Eye On Asia

Regrets is something I don’t do I’m the type that let things play out. The denouement of my life will
read that I was a man that stood by his own convictions and who decided to fall on his own sword. An old friend of mine told me a long time ago that if I ever decide to write online it shouldn't be just about soccer and to add other facets so I don’t become one dimensional. I agreed for a little while but quickly rubbished it because simply, nothing appeals to my soul more than slipping thoughts onto a page about soccer. He was right! I could had conquered the world a lot sooner. Believe it or not I actually have more things to say besides discussing the woes of Andalusian outfit Xerez who make their living in one of the lower regional leagues of Spain. I meet a ton of wonderful people every week and my life experiences are so varied sometimes I feel the need to share it. For example a few months ago I think I met the smartest man I have ever met in my life. I won’t say his name because I believe brilliance like his has to be sought out and not revealed. Well...we spoke for a bit while we were traveling together and he was spewing his thoughts to me which was a treat but with all conversations my turn had come and I told him I wanted to be a soccer writer. He said you must right a lot! My honesty got the best of me and I said not as often as I should. “I had a roommate that was a writer, he writes everyday until his hand cramps up and is sick of it...but when you read his work it is really good. You have to write and read everyday that’s the only way you make it.” He said. Here is a man I only had a working relationship for no more than two days and his words had more impact on my mind than people I’ve known my whole life. My soccer blog can’t highlight my life but know I will drop some gems along the way. I will though leave this kind of talk for my memoirs. A collection I will compile when I retire in my native Barbados somewhere on empty beach. Right now it’s soccer time and I’m bringing back an old underutilized favorite of mine the “Eye On Asia,” series. So let me hop into that.
 The last “Eye On Asia,” post was on Monday March 26th 2012. That was a crunching three and a half years ago and that's just not going to cut it. In fact this post that you're happening to skim over right now was planned like two years ago. The player that is the focus of this piece has since move to another club. Embarrassing! I know trust me I know but we are here to rectify. If you aren’t aware this series looks to highlight the players, the leagues and rumors emitting out of Asia. This edition I will be raving about South Korean hybrid forward Heung Min-Son. A rave that is long over do like as I mentioned before. Son makes his living in the German Bundesliga a league that that is very hospitable to Asian players. At the moment he is one out of 21 players from the Asian Federation working in the German top flight. Players coming from Asia have been ultra successful while playing in Germany a fact that I find a little odd. I don't if it's the culture in Germany or the mindset of Asian players but there seems to a real level of comfort when it comes to the scenario on both ends. I urge anyone to watch a documentary or scan over the multiple articles on why Asian players flock and thrive on the German soccer scene. I think Son is not only the best Asian player in the Bundesliga he is to me the best Asian player in the world. Never has there been an Asian player ever considered to be the best player in the world overall  and I won’t say the 23-year-old forward is even close to that but he is a tidy footballer. The fading star of Japan’s Keisuke Honda and the inconsistency of his countryman Shinji Kagawa has open the door for the young Korean to take up the idea of being the best player from Asia.
 The fact of the matter is his current club Bayern Leverkusen has and his former club Hamburg SV had the best player from Asia for what is now the past three years. Evidence of this is his Asian Player of the Year award he snapped up in the 2014-15 campaign. As much as I have been watching Son over the years I couldn’t put a finger on who he reminds me of. It’s a weird combination I’ve pegged him to. In full flow he reminds me of Pedro the Spanish international. The way he cuts inside and the close the little touches he uses the manipulate the ball reminds me of the once Barcelona man. When he strikes the ball he has a quick snapshot sort of like Ronaldo and Bale. The ball leaves his foot so quick while in stride the opposition just can’t react. He isn’t of the calibre of those players but this young man is special. Hamburg couldn’t hold onto him and if he has another stellar season in a  Bayer 04 shirt I will bet they won’t be able to keep grasp of him either. The energy he posses is a typical trait of players from Asia but his ball control sets him apart from the rest in the  region. Him and Shinji Kagawa definitely are the point guards of the AFC. They handle the ball with such dexterity it’s unsettling. I get uneasy when I see Son and Kagawa on the ball just because it seems surreal.
 It’s not like Heung Min-Son is a mystery at this point I should had hopped on this article years ago. Hence why this article is a little short on the footballing side. Ironically as I write this I checked my Twitter and saw Tottenham Hotspur just tabled an 18 million bid for the Korean. I couldn’t even make this up! The week I decided to put this article to rest something comes about to debunk my findings. Let this be a lesson to all.Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today. In my case don’t put off till three and a half years.