Asia is going to be well-represented in the upcoming World Cup 2022. Besides hosts Qatar, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Australia will all get to strut their stuff in the much-awaited showpiece football event.
All of these nations got this far because of their positive World Cup 2022 results in the qualifiers, and their stars are going to have huge roles to play if they plan on making some noise in the competition.
Join us as today as SBOTOP lists down some of the top Asian players to keep an eye on in Qatar – whether you’re a supporter or watching as a neutral.
Ajdin Hrustic, Australia
Ajdin Hrustic enters the 2022-23 season with a chip on his shoulder. After spending the last two years at Eintracht Frankfurt, the Socceroos playmaker has now moved to Serie A side Hellas Verona during the summer transfer window.
The 26-year-old has played sparingly for Die Adler, although he did hoist up his first-ever Europa League trophy. Overall, he has scored only three goals in 34 appearances for the Bundesliga club.
At Hellas Verona, Hrustic has only made one appearance as of this writing, but he’ll certainly get more game time in these next few weeks which will boost his confidence ahead of Qatar.
As for his time with the Socceroos, Hrustic has already made 19 caps for them. All of his three career goals for Australia came during the World Cup 2022 qualifiers.
Mehdi Taremi, Iran
The World Cup 2022 odds are stacked against Iran in Group B. So for them to have a chance, their strikers would need to be on target against the likes of England, United States, and Wales.
Mehdi Taremi will lead the line once more and he’ll link up with Sardar Azmoun anew. Taremi’s 2022-23 club campaign is off to an auspicious start, scoring four goals already for Porto, which is good for second in the Primeira Liga’s Golden Boot race.
The 30-year-old centre-forward has 58 caps and 27 goals for Iran. During the summer transfer window, Taremi was linked with a move to Chelsea as the Blues were looking for reinforcements up front.
With Carlos Queiroz returning at the coaching helm for Team Melli, Taremi should benefit from his free-flowing style once more. England, USA, and Wales should underestimate the Iranians at their own peril.
Takefusa Kubo, Japan
As shown during the qualifiers last year, Japan don’t look the same without Takefusa Kubo and they almost missed the big dance because of his absence.
This summer, Kubo looks to have finally found a new place to shine in Real Sociedad. He made instant impact on his debut against Cadiz when he scored the only goal of the game, and he put in another spectacular outing in their Europa League group stage match against Manchester United.
With Alexander Isak moving to England, Kubo should play a crucial role for La Real’s European hopes this term. Also, he just turned 21 years old and he still has plenty of potential to be unlocked.
Hwang Hee-Chan, South Korea
Hwang Hee-Chan has yet to open his scoring account this season, but he remains an integral cog for both Wolves and South Korea.
The 26-year-old striker last found the back of the net on February 24 when his scored his fifth Premier League goal against Arsenal, although he picked up two assists and a goal for the Taeguk Warriors against Chile last June.
He was heavily linked with a move to Leeds during the summer transfer window, but Wolves manager Bruno Lage blocked the possible transfer.
The Wolves striker has been solid overall and his sole problem right now is converting his attempts, which is fixable. He should be able to break out of his slump just in time for the World Cup.
Heung-Min Son, South Korea
Despite having a slow start to 2022-23, Heung-Min Son is still the best Asian player today and it’s not even close.
The Tottenham winger is fresh from winning the Premier League Golden Boot last season. And with the lofty standards that he set for himself, seeing him scoreless after the first eight games has certainly raised eyebrows.
However, his coaches in Antonio Conte and Paulo Bento aren’t worried at all at his form since Son has proven his quality over these past few years. Son is expected to put South Korea on his back once again in the World Cup, but relying on him alone is never going to be enough for the Taeguk Warriors to end their knockout rounds drought.
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