How Son Heung-Min Missed Out On PFA Players' Player Of The Year Shortlist

"No Son" trended on Twitter on Wednesday after the PFA Players' Player of the Year shortlist was announced.

The six players in contention for the Professional Footballers' Association's top men's prize are Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane, Sadio Mane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

Many fans took to social media to question why and how Son Heung-min was not nominated, after ending the season as the Premier League's joint top scorer with 23 goals.

None of Son's goals came from penalty kicks either.

So how exactly did Son miss out on a nomination?

How Does Voting For The PFA Players' Player Of The Year Work?

The process is very straightforward.

Players from England's 92 Premier League and Football League clubs each get a vote if they are a PFA member, but cannot choose a teammate.

The nominees announced were simply the six players who had received the most votes.

It is a popularity contest to a large extent, hence Ronaldo's inclusion despite having his worst season in 15 years in terms of goals.

It is also possible that Kane's status as England captain gave him an edge over Son among the predominantly English voters playing in the lowers divisions.

Son Heung-min did not make the shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award despite scoring 23 Premier League goals in the 2021/22 season

IMAGO/Action Plus/Shaun Brooks