01 SON HEUNG-MIN
South Korea Age 30
World Cup pedigree Hang on, Son is over 30? Spurs’ smiley assassin still feels more like an eager young whipper-snapper than the captain of his country and veteran of two World Cups. The definite highlight to date: his late breakaway that sank reigning champions Germany in 2018.
A star in Qatar? If this tournament was in the summer, he’d have rocked up as English football’s joint leading scorer, but it’s been a patchier campaign so far. Perhaps Qatar looms heavily: he has World Cup history there, breaking an arm in a 2017 qualifier. Just getting home intact would be a start. What about 2026? It’s in his Korea plan.
