'31 consecutive weeks atop the throne' Lee Kang-in maintains his dominant lead in Star Ranking! Once again surpasses Heo Woong and Kim Do-young

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lee Kang-in's (25, Atletico Madrid) dominant lead continues.

In the 68th men's vote for Star Ranking Star Sports, conducted over a one-week period from 3:01 p.m. on the 8th to 3:00 p.m. on the 15th, Lee Kang-in secured first place with 13,869 votes.

Lee Kang-in, who first reached the top spot in the 38th vote, defended his position this time as well, setting a remarkable record of 31 consecutive weeks at number one. He reaffirmed his status as the undisputed top sports star in South Korea.

Lee Kang-in, who has recorded two goals and one assist for Atletico this season, continued to deliver outstanding performances with his club after completing his national team duty. Having assisted Son Heung-min's (LAFC) equalizing goal with a sharp left-footed cross in the match against Uruguay held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 24th of last month, he also showcased his presence on the European stage.

Lee Kang-in's club, Atletico Madrid, achieved a decisive 2-0 victory over Manchester United (Man Utd) in the second match of the league phase of the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League (UCL), held at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on the 14th (Korean time).

Starting as a forward in a 4-4-2 formation, Lee Kang-in partnered with Julian Alvarez to lead the team's attack. In particular, he played a key role in initiating the opening goal, which came less than one minute after kickoff. After receiving the ball behind the halfway line, Lee Kang-in delivered a precise through pass to Alex Baena, who was making a run down the left flank, connecting with the open space in front of Baena and leading to a decisive opportunity.

The battle for the top rankings maintained a solid trend similar to last week. Heo Woong (Busan KCC) of professional basketball firmly held onto second place with 5,747 votes. Kim Do-young of the KIA Tigers in professional baseball marked third place with 2,248 votes, followed by Son Heung-min in fourth with 1,929 votes, and Major Leaguer Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) in fifth with 1,211 votes.

Star Ranking is a system where fans directly vote for their favorite stars through the StarNews homepage to determine the rankings. Stars selected based on voting results are granted various privileges.

Star Ranking has significantly strengthened its candidate pool. Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas), Cho Kyu-sung (Midtjylland), Lee Seung-woo (Jeonbuk Hyundai, all football), Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles), and Koo Ja-wook (Samsung Lions, all baseball) have newly joined.

In addition to existing candidates Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke 04), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Yang Min-hyuk (Vestelo, all football), Kim Do-young, Yang Hyeon-jong (KIA Tigers), Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles), Kim Ha-seong (Atlanta Braves), Lee Jung-hoo, Kim Hye-seong (LA Dodgers, all baseball), Heo Woong, Heo Hun (Busan KCC, all basketball), Heo Su-bong (Hyundai Capital, volleyball), and Woo Sang-hyuk (Yongin City Hall, athletics), the new candidates bring the total number of competing athletes to 20.

Meanwhile, the 69th men's sports vote for Star Ranking will be conducted over a one-week period from 3:01 p.m. on the 15th to 3:00 p.m. on the 22nd.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original