{"id":9986,"date":"2017-12-30T20:00:06","date_gmt":"2017-12-30T11:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/?p=9986"},"modified":"2017-12-30T14:47:01","modified_gmt":"2017-12-30T05:47:01","slug":"football-tribe-awards-top-30-players-asia-20-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/2017\/12\/30\/football-tribe-awards-top-30-players-asia-20-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Football Tribe Awards: Top 30 Players in Asia (20-11)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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With just two days left in 2017, it’s time for the second part of the Football Tribe Awards Top 30 Asian Players<\/strong>, celebrating players active in Asia’s domestic leagues!<\/p>\n

Who made the cut in 20th through 11th? Click to the next slide to find out!<\/p>\n

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The former AFC Player of the Year came to Iran in January after being signed by Esteghlal, but was soon sent to Sepahan on loan as a result of a FIFA-instituted transfer ban. Djeparov impressed for Sepahan on loan and rumors mounted that he would not return to Esteghlal after the summer. Eventually he did don the blue shirt, making his way into the starting lineup after manager Alireza Mansourian was sacked and becoming the side’s pivotal midfielder. The veteran has three goals in the Gulf Pro League this season and has helped Esteghlal reach the Hazfi Cup semi-finals.<\/p>\n

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The 32-year-old recorded eight goals and nine assists in 37 games, leading the newly-promoted Gangwon FC to the top split for the first time in club history. His brilliant performance helped the Taeguk Warriors defeat Japan 4-1 in the deciding match of the EAFF E-1 Championship. Gangwon\u2019s veteran may not be the best in terms of finishing, but his speed and off-the-ball movement have made him one of the K League’s best wingers.<\/p>\n

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This young goalkeeper has become known as the \u201cDae Gea,” a reference to his club Daegu, and Manchester United’s David De Gea. Cho recorded 12 clean sheets, playing a key role in Daegu avoiding relegation. The 26-year-old proved himself in the national team as well, with a nearly-flawless effort in the EAFF E-1 Championship against Japan. While he may need to improve his passing accuracy and defensive leadership, Cho is increasingly seen as a reliable presence in goal.<\/p>\n

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After four years of brilliance mixed with inconsistency at Urawa Reds, the 31-year-old finally produced his first 20-goal season and finished third in the J1 League’s scoring race. Koroki’s newfound consistency contributed to Urawa Reds’ second AFC Champions League title with four goals over the course of the continental campaign.<\/p>\n

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With seven goals so far, Roy O’Donovan is the top scorer in the current Hyundai A-League. His October performance in particular was very impressive as the 32-year-old forward scored five goals, including a hat-trick against Central Coast Mariners, in four matches. This veteran can play on the flanks as well, giving manager Ernie Merrick more options.<\/p>\n

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The 32-year old continued to shine for Guangzhou Evergrande this year. He was ever-present at the heart of their defence as the team clinched their seventh consecutive Chinese Super League title. Feng also impressed in the AFC Champions League earning a spot in the ACL Team of the Season despite Guangzhou’s run ending in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

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The 25-year-old followed up on last year’s breakout J2 season with an even more impressive J1 run, scoring 22 goals and narrowly missing out on the Golden Boot. Sugimoto’s consistent presence in the attack helped Cerezo finish third in the league in addition to capturing their first major trophy in the 2017 J.League YBC Levain Cup.<\/p>\n

Sugimoto, who is rumored to be on the watchlist of several Spanish clubs, also made his senior national team debut in August, scoring his first goal for the Samurai Blue in October against Haiti.<\/p>\n

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The Nigerian striker joined Iran’s Peykan as an unknown journeyman last season, but quickly turned heads with 15 goals in the Persian Gulf Pro League. His runners-up finish in the Golden Boot race resulted in a move to Persepolis, and after a stuttering start he’s found his place in the storied Tehranian squad and impressed with four goals in the AFC Champions League semi-finals.<\/p>\n

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Right winger and national team star Wu Lei scored 20 goals in 2017 Chinese Super League season to help Shanghai SIPG finish runners-up. Wu was the only Chinese player to score more than 10 goals in a league dominated by foreign imports, and with 140 goals across all competitions he is SIPG’s all-time top scorer at just 26 years old.<\/p>\n

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After an unfulfilling two and a half seasons with Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, Kim found his groove this season as a member of the K League Classic champions. As a full-back he led the team\u2019s attack on the flank, recording four goals and five assists. His solid performance against Colombia also gave fans hope for the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n

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What do you think of our selections? Who do you think will make the Top 10 Players in Asia? Let us know on our official\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0pages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With just two days left in 2017, it’s time for the second part of the Football Tribe Awards Top 30 Asian Players, celebrating players active in Asia’s domestic leagues! Who made the cut in 20th through 11th? Click to the next slide to find out!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":10069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1138,908,1116,1135,1032,1105,1139,1136,210,1137,1077],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9986"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}