Son Heung-min Wins Best Asian Professional Player Outside of Asia Award

Son Heung-min, the star of Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korean national football team, won the Best Asian Professional Player Outside Asia Award for the fourth time in 2023. This was announced at the annual awards ceremony hosted by the Asian Football Confederation in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday.

No other player has won this prestigious award more than once, except Son, who previously received it in 2015, 2017, and 2019, highlighting his sustained success at the top level.

After another brilliant season in 2023–2024, the 32-year-old Son gave one of his most remarkable performances in the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals held earlier this year in Qatar. With South Korea trailing 0–1 against Australia and facing elimination, Son earned a penalty kick that Hwang Hee-chan converted to send the game to extra time. Son then scored a stunning free-kick to secure victory, sending his team to the semifinals.

Son is widely regarded as one of Asia’s best players, with South Korean fans relying on him to lead the country to the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Appointed as Tottenham’s new captain for the 2023–2024 season, Son has enjoyed this role. He became the sixth player to reach 150 goals for Tottenham in September, according to the official website of the Asian Football Confederation. A month later, he scored his 200th goal in European competitions and established himself as the leading playmaker for Tottenham in the English Premier League by December, ending the season with 17 goals and 10 assists from 36 appearances.