10 best Asian footballers currently
Despite significant progress in recent years, Asian football continues to be a fair way behind their European counterparts at the moment.
However, whether in Europe or in their own homelands, many Asian footballers show the progress made by the continent in recent years.
There has also been progress made in the sense that the best players from the continent don't just come from the traditional hotbeds such as Japan, South Korea, and Iran.
That was exemplified during the AFC Asian Cup in 2019, which was won by Qatar, who emerged as champions for the first time in their history.
The hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup have had plans in place to improve their football, and those are clearly paying off for the moment.
On that note, we take a look at the 10 best footballers from Asia at the moment.
Note: Even though Australia forms part of the Asian Football Confederation, we have not included Australian players in this list.
#10 Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Alireza Jahanbaksh currently plays for Eredivisie side Feyenoord. Even though Jahanbaksh hasn't particularly set the league alight with his performances so far, he remains a reference point for players across the continent still harboring intentions of playing at that level.
Jahanbakhsh joined Brighton three years ago and, unfortunately, couldn't nail down a spot for himself.
However, he wrote for himself a Premier League moment for the ages. In 2020, Jahanbakhsh scored a bicycle kick to earn Brighton a point in a match against Chelsea.
Jahanbakhsh has played his football in Europe since 2013, spending five years in the Netherlands before making the move to Brighton. He returned to Feyenoord in 2021.
He joined NEC Nijmegen in 2013 and spent two seasons there before impressing during a three-year stint at AZ Alkmaar.
#9 Akram Afif
Qatar's Akram Afif was named the AFC Player of the Year for 2019 in a year when he played a pivotal role in the Gulf nation's triumph at the AFC Asian Cup.
In that tournament, held in the UAE in early 2019, Afif provided 10 assists in seven appearances, as Qatar motored to the title by eventually beating Japan in the final. They had even beaten Son Heung-min's South Korea in the semifinal of that tournament.
Afif, who plays his club football for Al-Sadd in the Qatar Stars League, has gone from strength to strength since.
Earlier in his career, Afif has also spent time with La Liga side Villareal, but things didn't quite work out as he would had expected.
He continues to be a pivotal member of the Qatari national team and will be one of the players to watch out for when the FIFA World Cup comes to Qatar in 2022.
#8 Hassan Al-Haydos
Al-Haydos will forever be remembered in Qatari football's history as the captain who lifted the country's first-ever Asian Cup title.
This year he nade further history by becoming the first-ever captain to lead Qatar at the World Cup.
Like Afif, Al-Haydos also plays for Al-Sadd. The 32-year-old has been a one-club man so far, after making his debut for Al-Sadd in 2007.
He has also made 135 appearances for the Qatari national team.
Even as defending champions, they have to qualify for the next tournament in China, and at the moment, are well-placed to enter that competition. Qatar are top of a group that also includes Oman, India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.