Kuala Lumpur: Two years ago today, on June 26 2015, Shinji Okazaki joined Leicester City from Mainz 05 in a move that led to one of the most incredible stories in the modern game.
Less than 12 months later, the Japanese forward had played a key role in The Foxes’ sensational fairytale season as Claudio Ranieri’s relegation candidates swept aside all before them to lift the English Premier League title.
With another off-season in Europe likely to see more movers and shakers – and several Asians set to head west – the-AFC.com looks back at five of the biggest signings involving Asian players.
Hidetoshi Nakata (Bellmare Hiratsuka to Perugia)
It’s hard to start anywhere else than Okazaki’s Japanese compatriot Hidetoshi Nakata’s move from Bellmare Hiratsuka to Italian Serie A side Perugia following the midfielder’s impressive showing at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
“The pioneer of Japanese football”, as described by current Blue Samurai defender Maya Yoshida, Nakata paved the way for the likes of Okazaki, Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda to succeed in Europe after his form at Perugia earned him a US$22 million move to Italian giants Roma in 2000.
Nakata turning out for Bolton Wanderers
Nakata helped the Giallorossi win only their third Serie A title in 2001, before spells with Parma, Bologna, Fiorentina and a season-long stint with Bolton Wanderers in England’s Premier League preceded his third FIFA World Cup appearance in 2006.
After helping Japan reach the Round of 16 on home soil in 2002, Nakata was part of the side that advanced to a third successive World Cup in Germany. A scoreless draw with Croatia, though, was sandwiched between defeats to Australia and Brazil as the East Asians exited at the first hurdle before the enigmatic midfielder surprisingly brought the curtain down on his career at the age of just 29.
Ali Daei (Arminia Bielefeld to Bayern Munich)
Four goals in a 6-2 quarter-final win over Korea Republic in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup shot Islamic Republic of Iran legend Ali Daei to the attention of German side Arminia Bielefeld, who made a double swoop for the forward and countryman Karim Bagheri.
But it was a year later that Daei sealed the biggest move an Iranian player has ever made when he signed for Bayern Munich, where he would become the first person from his country to appear in the UEFA Champions League.
Ali Daei won the AFC Player of Year in 1999
In truth, the forward found life hard at Bayern and predominantly was left on the bench in the side’s run to the 1998-99 final, but he did manage six goals in his season at the club before Hertha Berlin brought Daei to the German capital.
Two goals in a UEFA Champions League win over Chelsea and another in a 1-1 away draw at AC Milan in 1999 marked the high point for Daei, before he returned to Asia – with Al Shabab in the United Arab Emirates – in 2002.
Park Ji-sung (PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United)
At just 21, Park Ji-sung was one of the youngest members of the Korea Republic team that stunned everyone in reaching the semi-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup and, in doing so, alerted watchful eyes in Europe of his potential.
A year later the midfielder was off to PSV Eindhoven, where he helped the Dutch side reach the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League semi-final. Park’s industry would impress none other than Sir Alex Ferguson, who then brought him to Manchester United in the summer of 2005.
Seven years at Old Trafford saw Park win almost every major honour, with Ferguson often selecting the energetic Korean for the biggest games. A low point, however, was his exclusion from the 2008 UEFA Champions League final in which United defeated Chelsea to lift Europe’s biggest prize, a decision which Ferguson later described as one of the toughest of his career.
After winning four Premier League titles, three League Cups, the FIFA World Club Cup and, of course, the UEFA Champions League, Park departed Old Trafford in 2012. An unsuccessful stint with Queens Park Rangers ended in relegation, before a return to PSV for one final season proved to be the swansong of one of Asia’s most successful exports to Europe.
Ali Adnan (Caykur Rizespor to Udinese)
Coming from one of Iraq’s most famous footballing families means Ali Adnan has always had to deal with the weight of expectation, yet the left-sided player has thrived so much so that he became the first Iraqi to appear in Serie A when he joined Italian side Udinese in July 2015.
It was the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey that first raised awareness of a talented young Adnan, who was then plying his trade at Baghdad FC. Iraq reached the semi-finals and, shortly after returning home, Adnan found himself on his way back to Turkey to join Caykur Rizespor.
After just a month in Turkey, it was rumoured that both Napoli and Galatasaray were looking to lure Adnan away from his new employers, but it wasn’t until July 2015 that he finally made the move to his current side.
A regular during his first campaign in Udinese, Adnan became the first Iraqi to score in Italy with his free-kick in a 2-1 defeat to Genoa. He found life slightly tougher the following season after several managerial changes but, still only 23, Adnan has plenty time to shine in one of the world’s most competitive leagues.
Sun Jihai (Dalian Shide to Manchester City)
After making a name for himself at Dalian Shide, where he won China’s domestic championship four times, Sun Jihai – along with Fan Zhiyi – was one of the first two Chinese players to play in England when the pair signed for Crystal Palace in 1998.
Sun returned to Dalian after a season-long loan in London but that would not be the end of his time in the country. In February 2002, when Manchester City came calling, the defender was on his way back to England to become the first East Asian to play in the Premier League.
The China international’s time in Manchester proved a success as Sun developed into a firm fans’ favourite and made 130 appearances for the club. He also become the first East Asian to score in the Premier League when he netted in a 2-0 victory over Birmingham City in October 2002.
After five and a half years at City, Sun moved on to English Championship side Sheffield United, but an injury-hit season eventually culminated in a return to China, where he spent time at Chengdu Blades, Guizhou Renhe, Chongqing Lifan and Beijing Renhe before hanging up his boots in 2016.
Photos: Udinese, Manchester City, Leicester City, Lagardère Sports & Getty Images
Source: the-afc.com