The 5 Greatest Asian Footballers of all Time

Asia is continuously nurturing great talents in football, and due to modernization, the football game culture is rapidly evolving. The tournaments like AFC Champions League have grown their popularity worldwide, and Chines Super League has taken Asian football players to the International level.

But still, Asia is way behind Europe and South America in terms of quality and the techniques used by the football players. Fighting all these problems, there are some players from the Asian continent who flagged their name in the world and secured some great achievements. So, let’s see the greatest Asian footballers of all time, along with their quick success stories.

List of 5 Greatest Asian Footballers in History

1) Cha Bum-Kun

Cha Bum-Kun is a former Asian footballer from South Korea and one of the greatest players of all time. He was nicknamed Tscha Bum or “Cha Boom” by the Germans because of his thunderous ball-striking ability. He is the youngest player of all time to reach 100 national cups and scored almost 100 goals in just 308 appearances. He played as a central forward throughout his career at the right-winger position.

His career started in 1972 when he joined the national team of South Korea at the age of 18 and was capped as the youngest player at that time. His story of achievements can be observed by his participation in all the major tournaments like UEFA Cup Winners, DFB-Pokal, UEFA-Cup, and Bundesliga, which made the country proud.

In the year 1989, he retired from all the formats of football, but the records that he achieved are next to impossible to break for many players even today. These things make him the most outstanding Asian footballer of all time.

2) Paulino Alcantara

Paulino Alcantara, born in the Philippines, is a former footballer and a manager who played as a forward throughout his career. He spent most of his playing career for Barcelona and represented Spain, the Philippines, and Catalonia internationally.

He was just 15 when he debuted for Barcelona and became the youngest player for the club. Additionally, he scored 395 goals in 399 official and friendly matches, and his records stood for 87 years per the club represented.

After his retirement at the age of 31 in the year 1927, he became a doctor. Though he left playing, football didn't leave him, and he served as a club director between 1931 and 1934. And the story doesn't end here as again he was appointed as coach of Spain in the year 1951 and managed the team for three years.

Who knew that a 15 years old boy from the Philippines would join one of the most popular clubs Barcelona and make history by his playing. But Paulino Alcantara was a footballer who made history by representing his country in various matches. Alcantara is no doubt one of the greatest players in his country, and the records made will be remembered always.

3) Son Heung-min

Son Heung-min is no doubt a great player and a very successful footballer in South Korea at present. He plays as a forward for a Premier League Club, Tottenham Hotspur, and also he is the captain of the South Korea National Team. He is known for his explosive speed and the ability to link the play in critical conditions. Additionally, his fishing and two-footedness skills are considered the best in the world, and many footballers follow his style.

The story doesn't end here as Son Heung-min is awarded by Cheongnyong Medal by the Minister of Culture in June 2022. Cheongnyong Medal is the highest award given to any player in South Korea. And the surprising fact is; that the award was personally given by President Yoon Suk-Yeol.

Besides, he represented himself in International Champions Cup in 2019 for three matches, UEFA Champions League for six matches in 2019-20, and scored five goals in the tournament. Climbing the ladder, he has also represented in Europa League in the year 2020-21 and played nine matches, scoring four goals, and EFL Cup in 2021-22 with four matches played and scored four goals.

Recently, Son Heung-min participated in the Premier League in 2021-22 stroke 23 goals in 35 matches. Because of these achievements, he is honored as the greatest footballer of this era and honored with several awards.

4) Mohamed Al-Deayea

Saudi Arabian former football player Mohamed Al-Deayea was a fabulous goalkeeper for his team. He has been part of four FIFA World Cups for the National Team of Saudi Arabia and earned almost 173 official caps as a goalkeeper. In addition, he also represented himself in Professional League, playing 20 matches in the tournament and defending 17 goals for 1,800 minutes played. Also, he was part of the AFC Champions League, the biggest tournament in Asia, and served for ten matches in which he has defeated nine goals playing around 900 minutes in the whole tournament.

Talking about his World Cup career, he played four matches in 1994, 3 matches in 1998, and again three matches in 2022. After this, he retired from all football formats but still served indirectly in the National Team of Saudi Arabia.

5) Ali Daei

Last but not least is an Iranian former professional footballer and strikes, Ali Daei is now the current manager of the football team of Iran. He was a great captain and striker of the Iranian National Team between 2000 and 2006 and played for the German Bundesliga and Hertha Berlin.

Daei is honored by the record of the all-time men’s international top goalscorer for striking 109 goals in 149 appearances between 1993 and 2006. He joined the national team on 6 June 1993 and participated in the ECO Cup tournament held in Tehran. But his first Goal came in 1994 against Chinese Taipei during the qualification of the FIFA World Cup.

Bottom Line

Slowly the time is changing, and the footballers from the Asian continent are covering their foot on the International ground. That’s why many football fans check 7m livescore on a daily basis. The tournaments like AFC Champions League and Chines Super League are being recognized Internationally. The football culture has traveled a long distance to achieve this Goal, and so many players have contributed to the journey. This article is about those players who achieved unique and great rewards from Asia and became unbeatable of all time.