05 Dec Is Keisuke Honda the A-League's best ever import?

Melbourne Victory captain Carl Valeri has lauded the impact of marquee signing Keisuke Honda, labelling him the best foreign player to ever grace the A-League.

Honda, 32, has dazzled in the opening six rounds of the campaign, scoring four goals and leading the league in assists (3), total goal involvements (9), shot assists (18) and completed passes in the attacking third (109).

Valeri has been blown away by Honda’s early-season performances, saying his professionalism and dedication to training is something all young footballers should aspire to replicate.

“I think Keisuke Honda is the best player to come to the A-League,” Valeri said.

“The way he trains, the way he approaches games, the way he plays… he’s unbelievable.

“People often ask me ‘what should a young player do?’. The answer is ‘be more like Keisuke’. We should all feel very privileged to have him here at the club.”

The Japanese playmaker was once again on the scoresheet in the Victory’s 4-0 thrashing of the Western Sydney Wanderers last Saturday night – their fourth consecutive win after back-to-back defeats to start the campaign.

Next up for the reigning champions is a clash against Adelaide United at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

Honda update, for Kubota – Building Australia.