On Wednesday, in light of the increased quota of import players allowed in Asian club competition, Johor Darul Ta'zim took to the field in their AFC Champions League Elite opener against Shanghai Port with nine foreigners in their starting XI.
Ten, if you include captain Natxo Insa, who was born and spent most of his life in Spain but now represents Malaysia after qualifying for citizenship via his grandmother.
Many of them have been brought in primarily for the purpose of taking JDT further on the continental stage, with players such as Jorge Obregón, Iker Undabarrena and Eddy Israfilov recent arrivals who had not been present for the start of the Malaysia Super League campaign back in May.
There was just one fully born-and-bred Malaysian representing the team that has dominated football in the nation over the past decade in the continent's premier club competition.
But it was that one man who stood the tallest -- far taller than his slender 1.71-metre frame -- to almost lead the Southern Tigers to a massive upset before they ultimately had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Shanghai Port.
Claiming a point away to a side who remain one of Asia's strongest clubs will still be a fine result to take back to Johor Bahru yet, if there was one player who would feel like he deserved to be on the winning side, it would have been Arif Aiman.
Shanghai Port did look the better side early on and Arif was initially an anonymous presence but the visitors eventually forced their way into the contest.
Still, they never looked in any real threat of taking the lead until a moment of magic from Arif on the stroke of halftime -- when he received possession 40 yards out and headed straight towards goal, carefreely gliding past and around three opposition defenders before rifling a shot from outside the box on his non-preferred left foot into the bottom corner.
It was not something that he had not done before yet there is always something breathtaking witnessing it again, especially under the bright lights of Asian football against formidable opposition captained by a former Chelsea star in Oscar.
The hosts duly responded through Gustavo's 48th-minute equaliser but, just when it looked like they might be gaining momentum, Arif struck again in the 56th minute.
A hopeful crossfield pass by Obregón saw Arif put his blistering pace to full use as he chased it down and advanced into the box.
While there was a touch of fortune this time around as his attempted dribble saw the ball ricochet off opposition defender Wei Zhen before kindly falling back into his path, it still required a certain level of guile as he cheekily clipped a shot over the onrushing Yan Junling and into the far corner.
In the end, it was not to be the perfect night as Shanghai Port hit back once more with 17 minutes remaining to ultimately force the draw.
Nonetheless, Arif once again showed why remains such an exciting talent, as has been the case since he burst onto the scene as a teenager years ago now.
Only 22, he is already a three-time domestic Most Valuable Player with 30 senior caps to his name.
He has shone on an even bigger stage -- back at the AFC Asian Cup in January when he converted a penalty in what proved to be a monumental 3-3 draw for Malaysia against giants South Korea.
Perhaps what was most impressive about his latest star turn was the fact that he has had to overcome some recent setbacks.
Having missed the first month of the new MSL season through injury, Arif has had to work his way back to form and fitness and his first league goal of the campaign came just earlier this month.
Still, there was never any doubting his class and ability.
And with another electrifying display amid a plethora of overseas talent, Arif showed once again why he remains the crown jewel for both Johor Darul Ta'zim and Malaysian football.