The vast continent of Asia has produced its fair share of great footballing talent over the years, with a fair few players coming to play in the Premier League.
Japanese and South Korean stars make up the majority of them, but others have made their mark on the English top flight too.
Here, we run through the very best Asian players in Premier League history…
Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan)
One of Asia’s greatest-ever players, 77-cap Japan star Hidetoshi Nakata finished his playing career on loan at Bolton Wanderers from Fiorentina.
The midfielder made 21 Premier League appearances for the Trotters during the 2005/06 season, helping them secure another top-half finish under Sam Allardyce. He scored his only goal in a 2-0 win over West Ham.
Takumi Minamino (Japan)
Having established himself in the European game at Red Bull Salzburg, versatile attacker Takumi Minamino joined Liverpool in January 2020.
He collected a Premier League winner’s medal in his first season at Anfield and scored goals in the competition for the Reds and Southampton, with whom he spent the latter part of the 2020/21 campaign on loan.
Seol Ki-hyeon (South Korea)
Debuting in English football with Wolves in the Championship, winger Seol Ki-hyeon moved to Reading ahead of their maiden top-flight campaign of 2006/07 – and he played an important role in the Royals’ impressive eighth-placed finish.
After only one full season in Berkshire, Seol made the switch to fellow Prem club Fulham, where he took his appearance total in the competition to 48.
Junichi Inamoto (Japan)
Having failed to make a Premier League appearance on loan from Gamba Osaka at Arsenal, Junichi Inamoto went on to feature 69 times in the competition across spells with Fulham and West Brom.
An aggressive midfielder who wasn’t averse to scoring spectacularly from range, the 82-cap Japan international helped Fulham finish ninth in the top flight in 2003/04, Chris Coleman’s first full season in charge of the Cottagers.
Sun Jihai (China)
One of the few Chinese players to ply their trade in the Premier League, Sun Jihai joined then second-tier Manchester City from Dalian Shide in 2002 – having previously played on loan for Crystal Palace at the same level.
Promoted to the top flight in his first season at City, the centre-back went on to make over 100 Premier League appearances and became the first East Asian player to score in the competition – doing so in a 2-0 victory over Birmingham City.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan)
Arsenal swooped to sign versatile full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu for around £15m from Bologna in the summer of 2021.
Adept at right-back, left-back and centre-half, Tomiyasu made an instant impact with the Gunners, winning the club’s September Player of the Month award with more than half of the votes. He featured more than 20 times in each of his first three Premier League campaigns.
Wataru Endo (Japan)
Something of a surprise signing when he arrived at Liverpool from Stuttgart in the summer of 2023, Wataru Endo proved to be a very useful acquisition for the Reds.
An excellent ball-winner in the middle of the park, the Japan regular chalked up 29 Premier League outings in his debut season at Anfield, scoring his first goal to equalise in a thrilling 4-3 win against Fulham.
Ki Sung-yueng (South Korea)
Capped 110 times by South Korea, midfielder Ki Sung-yueng spent his prime years in the Premier League, turning out 139 times for Swansea City, as well as making 27 appearances on loan at Sunderland and playing a further 21 games for Newcastle.
Ki was voted Swansea’s Player of the Season as the Welsh side – who he joined from Celtic in 2012 – finished eighth in the top flight in 2014/15.
Hwang Hee-chan (South Korea)
An exciting forward nicknamed ‘The Bull’ for his aggressive approach, Hwang Hee-chan arrived at Wolves on loan from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021.
After five goals in his first Premier League season, Hwang made his move to Molineux permanent. He enjoyed a particularly memorable 2023/24 campaign, finding the net 12 times – including six in the first 10 matches.
Shinji Okazaki (Japan)
Among Japan’s all-time leading marksmen, Shinji Okazaki was a hit with Leicester fans – not least for starring in their against-the-odds Premier League title triumph of 2015/16, his first season at the club after signing from Mainz.
Okazaki formed a highly effective partnership with top scorer Jamie Vardy, chipping in with five goals himself over the course of the campaign – including a stunning overhead kick against Newcastle which sent Claudio Ranieri’s team five points clear at the top of the table. He notched 14 Prem goals for the Foxes in all.
Ali Al-Habsi (Oman)
Ali Al-Habsi went from putting out flames as a firefighter in his native Oman to keeping out shots in the Premier League, where he starred most prominently for Wigan Athletic, winning the Latics’ 2020/11 Player of the Season award.
Signed by Bolton from Norwegian side Lyn in 2005, the six-foot-four goalkeeper kept 23 clean sheets in 111 Prem appearances – 101 of which came in the colours of Wigan.
Maya Yoshida (Japan)
Signed from VVV-Venlo late in the summer 2012 transfer window, Maya Yoshida quickly became a key player for Southampton, forming a strong central defensive partnership with Jose Fonte which helped the Saints to 14th place upon their return to the Premier League.
Capped 126 times by his country, Yoshida racked up 154 Prem appearances in total, all of them for the South Coast club.
Shinji Kagawa (Japan)
All-time Japanese great Shinji Kagawa was the first player from his nation to win the Premier League title, doing so in 2012/13, his first season at Manchester United.
Also the first Asian player to hit a hat-trick in the competition, scoring three of United’s goals in a 4-0 thrashing of Norwich City, the creative midfielder recorded 12 goal contributions (6 goals, 6 assists) in 38 Prem outings before returning to Borussia Dortmund in 2014.
Kaoru Mitoma (Japan)
An electric dribbler and all-round attacking threat, Kaoru Mitoma established himself as one of Japan’s foremost footballing stars of the early 2020s, joining Brighton from Kawasaki Frontale in 2021.
Initially loaned to Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise, Mitoma made his Premier League debut in 2022 and scored 10 goals in his first two seasons. He won the league’s August 2023 Goal of the Month award for a devastating solo effort against Wolves.
Park Ji-sung (South Korea)
Among the most decorated Asian footballers of all time, Park Ji-sung helped Manchester United to four Premier League titles between 2007 and 2011.
A £4m signing from PSV in 2005, Park was a highly adaptable all-action midfielder whose incredible energy reserves earned him the nickname ‘Three-Lung’ Park. He made 154 English top-flight appearances in all (134 for United, 20 for QPR), scoring 19 goals and assisting a further 21.
Son Heung-min (South Korea)
For us – and for many – Son Heung-min is the greatest Asian player ever, cementing his status as a top, top talent at Tottenham – who he joined from Bayer Leverkusen for a then Asian-record £22m in 2015.
The 2021/22 season saw the explosively fast forward become Asia’s first Premier League Golden Boot winner, while he passed the milestone of 100 Prem goals for Spurs the following campaign – before becoming club captain ahead in the summer of 2023.
