With Son Heung-min taking his career to unprecedented heights this season, the South Korean is now leading the race from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to become the main cover star for FIFA 20.

The fact that Son has garnered more votes to be the next face of the popular gaming franchise ahead of the big two of world soccer — as well as Neymar and Mohamed Salah — shows just how far the Tottenham Hotspur forward has come this season.

Son has attracted 17 percent of global votes, with more than 213,000 fans selecting him to be featured as the FIFA 20 figurehead, slightly ahead of Juventus striker Ronaldo.

With yet another milestone, Son is on course to surpass his countryman Park Ji-sung as the most celebrated and accomplished Asian player in Europe.

His three goals over two legs in Spurs’ stunning UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinal victory over Manchester City were arguably the most crucial of his decade-long stint in Europe. The North Londoners will now face Ajax on April 30 and May 8 in the UCL semifinals.

And Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Brighton keeps them on track for a top-three finish in the Premier League, which would guarantee their participation in the elite European competition for the 2019-2020 season.

In the absence of injured England captain Harry Kane, Son has stepped up to become more of a leader, earning lavish praise from teammates and rivals alike.

“Son has been on fire and he deserves everything he gets. He is a very close friend of mine and the boy is so nice […] he wouldn’t say boo to a goose,” Manchester City defender Kyle Walker — a former Spurs’ favorite — told City’s official website.

“He deserves everything he gets. His hard work is paying off for him.”

Yet, it could all be so different for Son who seemed destined to miss a chunk of his career in his prime — he turns 27 in July — due to compulsory South Korean national service.

But the Taeguk Warriors’ men’s soccer gold medal at last September’s Asian Games in Indonesia earned Son a reprieve from a 21-month stint in the military, allowing him to complete the current season with Tottenham.  

The Koreans won the Asian Games’ men’s soccer tournament after a 2-1 extra-time win against Japan in the final, with Son having a hand in both goals.

Son made a prudent choice of Premier League club when he moved from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. He has been mentored by one of the game’s finest coaches in Mauricio Pochettino, enjoyed the benefits of living in Britain’s cosmopolitan capital city, while earning the right to be a regular starter in a top-four side.

Had he joined one of the Manchester clubs or Liverpool, he may not have been able to impose himself in the same way.

And scoring the first competitive goal at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Crystal Palace on April 6 is something that no one will ever be able to take away from him. His tally is 20 goals from 44 matches in all competitions this season.

Son’s movement in his well-timed runs and ability to use both feet have seen him combine with Lucas Moura to lift Spurs in Kane’s absence. Also not to be underestimated is his toughness during a period in which the club face 10 matches in all competitions across 33 days until mid-May.

Comparisons with Manchester United icon Park Ji-sung are inevitable. Son will struggle to match the midfielder’s tally of four Premier League titles in addition to his 2007-2008 UCL crown. But he is arguably more integral to his team’s success than “Three-Lungs” Park, who scored 27 goals during his seven years at Old Trafford, compared to Son’s current tally of 67.

Interestingly, Son did not hold Park as his inspiration, but another midfielder in Lee Chung-yong, who played for Crystal Palace and Bolton Wanderers. He also came through the same FC Seoul academy that produced former Spurs’ defender Lee Young-pyo.

Without doubt, Son has far out-performed the two Lees, and is on track to at least match Park.

The only slight disappointment this season is Son’s absence from the six-man shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year. But that won’t bother him too much.

His immediate target is ensuring that Spurs win through to their first-ever UCL final, with a potential clash with Liverpool if the Merseysiders are able to get past Barcelona in their last-four clash.

He may never “say boo to a goose” — at least in English or his third language of German — but Son continues to break new ground for Asian players on soccer’s biggest stages.

— Jason Dasey is CEO of Singapore-based Cockatoo Media and the emcee of corporate events in Jakarta.