7/13/2005 5:45:00 AM
It’s a simple question – who is the best Asian goalkeeper? John Duerden takes a look at some of the continent’s finest shot-stoppers.
The Number One Number One
Amer Shafi (Jordan)
The Yarmouk man is not the biggest of goalkeepers, measuring up at less than six feet tall but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in ability and agility.
The 23 year-old rose to prominence in the 2002 West Asian Football Federation Championship in 2002 and he showed the rest of the continent what he is capable of during the 2004 Asian Cup.
During that competition, a frustrated Jo Bonfrere said that his South Korea team had done everything they could to score against Jordan but “the Jordan goalkeeper had a very good day and that’s why it remained goalless” explained the Dutchman.
The Iranians would testify to that as Shafi, who has attracted European interest, single-handedly kept the much-vaunted Perisan attack at bay in a World Cup Qualifier in Teheran, a game that Jordan won 1-0.
Jordan are improving but are not likely to appear at the World Cup anytime soon, a pity for the keeper and football fans as his talents deserve such a stage.
The best of the rest
Al Habsi (Oman)
Much bigger than Shafi and also impressed during the Asian Cup as his Oman side were unlucky not to progress in a group that contained Iran and Japan, in fact only a last minute equaliser from ‘Team Melli’ deprived the small Gulf state of a place in the last eight.
The 23 year-old’s form in his country’s World Cup qualifiers and in the Norwegian league with Oslo outfit Lyn, earned him a move to the Premier League with Bolton Wanderers.
He has a job on his large hands to displace the popular Jussi Jaaskelainen between the sticks at the Reebok Stadium but time and talent is on his side.
Lee Woon-jae (South Korea)
If this question had been posed three years ago then South Korea’s experienced shot-stopper would have won hands down. His excellent performances in the 2002 World Cup – conceding just three goals on the team’s run to the semi-finals still live long in the memory.
Former Liverpool and England goalkeeping legend Ray Clemence said of the 32 year-old, “I had to see it with my own eyes to believe the ability of Woon Jae. He was an inspiration to his teammates and a huge stumbling block to Korea’s opponents, if Asia and Asian goalkeepers ever need a role model, then they need look no further than Woon Jae," said the three-time European cup winner who won 61 caps for his country in the seventies and eighties.
The Suwon Samsung BluewingsKeeper, while still formidable, has lost a little of his veneer of invulnerability and, as is the way in life, been usurped by younger rivals.
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Japan)
The Japanese shotstopper deserves a mention if only for his ability to bounce back. The 29 year-old made a name for himself at the 1998 World Cup but lost his place just before the 2002 World Cup and had to watch as Seigo Narazaki performed well in front of an adoring public.
At the same time, Kawaguchi was going through a difficult time on England’s south coast with Portsmouth as his career hit a low but he resurrected his career in Denmark before returning to the J-League with Jubilo Iwata. It is credit to his mental strength that he also fought his way back into the national team reckoning and performed excellently during Japan’s successful defence of the Asian Cup, and won his second medal.
It’s a simple question – who is the best Asian goalkeeper? John Duerden takes a look at some of the continent’s finest shot-stoppers.
The Number One Number One
Amer Shafi (Jordan)
The Yarmouk man is not the biggest of goalkeepers, measuring up at less than six feet tall but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in ability and agility.
The 23 year-old rose to prominence in the 2002 West Asian Football Federation Championship in 2002 and he showed the rest of the continent what he is capable of during the 2004 Asian Cup.
During that competition, a frustrated Jo Bonfrere said that his South Korea team had done everything they could to score against Jordan but “the Jordan goalkeeper had a very good day and that’s why it remained goalless” explained the Dutchman.
The Iranians would testify to that as Shafi, who has attracted European interest, single-handedly kept the much-vaunted Perisan attack at bay in a World Cup Qualifier in Teheran, a game that Jordan won 1-0.
Jordan are improving but are not likely to appear at the World Cup anytime soon, a pity for the keeper and football fans as his talents deserve such a stage.
The best of the rest
Al Habsi (Oman)
Much bigger than Shafi and also impressed during the Asian Cup as his Oman side were unlucky not to progress in a group that contained Iran and Japan, in fact only a last minute equaliser from ‘Team Melli’ deprived the small Gulf state of a place in the last eight.
The 23 year-old’s form in his country’s World Cup qualifiers and in the Norwegian league with Oslo outfit Lyn, earned him a move to the Premier League with Bolton Wanderers.
He has a job on his large hands to displace the popular Jussi Jaaskelainen between the sticks at the Reebok Stadium but time and talent is on his side.
Lee Woon-jae (South Korea)
If this question had been posed three years ago then South Korea’s experienced shot-stopper would have won hands down. His excellent performances in the 2002 World Cup – conceding just three goals on the team’s run to the semi-finals still live long in the memory.
Former Liverpool and England goalkeeping legend Ray Clemence said of the 32 year-old, “I had to see it with my own eyes to believe the ability of Woon Jae. He was an inspiration to his teammates and a huge stumbling block to Korea’s opponents, if Asia and Asian goalkeepers ever need a role model, then they need look no further than Woon Jae," said the three-time European cup winner who won 61 caps for his country in the seventies and eighties.
The Suwon Samsung BluewingsKeeper, while still formidable, has lost a little of his veneer of invulnerability and, as is the way in life, been usurped by younger rivals.
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Japan)
The Japanese shotstopper deserves a mention if only for his ability to bounce back. The 29 year-old made a name for himself at the 1998 World Cup but lost his place just before the 2002 World Cup and had to watch as Seigo Narazaki performed well in front of an adoring public.
At the same time, Kawaguchi was going through a difficult time on England’s south coast with Portsmouth as his career hit a low but he resurrected his career in Denmark before returning to the J-League with Jubilo Iwata. It is credit to his mental strength that he also fought his way back into the national team reckoning and performed excellently during Japan’s successful defence of the Asian Cup, and won his second medal.
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