Asian stars to watch in the 2022-23 European season: Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma, Nguyen Quang Hai, and others
In a blink of an eye, the summer break is over the 2022-23 European football campaign is upon us.
It is shaping up to be an action-packed season, especially with the first-ever winter FIFA World Cup to take place in Qatar from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18.
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Some of Asia’s brightest talents will once again be strutting their stuff across Europe’s top leagues, ranging from the big names looking to stay at the top of their game to the up-and-coming prospects ready to take their chance — and even a forgotten man set to be handed a new lease of life.
Here, we look at some of the continent’s stars to keep a close eye on this season.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
The most obvious candidate on the list, Son Heung-min is now established as one of the world’s best players. The question is: can he get even better?
Even simply matching last season’s efforts — where he became the first Asian to win the Premier League‘s golden boot which he shared with Mohamed Salah — would be some feat, but the 30-year-old should be entering the prime of his career and is clearly thriving at Tottenham.
Adding to the intrigue surrounding Son is the pressure he will be under captaining South Korea at the World Cup, especially given the tough draw they have been handed where they will take on Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal in Group H.
That daunting task, coupled with Spurs’ continuing quest to win a major trophy for the first time since 2008, should make Son a man with no shortage of motivation this season.
Kim Min-jae (Napoli)
For a while now, Son’s main supporting cast for South Korea has come in the form of Bordeaux striker Hwang Ui-jo and Wolves attacker Hwang Hee-chan, as well as midfield general Hwang In-beom — who recently signed for Olympiakos but was previously making a name for himself in Russia with Rubin Kazan.
Nonetheless, a new bona fide star could soon emerge in Kim Min-jae.
Aptly nicknamed ‘Monster’ albeit in an affectionate manner for his imposing physique and never-say-die attitude, Kim only has one season in Europe under his belt with Turkish giants Fenerbahce but has since earned a move to Serie A outfit Napoli.
Replacing Kalidou Koulibaly — who has now joined Chelsea — will not be easy but the 25-year-old’s rapid progress and undeniable defensive ability should give him the best chance of doing just that.
Takumi Minamino (Monaco)
Takumi Minamino‘s time at Liverpool may have seen him become a Premier League and Carabao Cup champion, but he was never able to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI — despite scoring some crucial goals in cup competition.
The Japan international’s search for regular first-team football has now taken him to Ligue 1 with Monaco, with the 2022-23 season shaping up as a pivotal one in his career.
At the age of 27, Minamino should soon be performing at the peak of his powers and he would ideally like to be making an impact on the field each week rather than be warming the bench.
The silky-skilled attacker is also one of Japan‘s most-talented individuals and will need to be firing on all cylinders at the World Cup, especially with the Samurai Blue coming up against former champions Germany and Spain, as well as Costa Rica, in the group stage.
Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)
In addition to Minamino, another man Japan can hope to turn to at the World Cup is Kaoru Mitoma, who is about to embark on his first campaign in the Premier League with Brighton having spent last term on loan with Union SG.
Mitoma caught the eye in Belgium with eight goals from 28 appearances in all competition, and has long been regarded as one of Japanese football’s brightest talents from the time he broke through with Kawasaki Frontale.
Still only 25, Mitoma might have to bide his time in order to break into the Seagulls first team but has been given an opportunity to impress in preseason.
Along with Arsenal rightback Takehiro Tomiyasu, Mitoma is shaping up as the future of Japanese football but also as individuals who could very well make an immediate impact this season.
Nguyen Quang Hai (Pau)
He may not be among the biggest headline acts in Asian football, and it will be the second tier of French football where he will be plying his trade in — but the 2022-23 season will be massive for Nguyen Quang Hai.
The Vietnam international, long regarded as one of Southeast Asia’s brightest talents, has finally earned his move to Europe with Pau in Ligue 2 after eight years at hometown club Hanoi.
The left-footed playmaker with a penchant for spectacular goals produced star turns in both Vietnam’s title-winning AFF Championship campaign in 2018, as well as their historic run to the Asian Cup quarterfinals the following year.
At the age of 25, it is the perfect time for Quang Hai to kick on in his career and do what few from the region have managed before by succeeding in Europe.
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