Wherever there is a ball, there will be a Brazilian footballer with the magic to stand out from the rest with their dribbling and ball control skills.
In Asia, this is no exception, as according to the CIES Football Observatory, five Brazilian footballers have made their way among the best dribblers in two of the most important leagues in this part of the world, and today at Sambafoot, we focus on this topic.
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The Brazilians dominating Asia with their dribbles
Of course, the list from the aforementioned research entity includes several footballers from this part of the world, but there is a significant and undeniable Brazilian prominence in the ranking of the best dribblers in two of Asia’s most powerful leagues, the Japanese and South Korean.
Five of the top 10 footballers highlighted in the CIES Football Observatory ranking, which measures completed dribbles per match (90 minutes), are Brazilian, while the rest are divided among Japanese, South Korean, and one Portuguese player.
Most successful dribbles per 90', 🇯🇵 & 🇰🇷
🥇 #YosukeFurukawa 5.88
🥈 #AyumuYokoyama 5.78
🥉 #KotaTawaratsumida 5.14@CIES_Football with @Wyscout 🥳
More exclusive ⚽️ stats 👉 https://t.co/P0Ohpx4eDz pic.twitter.com/0243lUwklO— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) August 4, 2024
The first to make it into the top spots on the list, in fourth place, is Anderson Oliveira, a 26-year-old left winger born in Sinop, Brazil, who, since the beginning of 2024, shines at Suwon FC in the South Korean League. This player, who went through Londrina, Portimonense, and Goiás, averages 5.00 completed dribbles per match.
Just one position lower is João Victor, known as Capixaba, who also plays as a left winger and who, since January 2023, defends the colors of Cerezo Osaka in Japan. This striker, who went through several Brasileirão teams, found his place in the world in the land of the rising sun, where he averages 4.44 dribbles per match.
In eighth place in the ranking stands out Yan Matheus, a versatile left-footed player who plays as a right winger at Yokohama F-Marinos, a 25-year-old player who is under contract until 2025 with the Japanese institution and averages 4.24 dribbles per match.
The penultimate Brazilian, and also the penultimate on the list, is veteran César Silva dos Santos, better known as Cesinha. This versatile offensive midfielder, at 34 years old, captains Daegu FC in the K-League 1, and averages 4.23 dribbles per match.
We close with Welton Felipe, an attacker born in Paranavaí who joined the discipline of Gamba Osaka in February 2024 and who, this season, has already accumulated three goals and five assists in 23 matches, where he has also managed to accumulate an average of 4.22 dribbles per match, being the tenth-best dribbler in Asia’s major leagues.
Did you know all these stars that shine brightly on the Asian continent?
