Premier League: Top 5 goal-scorers in English top-tier hailing from Asia
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The Premier League has seen legends from different continents ever since it was established. From free scoring goal-scorers to rock solid defenders, the Premier League has been a home of world class players. While the scenario is mostly dominated by European and Latin American footballers, many Asian and Oceanian players have also hoisted their flags on English soil.
The clubs that have won the Premier League till date, have all employed Asian players at some point, mainly from South Korea, Japan, and Australia. Ji-Sung Park is still considered to be the greatest Asian to ever grace the English pitches, but there have been title-winners, like Shinji Okazaki, Champions League winners like Harry Kewell, and Ballon d’Or nominees like Tim Cahill and Hueng-Min Son too.
Therefore, let us look at the five most prolific Asian goal-scorers
5. Chris Wood – New Zealand – 48 goals
Despite coming into the English landscape in 2008, Chris Wood got the recognition while his current stint at Burnley. Wood is the only sixth New Zealander to play in the Premier League, as he has worn West Brom, Leicester and Burnley colors as of yet. Wood has made a total of 143 Premier League appearances combining his time at all the three clubs, and has scored 48 goals in the meantime, 47 for Burnley and 1 for Leicester.
4. Tim Cahill – Australia – 56 goals
Arguably one of the most iconic Asians to play in England, Cahill first came into the Championship when he joined Millwall. However, he shot into prominence when he played for Everton, where he made 226 appearances, scoring 56 goals. Cahill bagged a lot of individual honors while his time in the Merseyside, but his greatest ever achievement would be being nominated for the 2006 Ballon d’Or.
3. Harry Kewell – Australia – 57 goals
Harry Kewell was from the same land as Cahill, but their spells in England rivalled each other as both of them played for the opposite Merseyside teams and were separated by only one goal. Kewell bagged 57 goals in 274 matches, making him the third highest scoring Asian of all time. But he made his name mostly in Leeds, where he found the net 45 times, and was hit with injuries during his time at Liverpool.
2. Hueng-Min Son – South Korea – 73 goals
Son Hueng-Min is definitely the most popular Asian of all time in the Premier League, but is still short with few goals for the tag of the greatest Asian scorer. Son has been talismatic ever since he joined Spurs back in 2015, and during the time, he has made 202 appearances and has found the net 73 times. However, he is on top of all scorers who are not from Oceania, and if things remain same, he might be the greatest ever Asian goal-scorer in two more years.
1. Mark Viduka – Australia – 92 goals
It might come out as a surprise, but Australian legend Mark Viduka is the greatest Asian goal-scorer of all time. He was the face of the Leeds team that were Premier League regulars, and recorded a massive tally of 20 goals in the 2002/03 season. He later joined Middlesbrough and Newcastle when Leeds was relegated, and ended with 92 goals in 240 appearances across nine Premier League seasons.
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Abhinav Saikia
(53 Articles Published)