Sports Star, an Indian sports media, pointed out the top five stars to watch among the Asian Cup players with the title of “Five Players to Watch at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup” on the 10th (Korea Standard Time). 스포츠토토 사이트 추천
Of course, Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) were included. Son Heung-min came in first and Kim Min-jae came in third.
The two players are Asia’s best strikers and best defenders. There is no room for disagreement. In a way, it is natural for this media to be included in the top five.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Son Heung-min is the world’s best soccer star who plays at the Asian Cup. As the captain of Korea, he is aiming for his first continental title in 64 years,” the daily said. “He has shown stellar performance by scoring 12 goals for Tottenham Hotspur this season. He has scored 41 goals in 116 A matches.”
In addition to Son, Korea also has another European superstar named defender Kim Min-jae. Kim destroyed the stronghold of Son, who was named Korea’s soccer player of the year for four years. Kim, who helped Napoli win the historic Serie A championship, has transformed itself into the core of Bayern Munich’s defense. The 27-year-old boasts strong defense as a center-back duo with Dayot Upamecano, and ranks second in the pass success rate in the league.
“Kim Min-jae, the first Asian defender to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or, has played consistently for the national team since 2017 and scored four goals in 55 matches. Along with Son Heung-min, he was also a member of the team that won a medal at the 2018 Asian Games.”
The second place went to Japanese ace Takefusa Kubo. The Japanese media outlet said, “Japan, a four-time Asian Cup champion, is pinning hope on Kubo’s genius creativity. The 22-year-old offensive midfielder, who represents Real Sociedad, has scored three goals in 29 matches for the Japanese national team this season.”
Iran’s ace Mehdi Taremi took fourth place, while Qatar’s ace Al-Mos Ali took fifth place. Ali scored nine goals in the last tournament as the absolute ace of Qatar’s 2019 Asian Cup victory.
South Korea is considered a strong favorite to win the Asian Cup. It is because of the powerful squad that includes not only the core of Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae’s offense and defense but also a number of European players including Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Kang-in. The AFC organizing committee praised the squad, saying, “South Korea, which has Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in, has the strongest squad in the Asian Cup. Not only is it a strong candidate to win the Asian Cup, but it is also a team that will raise the level of Asian soccer.”