News On Japan

From Khusanov to Son Heung-min: Asia’s best footballers in 2025

Dec 25 (News On Japan) - International betting brand 1xBet has compiled a list of our continent’s top 5 players who have excelled this year.

Abdukodir Khusanov, Manchester City

The young Uzbek defender, for whom the Citizens paid €40 million, is making rapid progress under Pep Guardiola. Khusanov has incredible speed, physical strength and is excellent at reading the game. At the same time, Abdukodir is capable of playing both in central defense and on the right wing.

This season, Khusanov was forced to miss many games due to injury. Despite this, he remains one of Man City’s most promising players, with whom the Citizens intend to build their future.

Kaoru Mitoma, Brighton & Hove Albion

The skilful Japanese player continues to be Brighton’s leader and one of the best wingers in the English Premier League. He spent the second half of last season at the highest level and finished the league with 10 goals and 4 assists. In the autumn, Kaoru suffered a serious injury, from which he is still recovering.

There’s no doubt that Mitoma will return stronger and continue to delight England with his solo runs and spectacular goals.

Lee Kang-in, Paris Saint-Germain

This spring, the Korean midfielder won the Champions League and all domestic titles in France. Due to fierce competition at Paris Saint-Germain, Lee Kang-in doesn’t always make it into the starting line-up, but he regularly takes to the pitch and is an important player for the Red-and-Blues. Last season, he had 12 goal involvements in Ligue 1, and in the UEFA Super Cup match, the Korean’s beautiful goal helped PSG turn the tide against Tottenham and win the trophy.

You won’t find a single Parisian fan who doesn’t admire Lee Kang-in’s performances, just as you won’t find any justified 1xBet complaints. The reliable brand has an impeccable reputation, and its platform is visited by over 3 million satisfied players every month.

Salem Al-Dawsari, Al-Hilal

At 34 years of age, Saudi football legend Salem Al-Dawsari is still racking up impressive stats. He finished last season with 27 goals and 18 assists in all competitions, and has already made 8 goal contributions for Al-Hilal this season.

Last AFC Champions League Elite season, Salem was the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals, and in October, Al-Dawsari was named AFC Player of the Year 2025.

Son Heung-min, Tottenham Hotspur / Los Angeles FC

The former Spurs captain spent the first half of 2025 at the London club, winning a long-awaited trophy – the Europa League. The Korean managed to end his magnificent career at Tottenham on a high note, after which he moved overseas.

Wearing the Los Angeles FC jersey, Asia’s biggest star of recent years keeps demonstrating top-class football: in 13 matches for the Californian club, Son Heung-min has scored 12 goals and made 4 assists. His debut goal in MLS was particularly memorable: the Korean masterfully executed a free kick, hitting the top corner of FC Dallas’s goal. It’s no wonder that at the end of 2025, Son Heung-min was named the Best Footballer in Asia for a record 10th time.

Betting company 1xBet offers a wide range of bets on all popular local and global sporting events, and delights fans with high odds and generous promos.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Sports NEWS

An amateur sumo tournament was held on the streets of New York, highlighting how Japan’s national sport is gaining new popularity in the United States while evolving in distinctly American ways.

Under blazing sunshine along the clear waters of the Nagara River, competitors faced off in a serious test of stone skipping skill on May 17th in Gifu City, where temperatures climbed to 31.2 degrees Celsius, marking the city’s first midsummer day of the year.

May in football is the moment when everyone’s nerves are already stretched to the limit, and mistakes become incredibly costly.

In modern professional sports, where financial resources and squad depth often determine competitive hierarchy, there are still moments when underdogs disrupt the established order.

An event allowing participants to enjoy rugby while covered in mud took place in pre-planting rice paddies in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, on May 17th.

Japan announced its 26-man squad on May 15th for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico, with several key selections drawing attention as injuries continue to affect the national team ahead of the tournament.

A 400-meter race in which participants sprinted up a ski jump slope with a maximum incline of 37 degrees and an elevation difference of 130 meters was held on May 16th at the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium in Sapporo.

Part of the ceiling at 'Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena' in Nagoya's Minato Ward, which is scheduled to host squash events during the upcoming Asian Games, collapsed on May 11th, raising concerns over whether the venue will be ready in time for the international sporting event opening in September.