As we prepare for the upcoming showpiece event in Asian football, the Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, RevSportz will run a series of articles over the next few days discussing some of the players participating in the tournament who ply their trade in European club football and are renowned names worldwide.
Also Read: The Israeli Trailblazer, Arabian Jewel and Ageless Kazu – Asian Cup Heroes
Here are three defensive players to start our series:
Kim Min-jae (South Korea)
Born on November 15, 1996, Kim Min-jae is a South Korean professional footballer renowned for his role as a centre-back. Currently, he plays for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and represents South Korea’s national team. Widely known as “the Monster”, Kim is recognized as one of the top defenders globally.
On July 27, 2022, Kim joined Serie A club Napoli for €18 million from Fenerbahçe, replacing Kalidou Koulibaly who moved to Chelsea. He scored his inaugural goal with a stoppage-time header in a 4-0 win over Monza on August 21. Kim earned the Serie A Player of the Month for September 2022, just his second month in Italy. In his debut season, Kim played a crucial role in Napoli clinching their third Serie A title, and first in nearly three decades, and he was honored as Serie A’s Best Defender of the season.
On July 18, 2023, Bayern Munich announced the signing of Kim until June 30, 2028, making him the most expensive Asian footballer in history with a reported transfer fee of €58 million. This surpassed Shoya Nakajima’s previous record of €35 million. Kim, the second South Korean player to join Bayern Munich after Jeong Woo-yeong, scored his inaugural goal for the club with a header and contributed to a clean sheet in a 3–0 triumph over VfB Stuttgart on December 17.
Kim made his international debut on August 31, 2017, in a World Cup qualifier against Iran, showcasing solid defence and contributing to a clean sheet. He played a crucial role in South Korea’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup but suffered an injury in May 2018, missing the tournament. In the 2018 Asian Games, he helped South Korea secure gold, thus earning an exemption from military service.
He was a part of South Korea’s World Cup squad in Qatar, and played an important role in keeping a clean sheet against Uruguay. South Korea made exited the tournament after losing 4-1 to Brazil in the Round of 16.
Wataru Endo (Japan)
Wataru Endō, born on February 9, 1993, is a Japanese professional footballer who serves as a defensive midfielder. He captains Japan’s national team and plays for Premier League giants Liverpool. Beginning his career at Shonan Bellmare – the team where Hidetoshi Nakata, one of Japanese football’s biggest cult heroes, made his name – he later moved to Urawa Red Diamonds, securing the league title and the 2017 AFC Champions League. Transitioning to Europe, Endō joined Sint-Truiden in the Belgian Pro League in 2018, and was later loaned to VfB Stuttgart in 2019. He signed with them in April 2020. His journey with Liverpool commenced in August 2023. Notably, he scored his inaugural Premier League goal on December 3, 2023, contributing significantly to a 4–3 triumph against Fulham. With Alexis Mac Allister injured, Endō took his place at the base of the midfield and played a key starting role in seven consecutive games. In acknowledgment of his outstanding contributions, he was named the fans’ Player of the Month for December.
He made his international debut on August 2, 2015, in the opening game of the EAFF East Asian Cup, which ended in a 2-1 defeat to North Korea. Endō was also selected to Japan’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, though he didn’t feature in any matches.
He was back with the Japan squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The team reached the round of 16 but faced a penalty shootout loss to Croatia. He captained the Samurai Blues in a stunning 4-1 victory against Germany in an international friendly in September 2023.
Harry Souttar (Australia)
Harry James Souttar, born on October 22, 1998, is a professional footballer currently playing as a centre-back for Leicester City in the EFL Championship and the Australian national team. Originally from Scotland, he began his senior career at Dundee United and later moved to England with Stoke City in 2016. In 2023, Souttar transferred to Leicester City on a five-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £15 million, potentially rising to £20 million with add-ons. He initially represented Scotland at the youth levels but switched to play for Australia in 2019. Souttar was part of the Australian squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His brother, John Souttar, plays for the Scotland national team.
Souttar debuted for Scotland’s under-17 team in February 2015 and later joined Australia’s under-23 team in March 2019. He switched allegiance to Australia’s senior national team in October 2019, scoring twice on his debut against Nepal. Standing at 6 feet 6 inches, he’s the second tallest player to have represented the Socceroos, behind the former goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac. Souttar played in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with the Olyroos and featured in Australia’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, earning praise for his defensive performances in the tournament.
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