Son Heung-min describes 'big honour' of winning seventh Best Footballer in Asia award

South Korea captain, who on Sunday won the 2021/22 Premier League Golden Boot with club side Spurs, named continent's standout player for fifth consecutive year

Son Heung-min celebrates with Ben Davies and Steven Bergwijn after scoring Tottenham's fifth goal against Norwich. Reuters

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Son Heung-Min celebrates with Steven Bergwijn after scoring for Tottenham against Norwich. AFP

Son Heung-min with the Premier League Golden boot award. AP

Son Heung-Min applauds the crowd after Tottenham's win over Norwich. Getty

Son Heung-Min celebrates after Tottenham's victory over Norwich. Getty

Son Heung-min celebrates with Lucas Moura after scoring Tottenham's fourth goal. Reuters

Son Heung-min shoots to score Tottenham's fourth goal. AP

Son Heung-min with the Premier League Golden boot award. PA

Son Heung-min celebrates scoring Tottenham's fourth goal. PA

Son Heung-min has dedicated his Asian player of the year award to his family and country, with the South Korea captain targeting a “really successful” World Cup with his national team later this year.

The Tottenham Hotspur forward, who on Sunday secured the 2021/22 Premier League Golden Boot, was last month voted the continent’s standout player for 2021. It represented the fifth consecutive year that Son has secured the honour, and seventh overall.

Introduced in 2013, the Best Footballer in Asia award is organised and presented by Titan Sports in China. It is designed to be the continent’s equivalent to the Ballon d’Or. This year’s panel included experts from 37 of the Asian Football Confederation's 47 member associations, together with an additional 13 guest judges.

Son won his seventh award with 30.3 per cent of total votes, while Iran duo Sardar Azmoun (Zenit St Petersburg) and Mehdi Taremi (Porto) were second and third, respectively. The award is open not only to footballers from Asian Football Confederation countries, but also to foreign players plying their trade in Asian leagues.

Upon being presented with the trophy at the Spurs training complex, Son said: “It’s something I’ve always dreamt of. I can’t believe it because it’s always in my head as a dream. This award, for me, means so much. For my country as well and for my family. It’s a big honour.”

Son Heung-min has been named Asian player of the year for 2021. Photo: Tottenham Hotspur

Son, 29, is expected to once more be a key figure for his country at this year's World Cup. South Korea qualified for a 10th consecutive global finals in March by finishing second in Group A, despite a 1-0 defeat to the UAE in their final match. It marked their only loss throughout the final round.

South Korea have since been drawn in Group H alongside Portugal, Ghana and Uruguay for the November 21-December 18 tournament in Qatar. The country’s finest World Cup performance remains the semi-final appearance in 2002, when South Korea and Japan served as joint hosts.

Asked if South Korea can replicate the achievement of 20 years ago, Son said: “Look, it will be hard, but nothing is impossible. I don’t want to be negative because I’m the captain of this country, so I need to be positive.

“I can’t say, ‘Yes, we’re going to do it’, but this is my dream: to have a really successful World Cup, because this is my third World Cup. The first one and the second one were not really, really successful [South Korea failed to emerge from the group stage in 2014 and 2018] and I learnt so many things.

"Now I’m the captain of this team so I really wish that we can do better than the previous two World Cups.”

On Sunday, Son scored twice against Norwich City in the Premier League finale to climb to 23 goals for the campaign, sharing a first Golden Boot with Liverpool counterpart Mohamed Salah.

The former Bayer Leverkusen winger, who signed for Spurs in 2015, sits among the lead players in English top flight, and is regarded by many as the best Asian player currently in the game.

The hope is that Son’s continued success will encourage more players from Asia to make the move to Europe.

“To come out in Europe is not easy,” Son said. “It’s different from the home culture, it’s a different type of play, different type of playing style and it’s a different type of culture and countries.

“It’s not that easy, but I wish they can try as hard as possible and as early as possible. I wish to see many, many Asian players in Europe because they have talent.”