Tottenham’s Son Heung-min named AFC International Player of the Year for fourth time

South Korean player of the year adds another individual award to Best Footballer in Asia and Spurs season gong

The 28-year-old also won the Fifa Puskas Award for December 2019 goal against Burnley, scored on day he picked up last AFC award

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Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean striker Son Heung-min leaves the pitch after being substituted during the English League Cup semi-final, first-leg match against Brentford. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:13pm, 25 Jan 2021Updated: 2:45pm, 25 Jan 2021

South Korea’s Son Heung-min has been named the AFC International Player of the Year for a fourth time at the Asian Football Confederation’s Asia’s Choice awards.

Son – who also won in 2015, 2017 and 2019 – dominated the award, which this year was decided by a combination of fan vote and expert panel, with fans counting for 60 per cent, in lieu of the annual awards ceremony.

Tottenham Hotspur star Son beat Iran’s FC Porto striker Mehdi Taremi and the Vancouver Whitecaps and Iraq full back Ali Adnan in second and third place. The Korean FA, who named him Korean Player of the Year, led the congratulations.

The 28-year-old has been a key player for the English Premier League side over the last year, scoring 22 times in 2020 and forming a deadly partnership with England captain Harry Kane for Jose Mourinho’s side.

This is the latest individual award for the Best Footballer in Asia, who was also named Spurs Player of the Season and won the Premier League Goal of the Season and Fifa Puskas Award for his December 2019 goal against Burnley.

Son’s Puskas Award-winning goal came on the same day that he was handed the AFC International Player of the Year award for 2019 from fellow South Korean Park Ji-sung.

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