Japan national team captain Wataru Endo, who signed for Liverpool in 2023, made 20 appearances in this season’s Premier League and six in the UEFA Champions League.

The 32-year old is the second Japanese footballer to play for Liverpool after Takumi Minamino, who joined in 2020. Endo’s first trophy with Liverpool was the League Cup in 2024.  

Korea Republic international Son Heung-min became the first Tottenham Hotspur captain since 2008 to lift a trophy with his side’s capture of the Europa League. It was the 32-year-old’s first major trophy of his senior career and his club’s first silverware in 17 years.

Son, the Premier League’s top scorer in 2021/22 with 23 goals, joined Tottenham in 2015 and made his 454th appearance for the North London side in the final.

The 28-year-old international, who became the first Japanese player in Crystal Palace history when he joined in 2024, made one assist in their FA Cup campaign and played the full match in the final against Manchester City. The midfielder scored two goals in the League Cup and made 34 appearances in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old Japan international struck five times and made two assists in 43 matches to help Leeds United win promotion back to the Premier League. The midfielder joined Leeds United last year.

Australian international Steph Catley played 10 Champions League matches and featured in the final when Arsenal beat Barcelona 1-0 to claim their first trophy in 18 years. The 31-year-old defender, who joined in 2020, also made 19 appearances in the Women’s Super League.

Fellow international Caitlin Foord struck seven times in 15 Champions League matches, and added to her goalscoring tally for the season with six goals in 20 Women’s Super League showings. The 30-year-old striker joined Arsenal in 2020.

 

The third of the Matildas, Kyra Cooney-Cross played 10 Champions League matches. The 23-year-old international midfielder signed in 2021 and made 19 Women’s Super Leagues showings.

Japan international Daizen Maeda was the lynchpin of Celtic’s success this season, scoring 33 goals across all competitions in 51 appearances. The 27-year-old striker, who signed in 2022, racked up 16 goals and 10 assists in 34 Premiership games, six goals and one assist in the League Cup, seven goals in the Scottish FA Cup in their runners-up finish and four goals and an assist in the Champions League.

His fellow international Reo Hatate nabbed 10 goals and four assists in 37 Premiership appearances. The 27-year-old midfielder, who joined Celtic in 2022, struck once in the Champions League.

 

Korea Republic international winger Yang Hyun-jun, who came on board in 2023, scored five goals and made three assists in 23 Premiership matches. The 23-year-old also scored once in the FA Cup. 

Palestine forward Oday Dabbagh featured in Aberdeen’s 4-3 penalty win over Celtic in the FA Cup, scoring in the shoot-out. The 26-year, the first Palestinian to win the Cup, scored three times in as many appearances in the competition, including a dramatic 118th minute winner after coming on as a substitute in their 2-1 semi-final win over Hearts.

Dabbagh, who is his nation’s all-time top scorer with 16 goals, also nabbed one goal and made one assist in 13 Premiership showings.

Korea Republic international midfielder Lee Kang-in closed his season by winning a historic quadruple when PSG claimed the Champions League, the Ligue 1 title, the French Cup and French Super Cup. He was on the pitch in 11 Champions League matches and scored six times and made six assists in 30 Ligue 1 appearances.

The 24-year-old is the second Korea Republic international to win the Champions League, following Park Ji-sung who won the 2008 trophy with Manchester United. The 2019 AFC Youth Player of the Year, Lee became the youngest Korea Republic footballer to debut professionally in Europe when he stepped on for Italian side Valencia at the age of 17 in 2018.

Japan international defender Hiroki Ito, who signed for Bayern in 2024, scored one goal in six Bundesliga appearances and featured in two Champions League matches. The 26-year-old, however, was plagued by metatarsal fractures during the season.

Korea Republic international Kim Min-jae nabbed two goals in 27 appearances for the German champions. The 28-year-old defender, who signed up in 2023, also struck once in 13 Champions League showings.

A midfielder with the Japan national team, Hidemasa Morita played 23 matches, claiming two goals and three assists in his club’s win of Portugal's premier league. The 30-year-old, who signed in 2022, also made seven Champions League appearances.