Clubs from eight different countries have won it, clubs from four more have reached the final, and players from throughout the sprawling Asian map, and beyond, have made their names.

But who would you choose in an all-time AFC Cup XI? To celebrate the return of the competition in 2021, the-AFC.com is asking the football fans of Asia exactly that.

Kicking off the-AFC.com's '5 of the Best' series, here are five long-range rockets for you to cast your eyes over before telling us which is your favourite by voting at the bottom of the article.

Mehdi Taremi took his dream run to the UEFA Champions League, Daichi Kamada brought down the world champions, and Takumi Minamino, Eldor Shomurodov and Takuma Asano were in goal-scoring form as the cream of the continent starred for their respective clubs.

But who was the standout performer? Peruse our 10-player shortlist based on performances from February 18 to 24, and don’t forget to cast your vote.

There are no women players among this week’s nominees due to the FIFA International Window.

Al Sadd continued their impressive record in the competition as they took their Qatar Cup tally to eight titles.

The 23-year-old UAE international, who rose through the ranks after his successful transition from the youth side, suffered the injury during Sharjah’s 3-0 defeat against Al Jazira in a UAE Pro League tie on Friday.

The 31-year-old Rivas has already started training with the first team and joins Al Shorta on a free transfer after ending his stint with MLS outfits DC United while Youssef has signed following his loan spell with Syria's Hutten SC.

When Miura signed his first professional contract with Santos in Brazil, Japan had yet to qualify for a FIFA World Cup, We Are The World won Record of the Year and Song of the Year and Sade won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, Out of Africa won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Michael Jordan was playing in his second season in the NBA

His records and accolades are bottomless and they read like an entire edition of the Guinness Book of World Records on their own.

Ahead of the new season and on his birthday, 'King Kazu' gave FIFA.com an exclusive interview to talk about the latest chapter in his career, what playing football during the global pandemic has been like, his leadership qualities, what he learned as a youngster in Brazil and so much more.