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| 스포츠조선 DB |
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| APYonhap News |
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When there was no name for Son Heung-min, Japan also paid attention.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) released candidates for each category of 'AFC Awards Riyadh 2025' on its official channel on the 25th (Korea time). With the AFC's highest authority, the event will be held on Oct. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The nominees for this year's International Player of the Year award were a hot topic. The AFC International Player of the Year Award is awarded to the best player of the year among AFC member countries playing outside Asia. However, Son Heung-min's name was not included in the candidate for the award. Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kubo Takefusa (Real Sociedad) and Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos) were the finalists.
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| 스포츠조선 DB |
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Lee Kang-in's selection was a reasonable choice. Lee Kang-in, who was the mainstay of PSG at the beginning of last season, suffered in the second half, but his contribution to the team's outstanding performance cannot be ruled out. He was a member of PSG, which won the French League 1, the Coupe de France (French Cup), the Trope de Champion (French Super Cup), and the European Champions League (UCL). Lee Kang-in will also compete for the AFC International Player of the Year Award, which Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae have already won in the past.
However, it was Son Heung-min's absence that drew the fans' attention. Son Heung-min is considered the best player of all time in Asia. It has already proved this with four awards by 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2024. Moreover, last season, Son Heung-min lifted the trophy for the first time in his professional career, releasing his disappointment. He is a player who has contributed to various achievements by playing as captain of Tottenham and the South Korean national team.
Except for Lee Kang-in, it is ambiguous to say that the rest of the candidates performed better than Son Heung-min. Taremi had only three goals and nine assists in 43 games for Inter Milan last season. Iran's best goalscorer, but his performance was minimal. Moreover, last season, Inter Milan did not lift any trophies except for their runner-up performance in the European Champions League, and Taremi did not play a big role.
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| APYonhap News |
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Even the old newsletter is not comparable. Gubo, who scored five goals and two assists in 41 games, had his worst season since moving to Sociedad. Moreover, Gubo's team, Real Sociedad, has achieved nothing throughout the season. There is also a big difference in phase with Tottenham, which won the Europa League. It is a difficult decision to understand that these players are nominated ahead of Son Heung-min.
Japanese media shed light on South Korea's response. Japan`s Soccer Digest Web site said, `Korea is shocked by Son`s defeat,' adding, `Korean media and others seem to be unhappy about Son`s defeat. They said Gubo and Taremi's performance was inferior to Son Heung-min, and they were disappointed by AFC's decision. He also directly mentioned that he cannot hide the shock of the four-time award-winning ace Son Heung-min's fall. Attention is also focusing on whether Son Heung-min will be able to take the opportunity to win the award, which is absent by Kubo's award.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
