Surpassing Ronaldo, Son Heung-min wins prestigious award in Asia

Son Heung-min surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo and numerous other famous names to secure a prestigious honor in Asia.

Son Heung-min was honored as the Best Asian Player of 2025, marking an incredible milestone by winning this title for the 10th time in his career.

The South Korean star beat fellow countryman Lee Kang-in (PSG) to top the voting, with Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr finishing third.

The award is organized by Titan Sports and voted on by a panel of 64 journalists (42 representing AFC member associations and 22 international guests), evaluating players’ performances from August 16, 2024, to July 16, 2025.

According to the rules, a first-place vote earns 6 points, second place 4 points, followed by 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. In the event of a tie, the number of first-place votes is used as the tiebreaker, then second-place votes, and so forth.

Other notable rankings include Riyad Mahrez in 4th place, Karim Benzema 5th, and Salem Al Dawsari at 6th.

Winning this award for the 10th time has solidified Son Heung-min’s legendary status in Asian football history, making him the only player to achieve this feat.

Son concluded a 10-year tenure with Tottenham by winning his first Europa League title at the club before transferring to Los Angeles FC in MLS. At 33 years old, he received 14.26% of the votes, scored 10 goals in 46 matches in his final season with the "Spurs," and played a key role in helping South Korea qualify for their 11th consecutive World Cup, to be held in North America next year.

Lee Kang-in is considered the potential successor to Son in South Korean football. He garnered 10.25% of votes, appeared in 11 matches during PSG’s Champions League-winning campaign last season, and scored 6 goals in 30 Ligue 1 games, helping the capital club secure their fourth consecutive national title.

Cristiano Ronaldo placed third with 8.89% of the votes after scoring 25 goals last season in the Saudi Pro League. At 40 years old, the Portuguese striker continues to perform impressively, remains a key national team player, and helped Portugal defeat Spain on penalties to win the Nations League in June.

Top 10 Asian players of 2025 as voted by Titan Sports

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