Football London:Son Heung-min makes history as Tottenham star sets new Ballon d'Or record

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Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min’s 11th place finish in this year’s Ballon d’Or is the highest ever recorded by an Asian player in the award’s history.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 15: Son Heung-Min of Tottenham Hotspur applauds the home fans after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 15, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)© Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

The 66th edition of the prestigious award was handed to Real Madrid star Karim Benzema after he captained his side to La Liga and UEFA Champions League success last season, scoring 15 goals in just 12 games in the latter competition alone.

Son and his teammate Harry Kane were amongst the 30 players nominated for the award after the prolific Spurs duo capitalised on another successful campaign. With 23 goals, Son became the first-ever Asian player to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot award last season and he’s since built on that impressive record.

His impressive finish of 11th place in this season’s competition makes him the highest-ranked Asian in the award’s history, as cited by Spurs Web. Meanwhile, Kane finished in 21st, one place behind Manchester United superstar and six-time winner of the award, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Son and Kane were not the only Tottenham players nominated for an award, either. World Cup winner with France Hugo Lloris was on the shortlist to win the Yashin Trophy, which is awarded to the best goalkeeper over the course of a campaign.

Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois was awarded that honour, whilst Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and Manchester City’s Ederson finished second and third respectively. Lloris finished in 10th.

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