5 of Asia’s best players at the Qatar 2022 World Cup: from Korea’s Premier League star and Burberry ambassador Son Heung-min, to Japan’s Bundesliga players Maya Yoshida, Daichi Kamada and Wataru Endo
- Asian teams shocked the world during the group stages in Qatar, with Japan beating Germany and Spain, and South Korea winning against Portugal
- Now players like Japan’s Maya Yoshida and Korea’s Son Heung-min – who were already playing for European clubs – are getting noticed by fans the world over
At the time of writing, we are still waiting to see which nation will win the 2022 World Cup, but this year’s tournament has already given us quite a few upsets during the group stage.
Japan unexpectedly beat both Germany and Spain, two of the strongest national teams in recent football history. South Korea beating Portugal 2:1 in Group H was equally sensational to football fans.
While Japan and South Korea’s runs in the World Cup have ended, after losing to Croatia and Brazil respectively in the round of 16, the teams’ dedication and skills have helped make more of their players become global household names.
Here are some of the Asian footballers that shone brightest in this year’s World Cup.
Maya Yoshida
Born in Nagasaki, Maya Yoshida is a familiar face to European football fans as he started playing for English Premier League team Southampton in 2012. Now playing for Bundesliga club Schalke 04, the centre-back led the Japan national team by example in Qatar.
While he didn’t score, he did claim an assist for Japan’s first-half goal during their last-16 game against Croatia. His missed penalty kick during the final shoot-out, and his tearful interview after the game, showed just how much pressure was on this 34-year-old.