The AFC Asian Cup 2023 kicks off today. We at RevSportz published the first part of this series discussing some of the defensive-minded players who might catch the eye in this edition of the competition. In this part of the series, we’ll look into some of the attackers who might be a threat to their opponents.
Sardar Azmoun (Iran)
The 29-year-old Iranian forward, Sardar Azmoun, who currently plays in Serie A for AS Roma, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, has been playing European club football since the beginning of his senior career. Before coming to Germany in 2022, Azmoun had been plying his trade in the Russian Premier League since 2013. He signed for Rubin Kazan’s reserve side after playing a few years of youth football in Iran.
He made his senior debut for Rubin Kazan on July 25, 2013, in a UEFA Europa League match against Jagodina. Azmoun entered as a 73rd-minute substitute, contributing to a 1–0 victory. Just a month later, on August 29, he scored his first goal in a 3–0 Europa League win against Molde. Azmoun’s league debut followed on October 6, 2013, with a goal and assist as a substitute in a 5–1 triumph over Anzhi Makhachkala. Arsenal reportedly made a £2 million offer for the 19-year-old on March 27, 2014, sparking interest from top clubs but the young Iranian decided to stay with the Russian side.
His €12m transfer from Rubin Kazan to Zenit St. Petersburg made him the second-most expensive Iranian player after his teammate Alireza Jahanbakhsh Jirendeh, who made a €17m move from the Dutch side AZ Alkmaar to Brighton and Hove Albion in England. Azmoun holds the record as the youngest Iranian to score in a UEFA Champions League game.
Azmoun’s international football journey began with a call-up to Iran’s national team in October 2013. Although initially excluded from the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad, he made his senior debut in May 2014 against Montenegro. Azmoun later played a pivotal role in Iran’s 2015 AFC Asian Cup campaign, scoring crucial goals, including a standout individual effort against Qatar.
His success continued in the World Cup qualifiers, contributing to Iran’s qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Azmoun made significant appearances in the tournament, notably in the victory over Morocco. However, insulting behaviour from fans during the World Cup led to his premature international retirement at the age of 23, citing the impact on his mother’s health.
Azmoun eventually returned to the national team for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and will be an important player for his team in this edition of the competition.
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Takumi Minamino (Japan)
Takumi Minamino, born on January 16, 1995, is an attacking midfielder and winger for the national team, who plays club football for Monaco in Ligue 1. He kicked off his professional career in 2012 with J.League’s Cerezo Osaka, earning the J.League Rookie of the Year title in his debut season. After a successful four-season stint with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, Minamino joined Liverpool in January 2020, contributing to their Premier League victory. Liverpool reached an agreement to acquire Minamino from Salzburg in January 2020 by triggering his £7.25 million release clause. This move made him the first Japanese player to join the club.
He made his senior international debut for Japan in 2015 and played a key role in the team’s runner-up finish at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He was also part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup squad. In May 2014, Minamino was initially named in Japan’s 30-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil but did not make the final cut. He debuted for the Samurai Blues in October 2015, earning his first cap as a substitute against Iran in the 87th minute as the match ended 1-1. Returning to the national team after a three-year gap, Minamino scored his first goal in a 3–0 victory over Costa Rica in September 2018. In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, he contributed significantly, providing assists and scoring a goal in the final against Qatar, though Japan finished runners-up. He scored 10 goals for his national team in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers and will be an integral part in Japan’s attack in the Asian Cup in Qatar.
Mehdi Taremi (Iran)
After Azmoun, we have another Iranian in our list, Mehdi Taremi. Born on July 18, 1992, Mehdi serves as a striker for Porto in the Primeira Liga. Initially starting at Shahin Bushehr and Iranjavan, Taremi gained prominence at Persepolis from 2014 to 2018, earning the Persian Gulf Pro League top-scorer title twice. Following a stint at Al-Gharafa in Qatar, he joined Rio Ave in Portugal, becoming the Primeira Liga joint-top scorer in 2019–20. His success continued at Porto in 2020, winning the domestic double in 2021–22 and securing another domestic cup double in the 2022–23 season. For Porto, he has over 100 appearances and more than 60 goals, and is a notable example of an Asian player doing well for a well-known European side.
On April 13, 2021, he netted the decisive goal with a stunning bicycle kick in a 1–0 triumph against Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals. Despite the individual brilliance, his team ultimately lost 1–2 on aggregate. After the final, his goal was acclaimed as the season’s best in the Champions League, earning him the “UEFA.com Goal of the Season” award. The remarkable strike was also a contender for the FIFA Puskás Award.
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Debuting against Uzbekistan in June 2015 in an international friendly, Taremi entered as a second-half substitute in a World Cup Qualifying match against Turkmenistan later that month. On September 3, 2015, he secured his first senior goals, a brace in a 6–0 triumph over Guam in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Taremi continued his scoring prowess, netting crucial goals in World Cup qualifying matches against Qatar and China in 2017. He played a key role in Iran’s consecutive World Cup qualifications in June 2017. Despite his inclusion in Iran’s 2018 FIFA World Cup squad, a missed opportunity in the group stage against Portugal prevented Iran’s progression. Taremi also featured in Iran’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, scoring twice in the opening match against England.
Salem Al-Dawsari (Saudi Arabia)
Salem Mohammed Shafi Al-Dawsari, born on August 19, 1991, is perhaps the name that became world famous after the Qatar World Cup. Neymar Jr. is his teammate at Al Hilal and he’s one important element for Roberto Mancini’s Saudi Arabian attack.
Al-Dawsari began his football journey in Al Hilal’s youth ranks. In 2018, as part of an agreement between the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and La Liga, he was loaned to Spanish club Villarreal. During this loan spell, he made a solitary appearance, coming off the bench against Real Madrid, contributing to a 2–2 draw. He has played for Al Hilal throughout his career and has more than 60 goals in 230 plus appearances. Notably, in the 2019 AFC Champions League final, Al-Dawsari scored the opening goal, securing a 2–0 away win over Urawa Red Diamonds and helping Al-Hilal claim the title with a 3–0 aggregate victory. In the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final on February 7, 2023, he netted two penalties in a 3–2 victory over Flamengo, propelling his team to their first-ever final in the competition.
He debuted for Saudi Arabia in 2012 and scored his first international goal that year against Australia in an away game. In the Qatar 2022 World Cup, his right-footed screamer past Emiliano Martinez helped his team get a famous 2-1 win against Argentina in their campaign opener. Later in the tournament, he netted a goal against Mexico, matching the record for the highest number of goals scored by a Saudi player in World Cups — three, a feat previously achieved by Sami Al-Jaber. However, Saudi Arabia concluded their World Cup journey with a 2–1 defeat to Mexico.