AFC Selects South Korea Captain Son Heung-min as Player to Watch at Asian Cup

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has named South Korea captain Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) as a player to watch for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which kicks off in Saudi Arabia in January next year.

The AFC, which has been introducing players to watch for each participating country in the Asian Cup on its official website, highlighted South Korea national team captain Son Heung-min yesterday (October 16, local time).

Noting that Son holds the record for the most goals by a South Korean male player in A-matches with 59, and recalling his debut national team goal during the group stage match against India at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, the AFC stated, "Son has since established himself as one of the greatest players in Asian football history."

"Now 34, Son is set to participate in the tournament in Saudi Arabia," the AFC added. "This tournament will mark his fifth and final attempt to lead South Korea to its first Asian Cup title since 1960."

Son appeared in four consecutive Asian Cups from the 2011 Qatar tournament to the 2023 Qatar tournament, but has yet to win the championship.

His best finish is finishing as runner-up at the 2015 Australia tournament.

"While Son has experienced heartbreaking moments and disappointment at the Asian Cup, he has built a glittering career at the club level that ranks among the finest for any Asian player," the AFC noted, tracing his path from Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen (both in Germany) to spending 10 years at English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur starting in 2015, growing into one of the best players Asia has ever produced.

It looked back on milestone moments such as reaching the UEFA Champions League final in the 2018–2019 season, winning the FIFA Puskas Award for his solo wonder goal against Burnley in the 2019–2020 season, becoming the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot (shared) with 23 goals in the 2021–2022 season, and winning the UEFA Europa League in the 2024–2025 season.

Finally, the AFC predicted, "Even as he enters the twilight of his career, Son's influence on the South Korean national team remains immense. Son captained the team at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, his fourth appearance on the global stage. Now, he will play a pivotal role as the Taegeuk Warriors make another bid for Asian Cup glory."

Son has continued his strong performances since leaving Tottenham last summer to join Los Angeles FC (LAFC) in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.

This season, Son has recorded 9 goals and 22 assists across all competitions, combining 7 goals and 15 assists in MLS, along with 2 goals and 7 assists in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

In the MLS 30th round match against Austin held on October 15 (Korean time), he registered 1 goal and 2 assists to lead his team to a 3-1 victory, earning selection to the league's Team of the Matchday for the third time this season, following earlier nods in the 6th round and rounds 16–17 (combined).

Meanwhile, the 2027 AFC Asian Cup is scheduled to take place from January 7 to February 5 next year in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

However, growing concerns are mounting over whether next year's tournament can proceed normally due to instability in the Middle East region, following recent attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saudi airports and energy facilities.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.