The Asian Cup kicks off Friday in Qatar, the start of a month-long tournament bringing together 24 teams and the biggest stars in the region. We pick out five players to watch:
Son Heung-min (South Korea)
What more can be said about the South Korea and Tottenham Hotspur captain? The 31-year old is one of the best attackers in the Premier League and has consistently been the best player in Asia for the last five years. Under new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou, who made him captain. Son also seems to enjoy playing under legendary German striker Jurgen Klinsmann for his country, scoring twice and setting up the other in an impressive 3-0 win in China in World Cup qualifying in November.
Kaoru Mitoma (Japan)
The winger was a virtual unknown to casual football fans until delivering a series of scintillating performances last season for Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League. A relatively late arrival to elite football, the 26-year old former university student joined Brighton in 2021 from Kawasaki Frontale but then went out on loan to Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium. Mitoma returned to Brighton in the summer of 2022 and found his feet in English football, since scoring 13 times and recording 14 assists in 65 appearances for his club.
Kim Min-jae (South Korea)
Known as "Monster" because of his imposing physique, the Bayern Munich man is one of the best defenders around and a mainstay of the South Korean rearguard. The nickname does him a disservice in many ways - the elegant central defender is no slouch across the grass and is comfortable on the ball.
Salem Al Dawsari (Saudi Arabia)
Dawsari will have fond memories of Qatar after scoring one of the goals of the tournament at the 2022 World Cup. The attacker, who was named Asian Football Confederation player of the year in November, unleashed a right-footed thunderbolt as Saudi Arabia stunned eventual champions Argentina 2-1 in their opening game.
Mehdi Taremi (Iran)
Iran have not won the Asian Cup since 1976 but the presence of Porto striker Taremi gives them their best chance of ending that drought. The 31-year old has scored goals by the hatful since joining the Portuguese giants in 2020 and he has a prolific record for his country as well, also averaging a goal every other game.
