[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean national football team, ranked sixth among players set to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a list of the 'most scientifically handsome' players. Lee Kang-in also made the upper tier, placing 15th.
According to the Daily Mail, artificial intelligence analysis firm DreamAI SRL conducted a golden ratio analysis of the faces of 150 football players with high Google search volumes among those set to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The golden ratio is a concept devised by ancient Greek mathematicians to quantify beauty. It judges a face as more harmonious and aesthetically balanced when the proportions of its features are closer to 1.618, or Phi.
The analysis found that Rodrigo De Paul, a key midfielder for Argentina, topped the list of the 'World Cup's most handsome players' with a score of 74.18%.
Kai Havertz of Germany finished second with 74.10%, followed by Noni Madueke of England in third with 73.29%. Mohamed Salah of Egypt and Brazilian prospect Endrick followed with 73.27% and 73.25%, respectively.
Others in the top 25 included Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands, Bruno Fernandes of Portugal, Alisson Becker of Brazil, Neymar of Brazil, and Jude Bellingham of England.
In particular, Son Heung-min reportedly ranked higher than some global stars. Lee Kang-in also finished 15th, ahead of Bruno Fernandes, who was 16th, and Arda Güler of Türkiye, who was 17th. Among the 20 players ranked, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in were the only Asian players.
By contrast, global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal finished only 45th with a score of 70.98%.
DreamAI CEO Dimitrov explained, "Ronaldo is one of the footballers who pays the most attention to his image in the world, but the golden ratio does not evaluate style, confidence or star power," adding, "It measures only facial proportions."
However, the scores of football players were somewhat lower than those of Hollywood actors.
In a separate analysis recently conducted by plastic surgeon Dr. Julian De Silva, British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson ranked No. 1 as the 'most handsome man in the world' with a score of 93.04%. He was followed by Lucien Laviscount, a singer and actor from the United Kingdom, at 92.41%, Paul Mescal, an actor from Ireland, at 92.38%, and Robert Pattinson, a British actor, at 92.15%.
Dr. De Silva said, "After measuring every element of the face, Aaron Taylor-Johnson recorded a dominant No. 1 finish," and added, "If he takes on the role of the next James Bond, he would become the most handsome Bond in history."
Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
