Son Heung-min claims prestigious Asian prize for seventh straight year, beats compatriot Kim Min-jae and Cristiano Ronaldo
- South Korea star has won nine of 11 editions, with Japanese pair only players to deny him
- Iran, who Hong Kong play next in Group C of the Asian Cup, have three players in top 23
Son Heung-min has been crowned best footballer in Asia for 2023, seeing off the challenges of fellow South Korean Kim Min-jae and Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the prize for a seventh successive year.
The award, which was launched in 2013, is open to players from Asia, and those who ply their trade on the continent.
Ronaldo came into the reckoning for the past calendar year after his move to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese forward scored 38 goals in 44 games for the Saudi Pro League team in 2023, but trailed Son and Kim in a vote by 63 Asian football experts.
Son was outstanding for club team Tottenham Hotspur in the closing months of last year, scoring 12 goals to plug the mammoth gap left by the exit of Harry Kane for Bayern Munich. He struck eight times for his country in 2023, and finished the year with 27 goals for Spurs and South Korea.
Centre-back Kim was voted best defender in Serie A after an integral role in Napoli winning the club’s first Italian championship since a Diego Maradona-inspired team claimed the 1989-90 title.
He is now playing alongside Kane, after Bayern paid a reported US$55 million (HK$430m), a record sum for an Asian footballer, to take the 27-year-old from Napoli in the summer.
