TEN OF THE BEST: TOMOAKI MAKINO

East Asian Soccer picks Ten of the Best personalities and players in the 2016 Asian Champions League.

Number 10 – Tomoaki Makino

In a country where conformity is the norm, Tomoaki Makino stands tall as a Japanese individual.

The 28 year old left fullback is sure to have an impact, even in one of the toughest groups the Asian Champions League has ever dished up. The ‘Mak’ will have his chance to light up Sydney, Pohang in South Korea and Guangzhou in China. Makino had a brief but unfruitful spell in Germany before returning to Japan and moving to big guns Urawa Reds, back in 2012. Sadly for the Mak in that very same year his former club Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the J-League.

The fullback will catch the eye with his regular raids down the wing, sometimes showing disregard for his defencive duties, but that’s all part of the Makino show. Watch for his animated celebrations and motivational speeches with the Reds. And if you don’t catch him on the field you can catch him off, at his always active Twitter account (never mind the language differences as the pictures tell the story).