5 legends of the Asian Cup

1. Ali Daei – Iran

Ali Daei – nicknamed Shahriar (King in Farsi) – held the record for scoring 109 goals for the national team, before it was broken by Cristiano Ronaldo at EURO 2020. Daei never won the Asian Cup, but he made history as the player with the most goals in the final tournaments. In the 1996 Asian Cup, Daei became the top scorer with 8 goals. In the 2000 and 2004 Asian Cups, he scored 6 more goals, thus becoming the all-time leading scorer in the Asian Cup with a total of 14 goals.

2. Shunsuke Nakamura – Japan

Shunsuke Nakamura made his Asian Cup debut at the age of 22 in 2000, when Japan won their second title in history. However, the 2004 tournament was truly a showcase for the former Celtic star. After scoring against Oman (1-0) and Thailand (4-1) in the group stage, Nakamura continued his scoring form in the semi-finals (winning against Bahrain 4-3). In the final, a 3-1 victory over host nation China, he assisted all three goals and was awarded the Man of the Tournament award. In 2007, Nakamura continued to shine with two goals and two assists. However, the Japanese team lost to Saudi Arabia 2-3 in the semi-finals and to South Korea in a penalty shootout in the third-place match.

3. Younis Mahmoud – Iraq

The Iraqi national team pulled off the biggest surprise in history when they won the 2007 World Cup thanks to a brilliant performance from their star striker Younis Mahmoud. After scoring in their opening match, a 1-1 draw against co-hosts Thailand, Mahmoud and his teammates beat Australia 3-1 and drew 0-0 with Oman.

In the quarter-final match against Vietnam (2-0), Mahmoud scored both goals. After winning against South Korea 4-3 in the penalty shootout, Mahmoud headed in the winning goal for Iraq against Saudi Arabia with a minimal score in the final. Besides the Golden Boot award, Mahmoud was also awarded the "Best Player of the Tournament" award. Mahmoud is also the only player to have scored in four Asian Cup tournaments to date.

4. Tim Cahill – Australia

When Australia first qualified for the Asian Cup in 2007, Tim Cahill scored just one goal in a 1-1 draw against Oman in the group stage, before losing 3-4 on penalties to Japan in the quarter-finals. Four years later, the former Everton star scored two goals but still couldn't help Australia reach the final, once again losing to Japan by a narrow margin.

In 2015, Cahill and his teammates finally fulfilled their dream of winning the Asian Cup. The 35-year-old striker scored in the 4-1 victory against Kuwait in the group stage and netted a brace to help Australia defeat China in the quarter-finals. In the final, Australia beat South Korea 2-1 to claim their first Asian Cup title. Cahill ended his international career with a record 50 goals for the Australian national team.

5. Saleh Al Nu'eimah – Saudi Arabia

Saleh Al Nu'eimah was one of Asia's most reliable central defenders in the 1970s and 1980s. When Saudi Arabia first participated in the Asian Cup in 1984, the 27-year-old captain led the defense to concede only 3 goals in 6 matches. Al Nu'eimah also scored in the penalty shootout in the semi-final victory against Iran. In the final, Al Nu'eimah and his teammates beat China 2-0. In 1988, Al Nu'eimah continued to shine, helping Saudi Arabia successfully defend their title.