8. Shinji Kagawa
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Kagawa was a key cog in the wheel for Jürgen Klopp‘s Borussia Dortmund as the club stormed to two consecutive Bundesliga league titles in 2010/11 and 2011/12, keeping the mighty Bayern Munich at bay during the process. Played in his most effective position as a central attacking midfielder, Kagawa thrived as he scored and set up goals for team-mates.
In his first season with Dortmund, he scored 8 goals before being sidelined by injury; he followed that up with 13 goals during the 2011/12 season and assisted another 8, thereby hitting a purple patch becoming a fan favourite. The league and DFB Pokal double ensured a successful end to the season; the icing on the cake came when Kagawa was named International Player-of-the-Year for 2012, awarded by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
His move to Premier League side Manchester United in 2012/13 lead another trophy-winning campaign, thereby becoming the first Japanese player to win the EPL. However, from a personal point of view Kagawa did not enjoy as much success on the pitch playing on the left wing with the Red Devils as he did in a central role while at Dortmund; this eventually prompted a return to his former club in the summer of 2014 where he was more than welcomed by Klopp.
Kagawa represented Japan at U-20 levels before turning into a senior international player; he was part of the team that won the AFC Asian Cup in 2011 and also turned out in the colours of the Samurai Blue at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 Asian Cup.
