Kagawa, Son show the way for Asia's hopefuls

The increasing flow of Japanese and South Korean players to Europe's top leagues should encourage China that it can follow suit.

Japan and South Korea both qualified for this year's World Cup finals, with the former's national side featuring 17 players who ply their trade overseas - seven in Germany's Bundesliga, two in the English Premier League, and one each in Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1.

South Korea boasts arguably the best Asian player in the world right now - Tottenham Hotspur hotshot Son Heung-min, who has scored five goals in his last eight outings in all competitions.