One of the last tapped frontiers of world football, the quality of football has slowly been improving in South-East Asia. Clubs from Malaysia and Thailand are increasingly making an impact on the continent’s biggest stages, while the Vietnamese national team made major strides in elevating the region’s standing after a truly impressive showing over the past few months. Here is a look at the top five foreign players who are currently featuring for clubs in the region.
5 – Dragan Boskovic (Port FC, Thai League)
Port FC’s Montenegrin striker Dragan Boskovic has become a legend in Thai football. Before signing for his current club, Boskovic scored a staggering 38 goals from just 33 appearances for Bangkok United back in 2017. That phenomenal campaign saw him break the record for the most goals scored in a single season in the Thai League, earning him a strike rate which amounted to a goal every 78 minutes. Now at the age of 33, the forward is still going strong. After netting 21 goals in his first season with Port, the Montenegrin hopes to play a talismanic role in his club’s search for silverware this season.
4 – Dickson Nwakaeme (Pahang FA, Malaysian Super League)
Nwakaeme started his career in Malaysia with Kelantan back in 2013, spending one season for the club before moving to Pahang FA. With The Elephants, he won both the FA Cup and Malaysian Cup, in an impressive campaign which saw him earn a move to French side Angers SCO. However, his stint in Ligue 1 proved to be unsuccessful, and he returned to Pahang this season. Being one of the best foreign players in Malaysian Super League history, he is known as “Orang Besi,” or “Iron Man” due to his physique and excellent ball control that enables him to dribble beyond 3 to 4 players at the same time.
3 – Andres Tunez (Buriram United, Thai League)
The 32 year old former Venezuela international is now entering his sixth season with Thai League Champions Buriram United, adding to a spell which has seen him reach unprecedented levels of success. Considered one of the best defenders to ever take the pitch in Thailand, Tunez has won four Thai League titles, and a total of ten major honors during his time in Thailand. He was signed to Spanish club Elche on loan in 2017, only to return to Buriram in time for the second half of the domestic season. Upon his return, the Venezuelan managed to re-galvanize the Thunder Castle’s defense, as they conceded only six goals from their remaining 17 games to win the title with a record points total.
2 – Heberty Fernandes (Muangthong United, Thai League)
Brazilian striker Heberty Fernandes is another player who has been around the block in East Asian football for a considerable span of time. The journeyman first arrived in the Far East when he signed for Japanese side Thespa Kusatsu back in 2012. Spells with J1 clubs Cerezo Osaka and Vegalta Sendai followed, before his move to Thailand’s Ratchaburi FC in 2014. Upon his arrival, the Brazilian immediately transformed the newly promoted mid-table team into one of the fiercest attacking outfits in the division, netting 26 goals in his debut campaign.
He would eventually leave the Dragons for Saudi Arabian side Al Shabab in 2016, having netted 65 goals from 90 Thai League appearances over the course of three seasons. However, his spell in the Gulf State was brief, and soon he was back in the Land of Smiles with four-time Thai League champions Muangthong United. Since his arrival, the now 30-year-old has been far and away the Kirins best player, consistently putting in delightful performances while showing no sign of letting up any time soon.
1 – Diogo Luis Santo (Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysian Super League)
Very few supporters of South-East Asian football will argue against this pick. Diogo Luis Santo has arguably been the best player to ever feature in the Thai domestic league, elevating himself to a legendary status during his four seasons with Buriram. By far the deadliest and most consistent attacker in the division, Diogo managed 101 goals from 105 appearances during his time with the Thunder Castle. The Brazilian has effectively been decisive in every full campaign he featured in, as he only season Buriram failed to win the title since he has been on the books was back in 2014, when he missed the majority of the season due to injury. Before his time in Thailand, Diogo came through the ranks at Olympiacos, and was even a target of the mighty Arsenal when he was 16 years old.
The Brazilian goalscorer shocked Thai football during the most recent transfer window, opting to leave Buriram in order to sign for Malaysian Champions Johor Darul Ta’zim. The Southern Tigers were investing heavily in their squad ahead of their inaugural AFC Champions League campaign, and were determined to build their team round the region’s best player.
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By Gian Chansrichawla
Football Tribe South-East Asia Editor