# Best Footballer in Asia 2021

The Best Footballer in Asia 2021, recognizing the best male footballer in Asia in 2021, is the 9th edition of the Best Footballer in Asia. Son Heung-min claimed the award on 3rd January 2022. It was his 5st Best Footballer in Asia title in a row, and the 7th title overall. The event was judged by a panel of 50 sports journalists.

## Voting

50 judges were invited to vote, including 37 representatives from AFC nations/regions which comprise Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arabic Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen. The other thirteen jurors were independent Asian football experts or from high-profile media outlets. Before voting, all judges were given a 25-player shortlist, but could choose other eligible players.

## Rules

Each juror selects 5 best footballers and awards them 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point respectively from their first choice to the fifth choice. A trophy for the Best Footballer in Asia is awarded to the player with the highest total of points.

### Tiebreakers

When two or more candidates obtain the same points, the rankings of the concerned candidates would be based upon the following criteria in order:
* a) The number of 1st-place vote obtained
* b) The number of 2nd-place vote obtained
* c) The number of 3rd-place vote obtained
* d) The number of 4th-place vote obtained
If all conditions are equal, the concerned candidates tie.
If the concerned candidates are tied for first place, the award and the trophy are shared.

## Ranking

Source:
| Rank | Name | Club(s) | Points |
| 1 | Son Heung-min | Tottenham Hotspur | 242 |
| 2 | Sardar Azmoun | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 111 |
| 3 | Mehdi Taremi | Porto | 90 |
| 4 | Salem Al-Dawsari | Al-Hilal | 74 |
| 5 | Takehiro Tomiyasu | Arsenal | 50 |
| 6 | Kyogo Furuhashi | Celtic | 36 |
| 7 | Akram Afif | Al-Sadd | 23 |
| 8 | Salman Al-Faraj | Al-Hilal | 19 |
| 9 | Hwang Hee-chan | RB Leipzig Wolverhampton Wanderers | 19 |
| 10 | Eldor Shomurodov | Genoa Roma | 18 |
| 11 | Takefusa Kubo | Getafe Mallorca | 16 |
| 12 | Leandro Damião | Kawasaki Frontale | 13 |
| 13 | Bafétimbi Gomis | Al-Hilal | 13 |
| 14 | Michael Olunga | Al-Duhail | 12 |
| 15 | Wataru Endo | VfB Stuttgart | 11 |
| 16 | Almoez Ali | Al-Duhail | 10 |
| 17 | Ali Mabkhout | Al Jazira | 9 |
| 18 | Alireza Jahanbakhsh | Brighton & Hove Albion Feyenoord | 5 |
| 19 | Takumi Minamino | Liverpool | 4 |
| 20 | Martin Boyle | Hibernian | 3 |
| 20 | Andres Iniesta | Vissel Kobe | 3 |
| 22 | Igor Coronado | Sharjah Al-Ittihad | 2 |
| 22 | Junya Ito | Genk | 2 |
| 22 | Amir Abedzadeh | Maritimo Ponferradina | 2 |
| 22 | Jang Hyun-soo | Al-Hilal | 2 |
| 22 | Oscar | Shanghai Port | 2 |
| 22 | Nguyen Tien Linh | Becamex Binh Duong | 2 |
| 28 | Theerathon Bunmathan | Yokohama F. Marinos | 1 |
| 28 | Hwang In-beom | Rubin Kazan | 1 |
| 28 | Sunil Chhetri | Bengaluru | 1 |
| 28 | Dejan Damjanovic | Kitchee | 1 |
| 28 | Jaloliddin Masharipov | Al-Nassr | 1 |
| 28 | Chanathip Songkrasin | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | 1 |
| 28 | Wu Lei | Espanyol | 1 |