A year after that, the Dutch coach persuaded him to follow his footsteps to PSV Eindhoven, where his performances prompted Sir Alex Ferguson to recruit him in 2005. During seven seasons at Manchester United, he became the first Asian footballer to play UEFA Champions League finals – though two defeats by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona signified a bittersweet experience.

To help us get more of an insight into the impact these famous Asian players have had, we enlisted the expert opinion of Dominic Fifield, Senior Writer at The Athletic, who previously spent 20 years covering English football at The Guardian newspaper.

So, just who is Asia’s greatest Premier League player? Fifield gives us his perspective.

It is the country that brought football to the world, and several stars from the world’s largest continent have made England a second home.

Kicking off the AFC Cup's version of the '5 of the Best' series, we begin with one of our most popular categories: free-kicks. Curlers, rockets and long-range efforts - enjoy these superb set-pieces and then select your favourite by voting at the bottom of the article.

To help us examine the contenders in our Asia’s Greatest Serie A Players poll, we’ve enlisted Cesare Polenghi, an Italian born and raised, Japan-based football columnist and pundit, and the former Managing Editor of Goal Asia.

But beyond the likes of Maldini and Maradona, several Asian players have thrived in the competition, with players from all over the continent turning out for Italian clubs.

Italy’s top league, cup and super cup titles have all been won by Asian players, who have now been a regular fixture in the race for the Scudetto for more than a quarter of a century.

But who is the greatest of them all? Which player has earned the title of Asia’s Calcio king?

Here are our nominees:

But while his surge to prominence in international football has been rapid, the truth is the Kyrgyz Republic youngster has never been far away from the spotlight.

Talking exclusively with the-AFC.com, one of the rising stars of Central Asian football discusses his meteoric rise, earning the approval of Andrey Arshavin and the pivotal role played by his well-known family.