The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ is set to kick off on January 12 when the hosts and reigning champions Qatar take on Lebanon in the opening match of the prestigious competition which will witness an array of talent from across the continent converge on the West Asian nation.
Ali Jasim was a revelation during the AFC Champions League™ 2023/24 group stage as the teenager found the back of the net four times – two of them coming on his tournament debut against Sepahan – for Air Force Club who narrowly missed out on a Round of 16 berth from Group C.
However, keen followers of Asian football were not surprised by the rapid rise of Jasim who was one of the stars of the AFC U20 Asian Cup™ Uzbekistan 2023. There, the youngster produced an injury-time winner against the Islamic Republic of Iran in the quarter-final which also helped Iraq qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023.
He netted against Japan in the semi-final too as Iraq finished runners-up to hosts Uzbekistan. And the 19-year-old, having made his senior international debut in October, will now hope to make an equally impressive showing at the AFC Asian Cup by starring for the 2007 winners.
After clocking only a little over 90 minutes at the FIFA World Cup last year, 22-year-old Takefusa Kubo returns to Qatar set to play a starring role for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup runners-up Japan this time around as they look to go one step further by winning a record-extending fifth Asian title.
Despite making his debut for Hajime Moriyasu’s side shortly after turning 18 in 2019, it took some time for Kubo to develop into a regular for the East Asian nation. However, having scored his first goal for Japan in 2022, he is now an integral part of a team that has won nine games in a row since June 2023.
The winger has also shone brightly in Spain, scoring nine goals and being a key creator last season to help steer Real Sociedad into the UEFA Champions League for the first time in a decade. And he has already netted six times in La Liga this season for La Real who are once again aiming to finish among the top four.
Abbosbek Fayzullaev burst onto the scene during the AFC U23 Asian Cup in 2022 when Uzbekistan finished runners-up before they went one step further the following year, winning the AFC U20 Asian Cup with Fayzullaev emerging as the MVP of the tournament.
Making his senior Uzbekistan debut at 19, Fayzullaev only had to wait until his second cap to score his maiden goal in a 5-1 win against Tajikistan in the CAFA (Central Asian Football Association) Nations Cup last June. He has fast become a key cog in Srecko Katanec’s side, scoring his second goal in a 4-1 friendly win against Kyrgyz Republic on December 25.
Last year also saw him make the move to CSKA Moscow from Pakhtakor and the 20-year-old attacking midfielder has wasted no time in making an impression in the Russian capital, weighing in with both goals and assists in the first half of the season. He’ll hope to take that form to Qatar.
Brushing aside concerns about limited playing time after signing for a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side last summer, Lee Kang-in has quickly established himself as an important member of Luis Enrique’s PSG squad who are challenging for titles both domestically and in Europe.
Starring regularly alongside Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, the 22-year-old Korea Republic international is having a fruitful debut season in the French capital and recently opened the scoring as the Parisians overcame Toulouse 2-0 and lifted the French Champions Trophy.
Lee has also hit a purple patch with the national team, registering an impressive four goals and three assists in his last four international appearances which bodes well for Jurgen Klinsmann and the Taeguk Warriors who will be hunting for their first AFC Asian Cup title since 1960.
Arif Aiman has had a year like no other for Malaysian giants Johor Darul Ta’zim. The 21-year-old winger scored 12 goals and provided a hatful of assists as JDT secured the Malaysia Super League title for the 10th season running while he also netted thrice in the AFC Champions League group stage.
Arif replicated that form on the international stage too — be it when he bagged four goals in Malaysia’s 10-0 win against Papua New Guinea in a friendly in June or his hat-trick of assists in November’s 4-3 win against Kyrgyz Republic in the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.
Blessed with pace and footwork to get past defenders, the JDT forward could prove to be a potent weapon for Kim Pan-gon as the Harimau Malaya look to make a mark on their return to the continental showpiece for the first time since 2007.
By Nadeem Faisal Baiga
