Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in both ranked highly in an artificial intelligence (AI) facial analysis of players competing in the 2026 World Cup. They were the only two Asian players among the top 20.
According to British daily the Daily Mail on Thursday, Dream AI SRL, a company specializing in AI analysis, conducted a scientific facial analysis of the top 150 players with the most Google searches among those competing in the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The evaluation excluded subjective standards of beauty or popular appeal and focused solely on facial symmetry and proportions. It precisely measured how perfectly the position of facial features and the proportions of each part matched the "golden ratio (1.618)," scoring aesthetic balance.
The analysis found that Son Heung-min, captain of South Korea's national football team, recorded a golden ratio match of 73.24%, ranking sixth overall. Lee Kang-in also earned a high score of 71.67%, placing 15th overall.
Notably, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in were the only two Asian players to enter the top 20.
First place in the AI facial analysis went to Argentine national team midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who recorded 74.18%.
Germany's Kai Havertz (74.10%) followed in second place by a narrow margin, with England's Noni Madueke (73.29%) in third, Egypt's "Pharaoh" Mohamed Salah (73.27%) in fourth, and Brazil's rising star Endrick (73.25%) in fifth. Son Heung-min ranked sixth, just 0.01 percentage points behind Endrick in fifth.
In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's top football stars, recorded only 70.98%, placing 45th overall.
Georgi Dimitrov, CEO of Dream AI SRL, explained the analysis results, saying, "This ranking is not an evaluation of style, fashion sense, confidence, or marketability." He added, "It was analyzed based solely on facial proportions."
He stressed, "What makes this ranking interesting is that it does not reflect a player's fame or recognition. Ronaldo, ranking 45th, is a prime example."
