The three-time AFC Asian International Player of the Year in 2015, 2017 and 2019 held off tough competition from Uruguayan Luis Suarez and Giorgian De Arrascaeta of Brazilian club Flamengo to become the second Asian player to win the highly-acclaimed prize, after Malaysia’s Mohd Faiz Subri clinched the award in 2016 for his remarkable goal for Penang.
The AFC President said: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to congratulate Son Heung-min for his incredible effort. It was truly a moment of individual brilliance that captured the imagination of the footballing world.
“The AFC Vision and Mission outlined our ambitions to ensure our players and officials succeed on the world stage and Son’s achievement exemplifies the undeniable talent in Asian football.
“I have no doubts that Son will continue to achieve even greater success in the coming years and his accolades will serve as an inspiration to Asia’s future generation of players and fans.”
The FIFA Puskás Award is awarded to the player, male or female, judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant, or “most beautiful”, goal of the year.
Son, who has continued his rich vein of form and currently co-leads the goal-scoring chart in this season’s English Premier League joins an esteemed list of past winners which include Mohamed Salah (2018), James Rodriguez (2014), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2013), Neymar (2011) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2009).
Australian duo Lisa de Vanna and Tim Cahill as well as Japan’s Kumi Yokoyama and Hisato Sato are just some of the Continent’s stars to have been nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award in recent years.