Asia has yet to produce a World Cup winning team but that does not mean they haven’t produced plenty of world class talents down the years.
From Park Ji Sung to Kunishige Kamamoto, the largest continent on earth is responsible from some truly great players. But with Asian clubs, at least historically, not able to match European or South American clubs financially, the players don’t always transfer for big money.
But with that in mind, who is the most expensive Asian footballer of all time?
Who is the most expensive Asian player of all time?
Kim Min-jae became the most expensive Asian player of all time when he transferred from Napoli to Bayern Munich in July 2023.
The South Korea defender cost the German powerhouses €50million (£43m) after starring in Napoli’s stunning Serie A title win the year before.
That particular season had elevated Kim to becoming one of the top-rated centre-halves, not only in Italy but in Europe. Despite some inconsistent form in the second half of his maiden season in the Bundesliga, he has made an excellent start to 2024-25 and was man of the match in a 1-0 Champions League win over PSG.
Who held the all-time record transfer fee for an Asian player prior to Kim Min-jae?
Bayern’s decision to buy Kim Min-jae saw him surpass Japanese winger Shoya Nakajima as the most expensive Asian player in history.
Nakajima, who went on to have an unsuccessful time with Porto, claimed the record when he moved to Qatar Stars League side Al Duhai for £29million back in February 2019 from Portimonense. It was an odd deal Nakajima playing only seven games before his move back to Portugal.
A longstanding holder of the record was former Japan international midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata – who coincidentally was also the first Asian player in history to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Nakata’s move to big-spending Parma from fellow Italian club Roma in 2001, cost £19million, a huge sum at the time.
This world record payment for an Asian player would not be topped for 14 years, long after Nakata himself retired, following the 2006 World Cup.
Tottenham were the club responsible for finally beating the Nakata fee, when they paid £22m for South Korea captain Son Heung-min, signing the forward from Bayer Leverkusen and setting a new Asian record in the process.
| Rank | Price | Player | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £43m | Kim Min-jae | Napoli | Bayern Munich |
| 2 | £29m | Shoya Nakajima | Portimonense | Al Duhail |
| 3 | £22m | Son Heung-min | Bayer Leverkusen | Tottenham |
| 4 | £19m | Hidetoshi Nakata | Roma | Parma |
| 5 | £17m | Alireza Jahanbakhsh | AZ | Brighton |
| Row 5 – Cell 0 | Row 5 – Cell 1 | Row 5 – Cell 2 | Row 5 – Cell 3 | Row 5 – Cell 4 |
| Row 6 – Cell 0 | Row 6 – Cell 1 | Row 6 – Cell 2 | Row 6 – Cell 3 | Row 6 – Cell 4 |
| Row 7 – Cell 0 | Row 7 – Cell 1 | Row 7 – Cell 2 | Row 7 – Cell 3 | Row 7 – Cell 4 |
| Row 8 – Cell 0 | Row 8 – Cell 1 | Row 8 – Cell 2 | Row 8 – Cell 3 | Row 8 – Cell 4 |
| Row 9 – Cell 0 | Row 9 – Cell 1 | Row 9 – Cell 2 | Row 9 – Cell 3 | Row 9 – Cell 4 |
