S. Korean Premier Leaguer grabs Asian football award

By Yoo Jee-ho

NEW DELHI, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Premier Leaguer Son Heung-min on Sunday grabbed an annual football award recognizing Asian players in foreign competitions.

Son, an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, was named the Asian International Player of the Year at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Annual Awards in New Delhi.

Son is the first South Korean to received the award, which was first presented in 2012. He finished third in the category in 2013, while playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.

Son beat out fellow South Korean, Ki Sung-yueng of Swansea City, and Massimo Luongo of Australia, who plays for Queens Park Rangers.

Son left Bayer Leverkusen for the Spurs in August on a five-year deal, reportedly worth 30 million euros (US$31.8 million), a record amount for an Asian player. He had scored 21 goals for Bayer Leverkusen over the past two seasons and appeared in one match in 2015-2016 season before his transfer to the Premier League.

Son scored his first two goals in Tottenham uniform on Sept. 17, helping the Spurs to a 3-1 win over Qarabag in Group J action at Europa League. Three days later, Son earned his first Premier League goal, as the Spurs defeated Crystal Palace 1-0.

The 23-year-old has also excelled for the national team, which lost just once in 2015 with 16 wins and three draws. On Sept. 3, Son scored his first international hat trick in South Korea's 8-0 victory over Laos in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Son was the only South Korean honoree at the ceremony held in the Indian capital. He was unable to attend the occasion with his Premier League commitment. Earlier Sunday, the Spurs played Chelsea to a scoreless draw with Son getting 75 minutes of action.

The South Korean men's senior national team was up for the AFC National Team of the Year, but the award went to Australia's senior men's team. Australia defeated South Korea to capture the AFC Asian Cup on home soil in January.

The Korea Football Association, the Japan Football Association and the Chinese Football Association were the nominees for the AFC Fair Play Association of the Year, and the Japanese football body won the award.

South Korea didn't have a nominee for the AFC Player of the Year award for the second straight year. Ahmed Khalil from the United Arab Emirates, who plays for Al Ahli, won the honors.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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