Asian’s premier football tournament, the AFC Asian Cup will kickstart on January 12, with host Qatar taking on Lebanon.
Here are the top five players to look out for in the tournament.
Son Heung-min
It would be safe to say that Son Heung-min will be the biggest global footballing star to be in action in the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. The South Korean skipper will look to lead his side to its first continental title in 64 years.
Son has been in sizzling form for Tottenham Hotspur this season, scoring 12 goals and setting up another five in the Premier League.
The 31-year-old attacker, who has scored 41 goals in 116 appearances for his national team, will be on the lookout to add to the gold medal he won along with his side in 2018 Asian Games.
Takefusa Kubo
Real Sociedad’s Japanese forward #14 Takefusa Kubo looks on during the Spanish league football match between Cadiz CF and Real Sociedad. | Photo Credit: JORGE GUERRERO
Four-time Asian Cup winner Japan will pin its Qatar hopes on the creative genius of Takefusa Kubo.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, wo represents Real Sociedad at the club level, has made 29 appearances for Japan, scoring three goals, including two in 2023.
Kubo, who started his senior career in Spain with Real Madrid, has been more prolific with Sociedad, scoring nine goals and assisting seven last season. His performance was rewarded with the club’s player of the season award.
Kubo has started this season in the same vein, having already scored six goals in 18 appearances for Sociedad.
Kim Min-jae
Minjae Kim of FC Bayern München reacts during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and VfB Stuttgart. | Photo Credit: Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images
In addition to Son, South Korea also has another European superstar in the form of talismanic defender Kim Min-Jae. In fact, the latter broke the Spurs forward’s four-year run as South Korean footballer of the year.
After helping Napoli to a historic Serie A title, Min-Jae has transitioned seamlessly into the heart of Bayern Munich’s defence. The 27-year-old has struck up a fruitful centre-back partnership with Dayot Upamecano at Bayern, with the South Korean second in the league for passes made.
Min-jae, who recently became the first Asian defender to be nominated for Ballon d’Or, has been a regular feature for his national side since 2017, making 55 appearances, scoring four goals. He was also part of the 2018 Asian Games medal-winning team, along with Son.
Mehdi Taremi
FC Porto’s Mehdi Taremi celebrates after scoring in the UEFA Champions League. | Photo Credit: REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
After winning the first three AFC Asian Cup titles it entered, with the last of them coming in 1976, Iran has never come close to winning the continental championship.
Its hopes of breaking a 48-year duck hinges heavily on the goal-scoring prowess of its star striker Mehdi Taremi.
Taremi caught the attention of the football world after he powered Portuguese side Porto to the league title last season with a league-high 22 goals.
Iran though will be slightly worried about Taremi’s recent form, with the 31-year-old scoring just six goals across all competitions for Porto. But this hasn’t affected his performance in the national colours, with the striker pouching 13 goals in his last 12 international appearances.
Almoez Ali
Almoez Ali in action during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Almoez Ali made caught the global attention when his tournament-record nine goals guided Qatar to a historic AFC Asian Cup title in 2019.
In 2024, he will look to repeat the trick as his side looks to defend the title.
Ali has had a middling club season with Al Duhail this time, with just five goals in 18 games. But the 27-year-old striker has been in fine touch in the national colours, scoring two hat-tricks towards the end of last year.
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