ESPN ranks Son as 13th best player to shine in Qatar World Cup

South Korean soccer team captain Son Heung-min (photo) has been ranked 13th in the "2022 Qatar World Cup Top 50 Players" selected by ESPN, an American sports media outlet. He is the only Korean and Asian player on the list.

On Thursday, ESPN ranked Son in 13th place following a vote of TV commentators, reporters, and columnists, saying, “Although Korea has recently succeeded in introducing more talented athletes to the international stage, Son Heung-min is still a superstar, carrying the hopes of his country on his shoulders. The news that Son would undergo surgery for a bone fracture around his eye ahead of the opening of the World Cup gave many Korean fans great fear.” It added, "Son Heung-min needs to recover to his best condition for Korea to move forward in a difficult group with Uruguay, Ghana, and Portugal." Before the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Son was the only Asian player on the 50-man list selected by ESPN, ranking 37th.

In Group H, along with Korea, Portugal placed the most six players on the list, including Bernardo Silva in 16th, João Cancelo in 17th, and Cristiano Ronaldo in 20th. Uruguay had one player, Federico Valverde, in 14th place, while Ghana has failed to put any on the list. In Group H, Son has the highest ranking.

Meanwhile, French striker Kylian Mbappé has been selected as the overall first place. France's Karim Benzema, Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne, Argentina's Lionel Messi, and Poland's Robert Lewandowski have been ranked second to fifth.


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com