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5 of the Most Popular Asian Footballers

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5 Most Popular Asian Footballers in the World

Football is a popular sport in many different countries across Asia. The continent is said to have the largest soccer fan base estimated to be over 400 million people and continues to grow year after year. 

On top of that, despite most international clubs being dominated by European and South American players, some of them are of Asian origin. 

Check out the most popular Asian footballers in the world at the moment:

1. Salem Al-Dawsari

Salem Muhamed Al-Dawsari is a professional Saudi Arabian footballer. He was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 19th August 1991. Salem is part of the Saudi Arabia National team and Al-Hilal in his homeland where he plays as a winger.

Al-Diwsari was called up by the national team to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. It was during the event that Al-Diwsari scored his 1st international goal in 2012 in a match against Australia. He also represented his country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

It is one of the most awaited tournaments worldwide, where national teams that qualify compete for the greatest prize of them all. The FIFA World Cup attracts a large audience, and punters love to place bets on the action. 

With a record six Asian teams at the tournament, you can check out the various Arabic football betting sites on comparison platforms . The website exclusively provides recommendations for trustworthy bookies and instructs Arab players on how to bet legally. In addition, players get access to the most recent welcome bonuses, and the sites are available in multiple languages, like Arabic.

2. Son Heung-Min

Son was born on 8th July 1992 in South Korea. The player currently plays for both the national team and Tottenham Hotspur F.C which is one of the world’s richest football clubs. Son Heung-Min is among the all-time greatest footballers on the Asian continent. He’s popular for his ability to link play, score goals, and his ability to use both his feet. 

Furthermore, Son has consistently performed excellently in the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League. Last season, for example, Son won the Golden Boot in the Premier League, netting 22 goals. 

3. Mehdi Taremi

Mehdi Tameri is one of Asia’s greatest exports to the soccer world. He is an Iranian professional footballer born on 18th July 1992 and is a prolific goalscorer. Therefore, he is also a crucial member of the Iran National team.

Tameri has had a successful career in football which he started at Iranjavan and Shahin Bushehr in Iran. The player later moved on to the Iranian team, Persepolis from 2014 to 2018 and was the Persian Gulf Pro League’s top scorer in two seasons.

From there, Mehdi joined Al-Gharafa Sports Club in Qatar and later to Rio Ave in Portugal. Currently, Taremi plays for Porto winning the title last season scoring 20 goals. 

4. Sardar Azmoun

This Iranian professional footballer has made many records in his career both in the Iran National team and the UEFA Champions League. Sardar is the second-most expensive player in the country after Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Moreover, he is the youngest Iranian player to ever score 6 goals in the Champions League.

Sardar Azmoun was born on 1st January 1995 and joined the Iran National team aged 19 in 2014. He played in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup which gave him more exposure to the world. He currently plays for Bayer Leverkusen, a Bundesliga club.

Azmoun is one of the key players’ team Melli’s expected to lead the squad for the 2022 World Cup. He is the team’s top scorer and managed to net 10 goals in the qualifiers. 

5. Akram Afif

Akram Afif is one of the top players in Qatar born on 11th March 1996 in Doha. The player has bagged many awards in his football career, like the Asian Footballer of the year in 2019. He also helped Qatar to take home the Asian Cup in the same year.

Akram started his football career with the Al-Markhiya youth teams and started his senior career at Eupen in Belgium. Later, in 2016, Afif joined Villarreal on a permanent deal. Currently, he plays for Al Saad, in Qatar, and continues to keep scoring goals.

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