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Football is one of the most popular sports in Asia, but Asian players have begun to make their presence felt on the European landscape only recently.
The rapid commercialisation of the game has seen the competitiveness of various Asian leagues improve by leaps and bounds due to the arrival of talented players from Europe and South America.
That, along with the relaxation in work permit / visa norms, has seen a rapid influx of talented Asian players in the European football scene.
Most valuable Asian XI at the moment:
At the turn of the century, only a handful of Asian players were known outside the continent.
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However, two decades later, a lot of Asian players are plying their trades in lucrative European leagues, with some of them being key players for their respective clubs.
In this regard, let's have a look at the most valuable Asian XI at the moment. A 4-2-3-1 formation has been considered for the hypothetical team.
# Goalkeeper - Mathew Ryan (Australia) - €8 million
Though Mathew Ryan is not an 'Asian' player in the strictest sense of the term, he makes the team because Australia have been a part of the Asian Football Confederation since 2006.
The 28-year-old Australian custodian, who plays for Premier League club Arsenal, first arrived in the competition in the summer of 2017 with Brighton & Hove Albion.
After making over 123 appearances in all competitions for the club, Arsenal came calling for his services, and Ryan joined the Gunners on a season-long loan deal till the end of the ongoing campaign.
In his only competitive outing for his new club, Ryan failed to keep a clean sheet, as Arsenal lost 1-0 to Aston Villa in a Premier League game.
# Centre-back - Maya Yoshida (Japan) - €3.8 million
Maya Yoshida made close to 200 appearances during an eight-year stint at English club Southampton.
The 28-year-old Japan international, who arrived at Sampdoria in January 2020, albeit on a loan deal, has impressed in his new surroundings.
Yoshida has already made 36 appearances in all competitions for the Serie A club in just over a year. Recently, the centre-back made news by donating personal protective gear to Genoa hospitals and Sampdoria employees after the COVID-19 outbreak.
# Centre-back - Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan) - €18 million
Takehiro Tomiyasu is the most valuable Asian defender in the game at the moment.
The 22-year-old centre-back arrived at Italian club Bologna from Belgian Pro League side Sint-Truiden last season.
Tomiyasu has made six goal contributions (three goals and as many assists) in various competitions for the Italian club in over 50 appearances.
The subject of interest of a bevy of top clubs like AC Milan and Leicester City, Tomiyasu remains a Bologna player.
# Right-back - Hiroki Sakai (Japan) - €5.5 million
After making his European top-flight debut with Hannover in 2012-13, Hiroki Sakai arrived at Marseille four seasons later and has stayed there since then.
The 30-year-old Japanese centre-back has appeared in nearly 180 games in all competitions for OM during this period, scoring twice and providing 12 assists.
Sakai recently found himself in the eye of a storm after accusing Neymar of racial abuse during a Ligue 1 game last year.
# Left-back - Milad Mohammadi (Iran) - €2.8 million
Milad Mohammadi joined Belgian club Gent last summer after a four-season stint at Akhmat Grozny in Russia.
The 27-year-old Iranian left-back has impressed at his new surroundings, making over 50 appearances in all competitions in less than two seasons.
Mohammadi has also made 36 appearances for Iran. He played two games in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
# Central Midfielder - Aaron Mooy (Australia) - €8.5 million
Aaron Mooy is another Australian player who appears in our hypothetical lineup.
The 30-year-old striker enjoyed a three-season stint in the Premier League, doing so with two clubs - Huddersfield Town and Brighton & Hove Albion - and netting nine times.
Now with Shanghai SIPG in the Chinese Super League, Mooy has only scored once in 17 outings in all competitions for his latest employers.
# Defensive Midfielder - Wataru Endo (Japan) - €8 million
Wataru Endo is enjoying an impressive debut Bundesliga campaign for Stuttgart. He has scored twice and assisted four times, but his club currently occupy bottom place in the competition.
Apart from his goal contributions, the 28-year-old defensive midfielder has impressed with his progressive passes and ability to keep possession.
Endo played a key role the previous season to help Stuttgart earn promotion from the second division.
If Stuttgart fail to stay up in the Bundesliga, Endo is unlikely to have any dearth of high-profile suitors.
# Attacking Midfielder - Daichi Kamada (Japan) - €18 million
Daichi Kamada has made 32 goal contributions (13 goals and 19 assists) in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt since arriving at the Bundesliga club in 2017.
The attacking midfielder's imperious form this campaign - three goals and 11 assists - have helped Frankfurt to a creditable fourth place in the Bundesliga table. That has earned Kamada a contract extension at the club till 2023.
The 22-year-old first made his mark in Japan's third division before rising up the ranks to land in Europe.
# Left Winger - Son Heung-min (South Korea) - €80 million
Son Heung-min is unsurprisingly the best Asian player in the game at the moment.
The 28-year-old South Korean is one of the most valuable players in the game, thanks to his coming of age under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho this season.
Forging a devastating partnership with Tottenham Hotspur captain Harry Kane, Son Heung-min is on course for his best season in club football. He has already scored 16 goals in all competitions for his club and looks good for more.
Interestingly, Son Heung-min is more valuable than a certain Lionel Messi (€70 million) at the moment.
# Right Winger - Takefusa Kubo (Japan) - €20 million
After honing his skills at Barcelona's famous La Masia academy, Takefusa Kubo joined Real Madrid in 2019.
However, the Japanese teenager is yet to make his debut for the Merengues, as he is currently in his third loan stint - at Getafe - after previous spell at Mallorca and Villarreal.
Kubo, who is yet to score for his latest club, would want to produce a banner season to return to the La Liga giants.
# Centre Forward - Sardar Azmoun (Iran) - €23 million
One of the most exciting talents to have emerged from Iran in recent years, Sardar Azmoun has turned out for three different clubs during a decade-long stint in the Russian Premier League.
Currently plying his trade with Zenit St. Petersburg, the 26-year-old forward is nicknamed 'the Iranian Messi' despite no apparent similarity in playing styles between the two players.
Azmoun, who has scored 44 times in various competitions for Zenit, has also netted 32 times for Iran.
