Son Heung-min and Kim Do-young in a 'dead heat' separated by just 15 votes... Yet Lee Kang-in remains in an unassailable lead, holding the top spot on the Star Ranking for 28 consecutive weeks.

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Kang-in (25, Atletico Madrid) maintained his dominance without any sign of wavering, reaching 28 consecutive weeks at the top. Meanwhile, Son Heung-min (34, LA FC), who had surged to second place for the first time in 120 weeks three weeks prior, finished fourth after a tight contest with Kim Do-young (23, KIA Tigers) decided by just 15 votes.

In the 65th Star Sports Male Star Ranking vote, held from 3:01 p.m. on September 17 to 3:00 p.m. on September 24 over one week, Lee Kang-in received the highest number of votes with 13,764.

Lee Kang-in first reached the top spot in the 38th vote and has since held the number one position for an impressive 28 consecutive weeks, continuing his status as the most popular male sports star.

Notably, fan support for Lee Kang-in remained steady. In the previous 64th vote, he had received 13,785 votes; this time, he garnered just 21 fewer votes at 13,764, maintaining a solid voting power exceeding 13,000 votes.

He also continued his on-field performances. During the voting period, Lee Kang-in scored in a match between Osasuna and Atletico Madrid in the 2026–2027 La Liga season. Playing a full 90 minutes for the first time since joining Atletico, he netted his second goal of the season.

Second place was taken by Heo Woong (33, Busan KCC) with 4,402 votes. Although there was a significant gap from Lee Kang-in in first place, Heo maintained his position among the top contenders, demonstrating his enduring popularity.

The competition for third place drew particular attention. Kim Do-young received 2,094 votes to claim third, while Son Heung-min followed closely with 2,079 votes. The difference between the two players was merely 15 votes.

Compared to just three weeks ago, the change in Son Heung-min's ranking and vote count is even more striking. In the 62nd vote, Son received 11,235 votes, surpassing Heo Woong to take second place. His vote total surged more than threefold from 3,536 votes in the previous 61st vote within just one week.

At that time, Son's rise to second or higher in the Star Ranking Star Sports category was the first since the separation of male and female voting began in the fifth week of June last year. Including the period when men and women were voted together, this marked exactly 120 weeks since his second-place finish in the 98th vote in May 2024.

However, his ranking subsequently declined. After reaching second place in the 62nd vote, Son finished third in the 63rd and then placed fourth consecutively in both the 64th and 65th votes. His vote count also dropped sharply from 11,235 in the 62nd vote to just 2,079 this time—a decrease of 9,156 votes within three weeks.

Nevertheless, Son Heung-min's presence on the field remained strong. In a Major League Soccer (MLS) match against San Jose held during the voting period, he recorded one goal and one assist, leading his team's attack. He simultaneously achieved his sixth goal of the season and 13th assist, reaffirming his form.

Following Kim Do-young and Son Heung-min, fifth place was taken by Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) with 1,238 votes.

The Star Ranking is a system where fans directly vote on the StarNews website to determine their favorite star's ranking. Selected stars based on the voting results receive various special benefits.

Recently, the Star Ranking significantly expanded its candidate pool, intensifying the competition among fans. Newcomers Oh Hyun-kyu (25, Besiktas), Cho Gue-sung (28, Midtjylland), and Lee Seung-woo (28, Jeonbuk; all football), Noh Si-hwan (26, Hanwha Eagles), and Koo Ja-wook (33, Samsung Lions; both baseball) have joined the existing candidates to compete.

In addition to the new candidates, the current list includes Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan (30, Schalke), Kim Min-jae (30, Bayern Munich), Yang Min-hyuk (20, Westerlo; all football), Kim Do-young, Yang Hyeon-jong (38, KIA), Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha), Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta), Lee Jung-hoo, Kim Hye-seong (27, Los Angeles Dodgers; all baseball), Heo Woong, Heo Hoon (31, KCC; both basketball), Heo Su-bong (28, Hyundai Capital; volleyball), and Woo Sang-hyuk (30, Yongin City Hall; athletics). A total of 20 stars are now engaged in fierce competition.

The 66th Star Ranking Male Sports vote will take place from 3:01 p.m. on September 24 to 3:00 p.m. on October 1.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.