While the likes of Driss Fettouhi at Al Hazem SC, Brandley Kuwas at Al Nasr SC and Karim Ansarifard at Al Sailiyah all deserve honorary mentions in this category, here are the four new arrivals who have stood out this campaign.

Born in 1970, Durić would famously leave his war-torn homeland to hitchhike his way to competing for Bosnia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, only for his footballing exploits to evolve into an equally remarkable tale.

After establishing himself as a professional in Australia and China, a former teammate’s recommendation took him to Singapore, sparking a 15-year, 387-goal love-affair which saw Durić make an international debut at the age of 37 and win the 2012 AFF Cup before finally retiring as a beloved figure in 2014.

In conversation with the-AFC.com, Singapore’s Olympian goal-machine looks back of over his extraordinary career, and his plans to guide the next generation of Singaporeans in his role with the ActiveSG academy.

Khujand, who finished 15 points adrift of Istiklol last season, threatened to cause an upset when they took the lead through a second-minute strike from on-loan FC Bunyodkor forward Sanjar Rikhsiboev, but two goals in two minutes from Manuchehr Dzahlilov and Muhammadjon Rakhimov settled the tie in the Dushanbe club’s favour.

But while that remarkable win over the defending champions was ultimately in vain as JDT missed out on a place in the knockout rounds of the competition, captain Hariss Harun believes it has given the club from southern Malaysia the belief they can compete with anyone in Asia.

Since the opening edition of the AFC Champions League in 2002-03 to recent times, players from the world's most populous nation have left an indelible mark on the tournament.

While the bulk of our selection is understandably from powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande - two-time winners and, indeed, the only side from China to lift the title in the AFC Champions League era - we have also included two stand-out forwards who have made their own Continental history away from the southern heavyweights.

The winger partnered up with fellow forwards Kim Shin-wook and Rafinha to provide a rapier thrust to Kim Ho-gon’s talented side as the K-League club saw off Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli to claim the title for the first time.