UK Daily Guardian Praises Son Heung-min's 'Injury Fighting Spirit'
The performances at the 2022 Qatar World Cup determined the fate of two football players. Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham Hotspur) was ranked 26th in the world by the British media outlet 'The Guardian,' while Cristiano Ronaldo (38, Al Nassr) dropped to 51st.
The Guardian revealed the top 100 male football players in the world on the 26th (local time). Rankings from 11th to 100th were announced on this day, with the top 10 to be revealed later.
On the morning of December 3 last year (Korean time), after the Group H third match between South Korea and Portugal at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Son Heung-min, who assisted Hwang Hee-chan's comeback winning goal, is greeting the fans. [Photo by Yonhap News]
In this ranking, Son Heung-min secured 26th place, climbing 13 spots from 39th last year. The Guardian attributed Son's remarkable achievement to his "performance in the first half of 2022," stating, "From the first day of last year until the end of the season, Son scored 15 goals and provided 6 assists, leading Tottenham to finish 4th in the league."
They continued, "However, after that, he was not quite himself. Following an orbital fracture injury in November, he had to wear a facial protective mask. Nevertheless, he fought hard for the South Korean national team at the 2022 Qatar World Cup," highly praising his 'injury-fighting spirit.'
Son Heung-min first appeared in The Guardian's top 100 football players in 2018, ranking 78th. In just four years, he has risen into the top 20.
On the other hand, the most noticeable drop in this ranking was Cristiano Ronaldo. After a fallout with Manchester United and subsequent release, Ronaldo transferred to Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr and fell from 8th to 51st place. This 43-spot drop marks the first time Ronaldo has fallen outside the top 10.
The Guardian noted, "Since this ranking was introduced in 2012, this is the first time Ronaldo has fallen outside the top 10," pointing out, "Ronaldo had conflicts with Manchester United, and during the Qatar World Cup group stage, he was substituted in the match against South Korea and was criticized by coach Fernando Santos."
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