Opinion

The A-League's top five Asian imports

There have been more than a few Asian players to feature in the A-League over the years: the good, the bad and the unlucky. Here are the top five.

Shinji Ono celebrates a goal with the Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014

Shinji Ono celebrates a goal with the Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014 Source: Getty Images

1. Shinji Ono (Western Sydney Wanderers)

I sat down with Shinji Ono in Shimizu S-Pulse’s clubhouse late in 2011 when he said that he fancied a new challenge overseas at the age of 32.

His career had already included a UEFA Cup win with Feyenoord in 2002 at a time when that tournament was a much bigger deal than it is now.

Had injuries not interfered, the talented midfielder would be even more highly regarded as one of Asia’s greats than is currently the case.

Wanderers fans certainly have fond memories and enjoyed watching technical masterclasses from the Shizuoka native.

They were not the only ones with smiles on their faces: Ono enjoyed the beautiful game, chipped in with some fine goals and played a part in the Wanderers winning the 2014 AFC Champions League.

Such exploits befitted his status as the best Asian player to appear in the A-League.

2. Song Jin-hyung (Newcastle Jets)

FC Seoul were reluctant to let Song go but there were just so many talented midfielders at the club that he wasn’t getting deserved game time.

In January 2008, he signed for Newcastle but when Seoul saw Song play for the A-League club in the Asian Champions League the following year, they felt that he had regressed so much down under that they decided, for a while, not to sell more players to Australia.

Jets fans would disagree. Song was an integral part of their team over two seasons with his vision, passing and technique more than compensating for a slightly disappointing goal return.

The midfielder always made it clear that he wanted to go to Europe and, had things gone a little differently, he could have been a pioneer for Asian players heading to Europe via Australia.

Unfortunately, there weren’t enough Asian counterparts down under to follow in his talented footsteps.

As it was, the A-League served him well. He went to France’s second tier before returning to the K-League where he enjoyed a fine spell with Jeju United and even earned several international call-ups.

3. Ali Abbas (Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC)

There have not been many players from West Asia to come all the way to Australia and even fewer have made their mark.

The Iraqi star never gave less than 100% for the Jets and Sydney and was consistently impressive on the left side, whether at the back or in midfield.

He showed that not all imports have to be silky-skilled to make a difference.

So good was Abbas that he actually earned a call-up from the Iraqi national team in 2014 for the first time since defecting to Australia seven years earlier.

Perhaps it was that mentality that served him so well on the pitch as he played wherever he was asked and never let coaches, colleagues or fans down.

4. Keisuke Honda (Melbourne Victory)

The biggest Asian player to play in the A-League is one of the biggest names in Asian football full stop.

‘Emperor Keisuke’s’ time in Australia was mixed, with injuries ensuring that fans did not see the best of the Japanese legend.

There were plenty of high spots and a return of seven goals is not to be sniffed at.

There was a feeling however that more could have been made of the megastar on and off the pitch - the move to take over the Cambodia national team while still a Melbourne player was bizarre - and, had there been a second season, it could have been spectacular.

5. Surat Sukha (Melbourne Victory)

The fifth spot was a toss-up between Sydney’s popular Korean Byun Sung-hwan and Surat Sukha.

The Thai defender gets the nod as he was the first Southeast Asian import to the league and was from a region that did not send players elsewhere.

There was major interest back home to see how he would fare in what was regarded as a much more physical league and it did take Surat a little time to settle.

When he did however, he not only showed that he could handle the rough stuff but could make a difference going forward.

A popular player among teammates and fans, it was hoped that he would herald the start of a Southeast Asian influx into the A-League but that has yet to happen.

The versatile ASEAN man returned to Thailand in 2011 to join a Buriram United team that was just starting to assume the mantle of national, though not yet regional, powerhouse.


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4 min read
Published 5 April 2020 9:22am
By John Duerden


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