Ballon d’Or: Son Heung-min moves step closer to ‘dream’ as he joins Virgil Van Dijk, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on longlist
- Spurs’ South Korean superstar is among first-nominees on 30-man longlist but no place for last year’s winner Luka Modric
- No Asian players have won men’s award but Japan’s Homare Sawa won women’s equivalent in 2011
Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min has moved a step closer to his dream of becoming the first Asian footballer to win the men’s Ballon d’Or.
The South Korean superstar was the only Asian to be named on the 30-man longlist when it was announced by France Football and L’Equipe on Monday night.
Son, who has been named Best Footballer in Asia four-times, recently spoke to Four Four Two of his dream of winning the Ballon d’Or.
“Of course, football players dream of the Ballon d’Or and winning the title, and this is my dream,” he said.
The South Korea captain moved to German side Hamburg at 16 before a transfer to Leverkusen where he caught the eye of Spurs. Last year he fired the side to the Uefa Champions League final where they lost to Liverpool.
Son was among several first-time nominees including Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk, the Uefa Player of the Year.