Son Heung-min beats Cristiano Ronaldo to win Best Footballer in Asia

By Hoang An October 13, 2025 | 10:04 pm PT

Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo (front R) winks as he waits to enter the pitch with Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-Min (C) and Dele Alli (back L) before the International Champions Cup football match between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur in Singapore on July 21, 2019. Photo by AFP

Son Heung-min has been named Best Footballer in Asia for a record 10th time, edging South Korean teammate Lee Kang-in and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2025 vote organized by Chinese newspaper Titan Sports.

Son topped the poll with 146 points from a panel of 63 judges, extending a run of wins that includes 2014, 2015 and every year from 2017 through 2023. Lee finished second on 105 points, while Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi club Al Nassr, placed third with 91.

Ronaldo has yet to win the award since moving to Saudi Arabia in January 2023, finishing third, fourth and third over the past three editions. In 2023, he finished behind Son and Kim Min-jae.

First held in 2013, the award recognizes players representing national teams or clubs in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Only four players have ever won the accolade: Keisuke Honda (2013), Shinji Okazaki (2016), Akram Afif (2024) and Son in all other years.

The jury includes 42 media representatives from AFC member associations and 21 international journalists. Each voter ranks five players on a 6-4-3-2-1 scale. Fourteen judges placed Son first, compared with eight apiece for Lee and Ronaldo.

Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli) was fourth with 75 points and Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad) fifth with 73. Indonesia captain Jay Idzes, who plays for Sassuolo, was the only Southeast Asian player to make the list, finishing 32nd with one point.