This image provided by the Korea Professional Football League on Aug. 20, 2024, shows Gangwon FC forward Yang Min-hyeok, the K League 1 Player of the Month for July. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Gangwon FC’s teenage sensation Yang Min-hyeok has been voted South Korean football’s best player for July, becoming the first rookie ever to earn the top monthly prize.
The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said Tuesday that Yang, 18, beat three other candidates for the Player of the Month award for July.
Yang had three goals and an assist in the top-flight K League 1 last month, helping Gangwon FC grab the top spot in the 12-team league table in the process.
Prior to Tuesday, Yang had earned his fourth consecutive Young Player of the Month award and the Goal of the Month honor for July.
The K League said Yang is the youngest winner of the Player of the Month award, and is also the first player ever to nab the Player of the Month, Young Player of the Month, and the Goal of the Month awards for the same month.
Yang signed for Tottenham Hotspur on July 28, becoming the youngest South Korean to join a Premier League side at 18 years and 103 days old. He will finish out the K League 1 season and join Spurs in January next year. His contract with Tottenham runs until 2030.
Yang has set the K League on fire this year with his dynamic offensive performance. He made his club debut a month before his 18th birthday in March and later became the youngest player in K League 1 history to score.
Gangwon had Yang signed to a semi-pro deal at the start of the season but converted it to a full professional contract in June.
He has eight goals, tied for the fifth-highest total in the league this year, along with five assists in 27 matches.
The Player of the Month award winner was chosen based on votes by the K League’s technical study group (accounting for 60 percent), fans voting on the K League website (25 percent) and players of EA Sports FC Online (15 percent) by Electronic Arts (EA) Sports, the league’s official video game partner.
Yang tied Tiago Orobo of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for first place in the K League voting with 17.14 percent of support. Yang finished in third place in fan voting, behind Cesinha of Daegu FC and Tiago Orobo, but led all players in the EA Sports gamers’ voting.
(Yonhap)
