Japan, South Korea and Asia’s Stars in Europe’s Top Leagues
Japan’s growing European footprint is most pronounced in Germany and England, with players spread across leading clubs, promotion contenders and established Champions League sides. Hiroki Ito and South Korea international Kim Min-jae are part of Bayern Munich’s squad, while Manchester City have Uzbekistan centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov and Monaco continue to call on Japan forward Takumi Minamino. Lille’s group includes Japan striker Ayase Ueda and Indonesia defender Calvin Verdonk.
The Premier League contingent includes Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, Brighton attacker Kaoru Mitoma and Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo. Crystal Palace have two Japanese internationals in Daichi Kamada and Takehiro Tomiyasu, while Daizen Maeda is with Ipswich Town. Brentford’s Kim Ji-soo represents South Korea’s younger defensive talent.
Japan also have a notable presence in the Championship. Hull City feature Hidemasa Morita, Coventry City have Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, and Ao Tanaka operates in Leeds United’s midfield. Australia, which competes within the Asian Football Confederation, adds Lucas Herrington at Hull, while Paul Okon-Engstler is at Koln and Patrick Beach plays for Troyes. Veteran Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan is with Levante.
Bundesliga remains the main centre for Asian players
Germany has become the principal destination for Japanese players in Europe. SC Freiburg include Yuito Suzuki, Rihito Yamamoto and Keisuke Goto, while Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Japanese group consists of Ko Itakura, Daichi Hashioka, Zento Uno and Shuto Machino. The same club also have Indonesia’s Kevin Diks and South Korea’s Jens Castrop.
Mainz 05 use Japanese pair Kaishu Sano and Sota Kawasaki alongside South Korea international Lee Jae-sung. Koki Machida is at Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt have Ritsu Doan and Keita Kosugi, and Schalke 04 feature Satoshi Tanaka as well as South Korea forward Hwang Hee-chan. Elsewhere in Germany, Seol Young-woo plays for FC Augsburg and Jeong Woo-yeong is at Union Berlin. Southeast Asian representation extends to Nicholas Mickelson at Elversberg and Raphael Obermair of Paderborn 07.
Italy and Spain also contain important AFC-linked personnel. Japan full-back Yukinari Sugawara plays for Cagliari, with Indonesia captain Jay Idzes at Sassuolo alongside Australia’s Cristian Volpato. In La Liga, Takefusa Kubo remains a key Real Sociedad player, while Ryunosuke Sato is at Valencia. Atletico Madrid have South Korea playmaker Lee Kang-in, and Indonesia goalkeeper Emil Audero represents Rayo Vallecano.
France’s top division includes Keito Nakamura at Lyon, with Le Havre fielding Ayumu Seko, Sota Nakamura and Kaito Mizuta. Lens have Saudi Arabia’s Saud Abdulhamid, Auxerre include China’s Wei Xiangxin, and Minamino’s Monaco and Ueda’s Lille remain among the more prominent clubs featuring Asian internationals.
Japan are therefore the best-represented AFC nation across the major European leagues, particularly in the Bundesliga. Their depth ranges from established Champions League players such as Ito, Minamino and Ueda to a broad group operating across England, Spain, Italy and France.
Asian football’s European links have also brought a recent disciplinary case. Argentine-born Facundo Garces was handed a 12-month FIFA suspension after appearing for Malaysia in a 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying match with falsified documents relating to his ancestry. Israel, although situated geographically in West Asia, is not part of the AFC in international football and instead competes under UEFA.
