He has no goals, but his presence has grown. Despite the scoring silence, Son Heung-min's name remains at the center of the race for the league's best player.
Major League Soccer on the 23rd (Korean time) released content spotlighting the leading MVP candidates for this season. Local commentators named Son Heung-min among the top five candidates alongside Lionel Messi, Hanni Muhtar, Petar Musa and Rafael Navarro.
The field of candidates is dazzling. Messi has shown his enduring influence by scoring heavily from the start, Muhtar has taken on the team's central role with consistent attacking points, and Musa and Navarro have also continued their upward trend by recording both goals and assists.
A notable point is Son Heung-min's record. He has no league goals so far but has recorded seven assists. Although the form of attacking points is different, his influence within the team remains large. He has moved beyond a simple finishing role and taken on greater responsibility for development and consolidation.
Compared with last season, the change in role is clear. Unlike the explosive scoring flow he showed immediately after joining, this season he is performing a role closer to a playmaker. As the tactical structure changed, direct shooting opportunities decreased, but the role of coordinating the entire attack was emphasized instead.
Local assessments also focused on this aspect. Commentators paid attention to his influence rather than the absence of goals. They noted, "He has no goals yet, but the number of assists proves it," and emphasized that he functions as a core pillar of the team's attack.
They also saw a high possibility of scoring recovery. Considering Son Heung-min's finishing and experience, analysts expect that the moment the flow changes his goal-scoring productivity will rise again. The instinct as a striker is still valid, the analysis says.
The key is time. He is currently in a process of adapting to the role change. However, as the season progresses, assessments say there is a high possibility that goals and assists will increase simultaneously. In that case, his position in the MVP race could also change.
Ultimately, Son Heung-min is not evaluated solely by simple scoring numbers. That is because within a structure in which he is involved in both the start and the finish of attacks, his impact on team results is large. When goals are added, the competitive landscape could be shaken again.
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