Armed with an unerring eye for goal, and pace aplenty, Minamino has subsequently gone on to shine just as brightly and earn global recognition at Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg – form which has helped reinforce the belief that he remains one of Europe’s hottest properties.

With reports linking him to Liverpool currently making the back pages in England, Minamino looks to be on the verge of writing yet another glorious chapter in what is already proving to be a distinctly impressive career.

The decision came 24 hours after UAE exited the 2019 Gulf Cup following a 4-2 defeat to hosts Qatar in Group A.

It also follows the recent poor results of the West Asian side under Dutchman van Marwijk in the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

The 26-year-old is the first-ever Australian to finish top in Korea Republic’s top tier – netting a stunning 20 goals in his 33 appearances in his debut season with Suwon Bluewings.

It marks the second time he has been recognised as the top marksman in domestic top flight competition, after winning the A-League’s Golden Boot in the 2013/14 season with Newcastle Jets.

DPR Korea, who defeated Lebanon and Sri Lanka in the Asian Qualifiers, jumped five places to 113th in the world in the FIFA Ranking released on Thursday..

Yemen (137th), Singapore (157th) and Nepal (161st) also improved their respective rankings by five spots.

Bahrain (105), Tajikistan (115) and Mongolia (183) each moved up four spots.

Qualifying action for the two premier competitions will resume on March 26 as the players - depending on where they play their club football - either return to their teams or get some much needed break.

Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at five talking points at this stage of a thrilling Asian Qualifiers.

Afif scored the winning goal from the penalty spot 14 minutes from time as the Asian champions were made to work hard in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualification tie by a resilient Afghanistan at the Republican Central Stadium.

Ward Salama’s first-half goal proved the difference at Dubai’s Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium as Syria reinforced their position at the top of the Group A standings by going eight points clear of second-placed China PR.

With progress through to the next phase of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying – and a place at the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 – now tantalisingly close, Ebrahim is adamant that Syria fully deserve to be where they are.