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Founded in 1980 in a semi-professional capacity before moving into a profession era at the turn of the Millennium, the V.League has enjoyed a steady rise in recent years, with last season's AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal final between Hanoi FC and Becamex Binh Duong suggesting that some of the strongest club sides in Southeast Asia now hail from Vietnam.

And in further positive news for football fans across Vietnam, matches will not be played behind closed doors, with authorities allowing spectators into stadiums as the country continues to return towards normality.

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In Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City FC needed penalties to navigate the second round of the Vietnamese Cup, but there were few problems for Hanoi FC with the defending champions breezing into the quarter-finals as football in the Southeast Asian country gathers momentum ahead of the V.League's resumption on Friday.

Elsewhere, there were vital wins for the Japanese contingent in Germany's Bundesliga and a goal for a famous Chinese name in Serbia, so join the-AFC.com as we review the latest from East Asia and ASEAN.

Four decades after that historic World Cup participation, Kuwait are more determined than ever to revive those past glories.

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:

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.