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Lee Kang-in (24, Paris Saint-Germain, PSG) will try to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 'International Player of the Year Award' following Son Heung-min (33, LA FC) and Kim Min-jae (29, Bayern Munich).
On the 25th, AFC unveiled the candidates for each category of the 'AFC Awards Riyadh 2025'. Lee Kang-in is the only Korean soccer player to be nominated. Son Heung-min won the International Player of the Year award four times last year, following 2015, 2017, and 2019. Kim Min-jae won awards in 2019 and 2022.
The "International Player Award" is for Asian players who play in non-Asian leagues. Lee Kang-in will compete with Kubo Takefusa (Real Sociedad), a Japanese striker of the same age, and Iran's Mehdi Taremi (Inter Milan, Olympiacos).
Lee Kang-in was with PSG's world in the 2024-2025 season. PSG won the European Champions League (UCL) for the first time since its foundation. In addition to winning the French League 1, the Coupe de France (French Cup), he also won the first 'Treble (triple crown)'. Trope de Champion (French Super Cup) also won four gold medals. In terms of his team's performance, he cannot compete with Lee Kang-in.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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The 2025 'AFC Awards' to be held in Saudi Arabia will be held on the 16th of next month. Korean soccer has not produced any candidates other than Lee Kang-in. He was also shunned by advancing to the World Cup finals for 11 consecutive times, the most in Asia.
At the awards ceremony held in South Korea for the first time last year, candidates were produced in virtually all categories, and Son Heung-min and Park Yoon-jung, the coach of the women's U-20 national team (Women's Leader Award), were honored with the award.
While last year's winner, Qatar Akram Afif (Al-Sad), is trying to win the award for the second consecutive year, Malaysia's Arif Ayman Hanafi (Johor Darul Takjim) and Saudi Arabia's Salem Aldosari (Al-Hilal) challenged. Australia's Holly McNamara (Melbourne City), China's Wang Shuang (Wuhan Jingda) and Japan's Takahashi Hana (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies) were nominated for this year's Women's Player of the Year award.
Australia's U-20 team coach Trevor Morgan, North Korea's U-20 women's team coach Lee Sang-ho, and North Korea's U-17 women's team coach Song Sung-kwon were nominated for the Men's Leader of the Year award. Last year, the Japanese Football Association won the Platinum category of this year's Football Association, which was awarded by the Japanese Football Association, the Iranian Football Association, and the Saudi Football Association.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
