Lee Kang-in Aims for Second Consecutive "Asia's Best" Title, Hwang In-beom Also Nominated... Japan Takes Note of Korea-Japan Three-Way Race: "Competing with Ueda"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The "ace" of the South Korean national football team, Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid), will challenge for the title of "Asia's Best" for the second consecutive year. Hwang In-beom (FC Porto), the core of the national team's midfield, has also been named among the final candidates.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on the 16th (Korean time) the nominees across all 19 categories for the "AFC Awards 2026."

Lee Kang-in and Hwang In-beom were both selected as nominees for AFC International Men's Player of the Year. They will compete with Japanese national team forward Ueda Ayase (LOSC Lille), making it a three-way race among the final candidates. Two of the three finalists are South Korean players.

In particular, Lee Kang-in is challenging for his second consecutive title as the "defending champion."

The AFC International Player of the Year award is given to the most outstanding player from an AFC member country who plays in a league outside of Asia.

The award has deep ties with South Korean players. "Captain" Son Heung-min (LAFC) received the award a record four times, in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2023. Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) was also named the winner in 2022.

Last year, Lee Kang-in stood at the top. Lee Kang-in experienced major victories while playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) during the 2025~2026 season. He contributed to PSG's French Ligue 1 title and also reached the pinnacle of the UEFA Champions League.

Ahead of this season, he took on a new challenge. Lee Kang-in left PSG to transfer to Spanish La Liga powerhouse Atletico Madrid, and he is continuing his strong performance on the Spanish stage.

Hwang In-beom has also been recognized for his competitiveness. This summer, he left Dutch side Feyenoord to transfer to Portuguese powerhouse FC Porto.

He has also shown a strong presence with the national team. Hwang In-beom recorded one goal and one assist in the match against Czechia in the first group stage game of the 2026 FIFA North-Central America World Cup, contributing significantly to South Korea's only victory at the tournament.

Local media in Japan have also taken note of this "Korea-Japan three-way race." Japanese football specialist magazine Gekisaka reported on the AFC Awards nominations that day, stating, "In the Men's International Player of the Year category, Ueda, who was the Eredivisie scoring champion last season, has been nominated alongside South Korean midfielder Hwang In-beom and forward Lee Kang-in."

South Korean football figures were also named as nominees in other categories. Veteran defender Kim Hye-ri (Suwon FC Women) of the Yeo Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team was selected as a nominee for AFC Women's Player of the Year. Park Yoon-jung, manager of the South Korea Under-20 (U-20) Yeo Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team, was nominated for the AFC Women's Coach of the Year award.

The winners will be announced at the "AFC Awards 2026," to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 19.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original