-14 I-League season earned him a place in the newly formed Indian Super League franchise Kerala Blasters which finally brought him under the spotlight.
Jhingan kept on delivering quality defensive displays consistently for the Blasters which prompted National Team Coach Stephen Constantine to hand him India debut in 2015. Since then, the Chandigarh-based defender has played 28 games for India and scored 4 goals. He also underwent a short stint at Bengaluru FC and was continuously pursued by East Bengal and Mohun Bagan at a certain point of time.
Jhingan's aerial ability will be key for India to hold of physically superior sides like Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. His goal-scoring ability from corners and free-kicks will also be pivotal for India in the upcoming Asian Cup games.
