Thousands of Botafogo fans went to the airport in Rio to see their new Japanese star. There were apparently 13,000 more waiting for Honda to arrive at the stadium the next day.

"Yesterday at the airport, I've never seen that in all of my life. I think that the passion of the people made me decide to play here," said Honda.

"I decided to play here (because) a lot of people here were waiting for me. They took action and contacted me through social media.

"I have never felt that emotion. They were so excited. I have never heard people like that."

It was quite a spectacle and Honda is right. Such scenes scream passion, colour and shows more than anything else the international appeal of the game.

Given that this is a player who is now a part-time coach of Cambodia and was last seen playing his club football at Vitesse Arnhem, it is impressive.

But thousands of fans turning out at the airport does not automatically mean that Brazilian fans are more passionate than their Australian counterparts.

There are many countries in which flocking to airports is not that much of a thing.

Nobody could accuse people in the United Kingdom of not liking football but few head to Heathrow to greet a new signing.

They do go to the stadium though to watch the game - at all levels, not just the Premier League. Even the 24-team third tier is attracting an average attendance of almost 9,000 this season so far.

There are different kinds of passion or, at least, different cultures express it in different ways - which is another reason why the world game is also a beautiful one.

Melbourne Victory fans may also not head to the airport in big numbers (except for Harry Kewell in 2011) but more of them tend to actually attend the game live than their Botafogo counterparts.

It may be close - 17,609 last season for Botafogo and 18,017 for Melbourne so far this - but a win is a win.

The source of frustration should not be that Botafogo had thousands of fans to greet Honda but that Honda’s time in Brazil, where he has not yet played a game, has made more international impact already than the months he spent in Melbourne.

Perhaps Victory officials will be thinking that more could have been made of 'Emperor Keisuke'.

The Australian sporting marketplace may be famously competitive but there was not much noise about the Japanese star, who played and scored at three FIFA World Cups, át least little that penetrated the giant continent to the north or elsewhere.

Tweets in Japanese do not a campaign make, but here was one of the biggest names in Asian football - only Son Heung-min was clearly bigger at the time - who was coming back to play in Asia after a decade away.

Not only that but Honda is a naturally marketable guy. His personality shines through and is part of the image as much as the famous blond hair.

Here is a football player popular all over Asia and who has plenty of interests outside the sport.

Those that say he only came for the money are wrong. What drives this player is an earnest desire to make a difference - his opening of football schools in Cambodia is just one example - a powerful trait and one that could have been used to great effect.

It would have been ideal, of course, had he made a bigger splash on the pitch (though injuries played a part), but Melbourne should have been singing loud and proud about a player described on the club's website as its "biggest ever signing".

There don’t have to be thousands waiting at the airport for the next Asian star, a strategic plan to engage the world’s biggest continent is all the welcome needed.