/ Football fans are waiting to follow the Asian Cup, which will be held in Qatar from January 12 to February 10, with the participation of 24 teams. The South Korean and Japanese teams have supported their lists with many stars who have shone in European stadiums. While 10 Arab teams are participating in the tournament, Asian stadiums are waiting for 10 stars who are expected to shine in the tournament.
Musa Al-Taamari (Jordan)
The Jordanian star, who plays for Montpellier in France, is the first Jordanian to play in the five major leagues.
The star nicknamed the Jordanian Messi leads the Jordanians’ dreams of repeating the achievements of 2004 and 2011 by qualifying for the quarter-finals of the continental championship.
Asian participation will not be the first for Musa Al-Taamari, who participated in the previous edition 2019 in the Emirates, and succeeded in scoring a goal and two assists in 3 matches.
Musa Al-Taamari began his professional career at APOEL in Cyprus and won the league’s best player award in 2019, before moving to Leuven in Belgium, before moving to Montpellier in France.
Musa scored 13 goals for his country in 58 matches.
Takefusa Kubo (Japan):
Real Sociedad’s Japanese star, Kubo, is being pinned high hopes on by Japanese fans in light of the absence of Brighton’s English star, Kaoru Mitoma, due to injury.
Kubo shone with his Spanish team, and succeeded in leading it to cross the group stage of the Champions League, topping its group at the expense of Benfica of Portugal, Inter of Italy, and Red Bull Salzburg of Austria.
The 22-year-old player started his career at Barcelona’s academy, and when he was 18, he moved to Real Madrid, but did not play any official matches with the Royal Club, so he moved to several experiences in the Spanish League, which ended with Real Sociedad, where he shone.
Kubo’s participation in the Asian Championship will be the first in his career.
This season, the Japanese star played 25 matches with his team in all competitions, scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists.
Mehdi Taremi (Iran):
The Iranian national team and Porto striker has been shining brightly in the Portuguese stadiums since joining the team in 2020.
Taremi scored 26 goals for his team in 2023, and seeks to lead his country to win the championship and equal Japan’s record as the most crowned Asian team.
Iran have not won the Asian Cup since 1976, and Taremi and his teammates are seeking to end those lean years in which the Asian Cup was far from his country.
Salem Al-Dosari (Saudi Arabia)
The star of the Saudi Al Hilal Club, who witnessed the Qatar 2022 World Cup shine and lead his country’s team to victory over world champion Argentina in the group stage.
Al-Dossari, the best player in Asia last season, hopes to lead the Saudi Green Team to equal the Japanese team and win the Asian Championship for the fourth time in history, in light of the great development in Saudi football and the attraction of international stars.
Italian Roberto Mancini will certainly rely on Al-Dossari to lead the Green Falcons’ attack in the Asian Cup.
Almoez Ali (Qatar)
Qatar fans hope that Almoez Ali will regain the level he showed for Al Annabi in the 2019 tournament in the Emirates.
Almoez Ali scored 9 goals at the time, setting a record as the player with the most goals scored in a single edition, surpassing the Iranian Ali Daei.
At the time, Almoez and his teammates led his country’s team to win the first continental championship in Qatar’s history.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan national team)
Japan and Arsenal defender, who has been shining in English football for the second year in a row.
Tomiyasu had several experiences before arriving at the Gunners, with Belgian club Sint-Truiden and Italian club Bologna.
The Japanese player can play as a right or left back and as a centre back, and participates in building attacks. He excels in aerial play, as he is 1.88 cm tall, making him one of the tallest players on the Japanese national team.
Tomiyasu forms a strong duo with veteran team captain Maya Yoshida.
Kim Min-jae (South Korea)
One of the most expensive players in the Asian Championship, he moved to Bayern Munich from Napoli for 60 million euros.
Kim has become a strong element in the Korean national team’s defense, as well as at Bayern Munich, along with Thomas Tuchel, the coach of the Bavarian team.
German coach Jurgen Klinsmann has high hopes for Kim to lead Korea’s defence in the tournament.
Last season, Kim succeeded in winning the Italian League with Napoli.
Justin Hubner (Wolverhampton)
For the first time, Indonesia’s squad includes a Premier League player, Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Justin Hubner.
The 20-year-old defender, who stands 1.87 metres tall, played for the Netherlands youth team before being lured to his native Indonesia to play for them in the Asian Cup.
Indonesia, backed by its young player, hopes to advance beyond the group stage in its fifth participation in the Asian Cup.
Zidane Iqbal (Iraq)
The Iraqi professional player in the ranks of Utrecht in the Netherlands, who transferred to it from Manchester United in England.
Despite his absence due to injury this season and his participation in only 3 matches, the Iraqi fans have high hopes for him during the tournament, and to bring back memories of Iraq in 2007.
Iqbal played for Manchester United for a few minutes in the Champions League against Young Boys last season.
The player’s future witnessed a struggle between Iraq, his original country, and England, of which he holds citizenship, before the player settled the struggle and joined the Arab national team.
Son Heung-min (South Korea)
One of the most prominent names shining in the English stadiums with Tottenham Club.
Son is the leader of South Korea’s dreams in the Asian Championship, as the Korean star played 114 international matches, and participated in three Asian Cup tournaments before the Qatar 2024 tournament.
He was also crowned the best player in Asia 8 times, and the player of the season twice with Tottenham, and he was jointly crowned with Mohamed Salah with the Golden Boot award for the 2021-2022 season.