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Cha Bum-Kun, or ‘Cha Boom’ as he was more commonly referred to in Germany, is a South Korean football legend with more than 100 international appearances for his country and a record 55 international goals to his name. However, he’s more renowned in Germany as the first Asian player to have any noticeable impact in the Bundesliga. ‘Any noticeable impact’ though, would be an understatement, as Cha went on to win the UEFA Cup with both Frankfurt and Leverkusen on his way to becoming one of the best strikers in Germany in his days. Unsurprisingly, he was the 3rd highest paid player in Germany while at Frankfurt.
Cha’s impact on the Bundesliga goes way deeper than the trophies and accolades. He sparked a trend; a trend which has seemingly reached its pinnacle in recent years. German league football now boasts more than a dozen players of Asian origin, including Cha Bum-Kun’s son- Cha Du-Ri, who currently plays for Fortuna Dusseldorf. And like the Cha father-son pair, some of these Asian stars are starting to turn more than a few heads with their impressive displays for some of the biggest names in the Bundesliga, playing alongside some of the biggest names in world football.
The departure of Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United was seen by many as a huge loss for the Bundesliga as far as Asian players were concerned; for Kagawa was perhaps the most creative Asian player the Bundesliga had ever witnessed. However, the present Bundesliga campaign has seen 2 more attacking midfielders from Asia come of age.
Frankfurt’s Takashi Inui has made himself an integral part of Armin Veh’s master-plan this season with his sharp dribbling, slick passing and eye for goal. Inui impressed in Bundesliga 2 with Vfl Bochum before joining Frankfurt in the summer of 2012. He banished all doubts regarding his ability to thrive in the top flight by producing one eye-catching performance after another as Frankfurt enjoyed one of their best starts to a Bundesliga campaign. Mid-way through the season, Inui had already taken 47 shots on goal and set up 70 goal-scoring chances for his Frankfurt team-mates. After the 22nd match-day, Inui also has 5 goals to his name.
Takashi Inui (left) and Hiroshi Kiyotake
Hiroshi Kiyotake of Nurnberg is another player in the Kagawa mould. Kiyotake has made an immediate impact in the Bundesliga, having joined Nurnberg from Cerezo Osaka in the summer of 2012. Kiyotake has 7 assists and 3 goals to his name already this season. With an uncanny ability to pick out the right pass, he has been involved in most of Nurnberg’s attacking forays. Kiyotake is also good from dead-ball situations and he proved his worth once again this weekend against Hannover, when he whipped in the free-kick for Nurnberg’s first equaliser.
Takashi Usami
Another Japanese attacking midfielder slowly forging his name in the Bundesliga is young Takashi Usami. Usami joined Bayern on loan from Gamba Osaka in 2011, but he failed to get enough game time with the Bayern first team ahead of the big-names on the Bavarian squad. In July 2012 he joined Hoffenheim, again on loan; but this time, he took the hurdles of the Bundesliga in his stride and has produced numerous glittering performances. Usami is quick, nimble and has sparkling dribbling abilities. He has found the net twice this season, the 2nd of which was a truly memorable effort as he dribbled past 5 Stuttgart players to fire past the keeper. Hoffenheim will undoubtedly want to tie him up on a permanent contract as the 20-year-old promises to have a bright future ahead.
Heung Min-Son
Having found the net 9 times so far this season, Heung-Min Son has already surpassed his tally for last season. The South-Korean international played a peripheral role in Thorsten Fink’s Hamburg side last season. But he has repaid his manager’s faith this season with a string of match-winning performances. Son is a technically gifted player with the ability to strike the ball with both feet and has also proved this season that he can be clinical in front of goal. Unlike many of his Asian counterparts, Son joined HSV at the age of 16 and worked his way up the club ranks. He seems to have struck up an excellent understanding with Rafael van der Vaart and Fink will be hoping to keep hold of the starlet amid keen interest from rest of Europe.
Ja Cheol-Koo
Son’s national team-mate Ja-Cheol Koo is also enjoying his football in Germany. Having joined Augsburg on loan from Wolfsburg in a 2012 winter transfer, Koo played an integral part in Augsburg’s bid for Bundesliga survival. Extending his stay in Augsburg this season, Koo has again been a driving force from midfield with accurate passing and incessant running. The midfielder boasts a passing accuracy of more than 80% and has 3 goals and 1 assists to his name this season.
Although most of the Asian talents in the Bundesliga in recent years have been players in the attacking mould, there are a few noteworthy exceptions. Cha-Du Ri himself slotted in at right-back, having started his career in Germany as a striker.
Atsuto Uchida
Atsuto Uchida has firmly etched his name in the hearts of the Schalke faithful since his arrival in 2010 from Kashima Antlers. He might not have the biggest physical stature but he more than makes up for it with his balance and decision-making. Assured on the ball and confident off it, Uchida is a versatile player with the ability to ruffle a few feathers deep in the opposition half as well. During the first half of the 2012-13 season, Uchida enjoyed 850 touches of the ball in 999 minutes of football, committing just 8 fouls in 12 league outings. Uchida took the Bundesliga by storm last season and his efforts were rightly rewarded with a place in the 2012 Bundesliga Dream Team ahead of Philipp Lahm and Lucasz Pisczcek.
Gotoku Sakai
Stuttgart’s Gotoku Sakai is also making a name for himself in the Bundesliga playing at right-back. Sakai is an archetypal modern day full-back, eager to join his colleagues in attack. He played a blinder of a match against Steaua Bucuresti in a 5-1 victory where he scored one and laid on another for his national team-mate Shinji Okazaki. Having joined from Albirex Niigata on loan in 2012, he bagged a permanent contract with Stuttgart this season. He is the only defender to feature in Stuttgart’s ranking of ‘most-runs’ and boasts a passing accuracy over 80%. The Japanese international will hope he can emulate his country-man Uchida and have a similar impact in the Bundesliga.
These are promising times for Asian footballers and the recent success of the players from ‘far-east’ in the Bundesliga will undoubtedly encourage more players to take a plane westwards. The Bundesliga itself is also reaping the benefits as their viewership has scaled new heights in the east. The legacy passed on from Cha Bum-Kun seems to be fledging in safe-hands and the legend himself must be wishing the Bundesliga’s romance with the east blossoms for years to come.
