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#3 Hidetoshi Nakata - €28.4m (AS Roma to Parma, 2001)
Hidetoshi Nakata was the face of Asian football in his prime and he was arguably the first Asian player to enjoy mainstream coverage in Europe.
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It was in Serie A that he truly captured the imagination, leading to a marquee transfer from AS Roma to Parma in the summer of 2001.
Parma had embarked on a spending spree in that period that saw them gather an expensively-assembled squad. They brought in the likes of Adriano, Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Hernan Crespo.
The Italian club paid a sum of €28.4m to AS Roma for the transfer of Nakata which stood as the record fee for an Asian player for almost 15 years. Interestingly, Nakata had completed another mega transfer worth €21.69m to Roma from Perugia only a year prior.
Also See: Seven European clubs to win a treble
#2 Son Heung-min - €30m (Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham, 2015)
Son Heung-min is by far the most visible, active Asian player and arguably one of the very best players in the world.
The South Korean international made a name for himself at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga before sealing a move to Tottenham in the summer of 2015. Spurs paid Leverkusen a sum of €30m to secure his purchase which was a record fee paid for an Asian player.
Since then, the 29-year-old has gone on to cement his legacy in the annals of White Hart Lane with multiple fantastic displays in the attacking third.
So far, the former Hamburg man has scored 107 goals and provided 64 assists from 280 games in all competitions. Son has also quickly become a bonafide fan-favorite in London.
The South Korean's almost telepathic connection on the field with Harry Kane has also been beneficial to their club over the years. However, there is currently intense speculation over where his future lies.
Also See: Seven greatest Brazilian defenders of all time
#1 Shoya Nakajima - €35m (Portimonense to Al Duhail, 2017)
A lot of eyebrows were raised when Qatari side Al-Duhai sanctioned Shoya Nakajima's purchase for the pricey sum of €35m in February 2017.
The transfer became even more curious when he was allowed to join Porto just five months later, having played just seven league matches. In those matches, he scored only one goal.
Nakajima's spell at Porto was even more underwhelming. He failed to score a single goal in the 20 league matches he played for the Dragons across two seasons. The 26-year-old most recently joined UAE Pro League side Al Ain on a six-month loan in January 2021.
Also See: Top 5 countries with the most Copa America titles
