2025 K League 2 Awards: Best XI, Golden Boot Winner, Top Assist Maker

Ahead of the 2025 K League 2 MVP and Manager of the Year awards being announced, the K League revealed which players have been selected in the Best XI, and confirmed that Stefan Mugoša ended the season as top scorer and Euller has top assist maker.

K League 2 Golden Boot

Incheon United striker Stefan Mugoša has won the K League 2 Golden Boot. This season, Mugoša showcased sharp goalscoring form, scoring 20 goals in 35 matches.

Starting with his first goal of the season in the opening match against Gyeongnam FC, he displayed exceptional attacking prowess throughout the campaign. In particular, he demonstrated dominant right-footed finishing with 13 right-footed goals, while also scoring one with his left foot and six with his head, offering a wide variety of attacking options. He netted 16 goals at home and four away, showing especially strong form on home turf.

As a result, Mugoša made history by claiming the K League 2 Golden Boot this season, following his K League 1 Golden Boot last year.

With this achievement, he becomes the third player to win the Golden Boot in both K League 1 and K League 2. Previously, Brazilian forwards Jonathan and Marcão won the K League 2 Golden Boot before later winning the K League 1 Golden Boot. However, Mugoša is the first ever to win the K League 2 Golden Boot after having already claimed the K League 1 Golden Boot.

K League 2 Top Assist Maker

Seoul E-Land’s Euller has won the K League 2 Top Assist Award. In his debut K League season, Brazilian attacking midfielder Euller delivered a stunning campaign, registering 11 assists in thirty-seven matches.

He had an impressive debut in the opening home match against Chungnam Asan, recording one goal and one assist. Throughout the season, he maintained steady form, including three runs of two consecutive matches with an assist and one multi-assist performance. His consistency earned him not only the Top Assist Award but also a place among the season MVP candidates.

The players who received Euller’s assists most frequently were: Jeong Jae-min (four goals), Byeon Gyeong-jun (two goals), and Kim Oh-gyu, Park Chang-hwan, Baek Ji-woong, Lee Ju-hyeok, and Aydail (one goal each).

2025 K League 2 Best XI

Goalkeeper

Incheon goalkeeper Min Seong-jun has been selected for the Best XI for the first time in his career. This season, Min played 31 league matches and conceded 25 goals, allowing only 0.8 goals per match, making a major contribution to Incheon recording the fewest goals conceded in K League 2.

Min also kept a league-high 15 clean sheets, helping lead Incheon to the K League 2 title and promotion.

Defenders

Lee Ju-yong played 36 matches for Incheon this season, contributing offensively with five assists. He recorded the most successful tackles in the team (31) and posted the highest cross success rate (32.8%) among K League 2 defenders who attempted more than 100 crosses, distinguishing himself in multiple areas. His performances earned him both the league title with Incheon and his first career Best XI selection.

Young centre back Kim Geon-hee, now in his third professional year, played every minute of every league match for Incheon, anchoring the defence. He ranked second among K League 2 players in defensive third tackle success (21) and third in aerial duels won (176), showcasing top-tier defensive ability. Notably, he was selected for the Round XI on 12 occasions, contributing significantly to Incheon’s strong defensive record and championship win.

Venicio Fernandes of Seongnam secured a starting role immediately after transferring from Chungbuk Cheongju, making 32 appearances. He led the team in clearances (116) and contributed two goals, providing both defensive stability and attacking support. As a centre back, he displayed strong one-on-one defending and excellent build-up play, playing a major role in Seongnam’s dramatic qualification for the promotion play-off.

Seongnam full-back Shin Jae-won demonstrated ironman durability, missing only one regular-season match all season. With explosive pace and dribbling ability, he recorded the most crosses attempted (323) and most crosses completed (69) in K League 2, and ranked third in assists (9). His consistent performances earned him seven selections to the Round Best XI and his first-ever Best XI honour.

Midfielders

Incheon’s Gerso Fernandes received overwhelming support, earning 13 votes from managers, 10 from team captains, and 115 from the media. This season, he played 37 matches, recording 12 goals and 10 assists, while also earning 10 Round Best XI  selections and two Round MVP awards. With this K League 2 Best Eleven honour, Gerso has now achieved Best XI selections in both K League 1 (2023) and K League 2.

Jeonnam’s Valdivia appeared in 32 matches this season, scoring 16 goals and providing nine assists, finishing with the most goal contributions in K League 2. After scoring 14 goals in the 2023 season and 12 in 2024, he reached his highest K League tally yet with 16 this season. He has now been selected for the Best Eleven in all three of his K League 2 seasons, demonstrating his dominant presence.

Incheon captain Lee Myung-joo made 34 appearances this season, contributing two goals and three assists with consistently strong performances. Among all K League 2 players, he ranked second in attacking-third recoveries, while within the Incheon squad, he ranked first in central-third tackles won and second in central-third interceptions. With his high work rate and link-up play between defence and attack, Lee played a major part in Incheon’s title run. This marks the third Best XI selection of his career, following earlier honours with Pohang in 2013 (K League 1) and with Asan in 2018 (K League 2).

Euller, in his debut K League season with Seoul E-Land, delivered outstanding performances across 37 matches, scoring 12 goals and providing 11 assists. As a result, he claimed the K League 2 Top Assist Award, finished as the team’s top scorer, and was named an MVP candidate. True to his reputation as the league’s assist leader, he recorded the most key passes in the league (66) and was selected eight times for the Round Best XI, helping lead Seoul E-Land to the K League 2 Semi-playoff.

Forwards

Stefan Mugoša, a key figure in Incheon’s title run, maintained strong form throughout the season, earning eight Round Best XI selections, one Round MVP award, and a place in the seasonal Best Eleven forwards.

Seongnam’s Leonardo Ruiz, known for his powerful heading ability and accurate finishing, played 38 matches this season, scoring 17 goals and providing two assists to finish second in the league’s scoring chart. Notably, Ruiz turned 44 of his 88 shots into shots on target, recording an impressive 50% on-target rate. His efficient attacking play was instrumental in Seongnam’s dramatic push into the K League 2 semi-playoff late in the season.

via K League press release