KUALA LUMPUR (Kashmir English): South Korean captain Son Heung-min has earned the Best Footballer in Asia 2025 award, winning the continental honour for a record 10th time as he continues to define a generation of Asian football excellence.
The award established in 2013 is open to players from Asia and those who ply their trade on the continent.
A panel of 64 Asian football experts considered performances from August 16 last year to July 16 this year.
The 33-year-old striker, who joined Los Angeles FC this year after a stellar spell with Tottenham Hotspur, secured the most votes by a 64-member panel of journalists and football experts across Asia and beyond.
Son collected 146 points, or 14.26 percent of all votes, to reclaim the title he briefly lost in 2024 after seven consecutive wins. It marks his 10th triumph in 13 editions of the award (2014, 2015, 2017–2023, 2025).
The victory crowned what was likely Son’s final season in European football, highlighted by his performances for Tottenham and the Korea Republic national team before making the switch to Major League Soccer.
Fellow South Korean Lee Kang-in, 24, finished second with 105 points (10.25%), marking the first top-five finish for a player born in the 2000s.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has steadily climbed the rankings after placing 10th and 9th in the 2023 and the last year editions.
Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, who continues to play for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, came third with 91 points (8.89%), maintaining a top-four finish for the third consecutive edition.
Rounding out the top seven were Riyad Mahrez (75 points), Karim Benzema (73), Salem Al Dawsari (72), and Kaoru Mitoma (72), with final placements decided by higher-ranking votes in case of ties.
35 footballers bagged votes
In total, 35 players bagged votes from across the continent, including 10 not on the initial 25-player shortlist — reflecting the growing talent of Asian football.
