Theerathon Bunmathan’s glittering resume speaks for itself, with the 2022 ASEAN Championship’s Most Valuable Player continuing to rack up team and individual accolades into his mid-30s as he underlines his status as one of the region’s all-time greats.
The Buriram United FC midfielder added the Thai League 1 Player of the Year award for the 2025/26 season to his long list of accolades earlier this week after delivering yet another stellar campaign.
“I’m glad to be chosen for this award again, but I wouldn’t be able to do it alone,” the 36-year-old Theerathon posted on social media after receiving the award for the third time, having previously won in 2013 and 2022.
“I give credit to the team, coaches and teammates for helping me. And the team succeeded because of everyone helping me. I will maintain the standards in what I do next, not only for myself but for the club, for the football fans and for the next generation of youth.”
The three-time winner of the ASEAN Championship, now known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™, continues to be a force for both club and country.
He was pivotal in Buriram United’s latest treble-winning season, scoring with a spectacular strike in the second leg of the 2025/26 ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ final against Selangor FC, having twice assisted Suphanat Mueanta as his side retained the title.
Theerathon was also central to his club’s Thai League 1 and Thai FA Cup wins, with Buriram United retaining another two trophies as they continued their dominance of the domestic game.
The versatile midfielder is a key reason for Buriram United’s ongoing success, and he has long been central, too, to the title-winning exploits of Thailand.
Making his debut in October 2010 as a 20-year-old under Manchester United and England legend Bryan Robson during his spell in charge of Thailand, Theerathon was a regular in the national side that finished as runners-up to Singapore in the 2012 ASEAN Championship.
Despite being only 22 years old, his performances were such that he was named in the tournament’s Best XI, and he built on those showings four years later to help Thailand win the regional title with victory over Indonesia in the final.
That triumph was Thailand’s fifth in the competition and sat at the heart of another wave of success for the War Elephants, with Theerathon often integral to the country’s best results.
While a move to Japan, where he became the first ASEAN player to win the J1 League title in 2019 with Yokohama F. Marinos, prevented his involvement in the ASEAN Championship in 2018, he returned to lead Thailand to the title again in the 2020 edition.
But it was in the 2022 ASEAN Championship that his performances moved to another level as Thailand retained the trophy.
Wearing the captain’s armband, Theerathon was more than an inspirational leader; he made his team tick. His one goal – against Vietnam in the second leg of the final – and six assists in eight matches were key to Thailand winning a record-extending seventh title.
And even as he approaches the last chapter of his remarkable career, Theerathon remains one of ASEAN’s leaders both on and off the pitch. A true ambassador for Thailand, his place in the pantheon of the region’s finest is assured.
Launched in 1996, the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™, regarded as the jewel in the crown of ASEAN football, will be held from July 24 to August 26 as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Share now
