Who has been the A-League's best foreign player?

Melbourne City’s prolific Uruguayan striker Bruno Fornaroli has stolen the headlines this season and is shaping up to eclipse the exploits of other great foreign players such as Besart Berisha and Thomas Broich. So who has been the A-League’s best foreign player to date?

There are two ways to go about answering this question, one can firstly judge the success of the player based on his influence in regards to commercial aspects.

This includes how much attention he brought to the Australian football scene, how many fans walked through the gates just to have a glimpse at this individual’s excellence, and how many shirts with his name on the back were sold.

The league’s foreign stars past and present can also be judged on their on-field contributions, which is undoubtedly what fans will generally value the most.

Alessandro Del Piero and David Villa are obviously the two highest profile players to have featured in the A-League to date. Their resumes spoke for themselves and the buzz that was present around the league when the two World Cup winners were here was something that hadn’t been felt before.

Attendances escalated exponentially, merchandise sales went through the roof and the league received international exposure that almost rivalled the MLS and Asia’s top leagues.

Despite not being in the prime of their careers, both Del Piero and Villa showed glimpses of their talent on a number of occasions.

However Villa’s impact on the league was minimal due to his premature departure for New York. Unlike Villa, Del Piero left a lasting legacy as he was the first internationally successful footballer to permanently play in the A-League.

Unfortunately for Del Piero and fans in Australia he was pushing 40 years of age and couldn’t produce regularly on a weekly basis or for a full 90 minutes.

Despite this, based solely on their reputations, Del Piero and Villa must feature in the debate as to who has been the A-League’s best foreign player to date.

Commercial success and international exposure aside there have been a number of foreign players past and present that have excelled on the field in the A-League. Some have proven to be one-season wonders, while others have maintained their excellence for several seasons.

In regards to one-season wonders, two names stand out. Firstly, Sydney FC’s former striker Marc Janko dominated the league during the 2014-15 season, and despite departing after just one season left a lasting legacy on the blue side of Sydney.

However, Argentine Marcos Flores is undoubtedly the league’s greatest one-season wonder. Yes, he played several seasons in the league for multiple clubs, but during the 2010-11 season with Adelaide United Flores dazzled the rest of the league and won the Johnny Warren Medal. Combining an array of flicks and tricks with previously unseen vision and awareness, Adelaide’s former number 10 was a living embodiment of God-given talent.

Sadly, after choosing to play in China the following season his career began to decline and despite a revival at the Melbourne Victory, he didn’t dominate the league the way he did while with Adelaide.

Thankfully for followers of the A-League, a number of foreign stars have been able to maintain their excellence for several seasons, and Melbourne Victory have been fortunate enough to have many of these players.

Costa Rican star Carlos Hernandez lit up the league before the arrival of the likes of Del Piero, and on a weekly basis showed why he was a part of his nation’s 2006 World Cup squad.

Hernandez is best remembered for scoring outrageous long-range goals and being an integral component in the Victory’s championship winning side of 2009. He also claimed the 2009-10 Johnny Warren Medal.

Diminutive Kiwi Marco Rojas experienced a short but sweet moment in the A-League spotlight, but he was always destined for a transfer to Europe, which came after being the league’s star player and winning the Jonny Warren Medal in 2013.

Controversial Albanian striker Besart Berisha cannot be ignored. Love him or hate him you have to respect what he’s done in the league – three championships to go along with a golden boot, an FFA Cup title and a spot in the league’s team of the decade make him a serious contender to be the best foreign player to date.

Berisha can only really be rivalled by two players – his former Brisbane Roar teammate Thomas Broich, and Adelaide United’s left-footed wizard Marcelo Carrusca.

In regards to accolades, Broich is second to none, with three championships, two premiership plates, two Johnny Warren Medals, a spot in the league’s team of the decade, and countless memorable moments. His consistent level of on-field excellence should be appreciated by all followers of the league.

Marcelo Carrusca has been nucleus for Adelaide’s changes in philosophy; when he is in form the Reds are almost unstoppable. Furthermore, he too has been a consistent performer, as evidenced by him being named in the team of the season for three consecutive years.

An abundance of foreign talent has graced the A-League, but who has been the best to date? Was the exposure that Del Piero and Villa bought too much to ignore, or do the moments of brilliance provided by Broich, Carrusca or even Shinji Ono make one of them the best foreign player to date?