Al Sadd ahead Afif received the award for the second time after main Qatar to the AFC Asian Cup title at residence in 2023.
Qatar’s Akram Afif has been named the Asian Soccer Confederation’s Participant of the 12 months for a second time, together with Kiko Seike from Japan, who secured the ladies’s title on the regional physique’s annual awards ceremony in Seoul.
Afif, who had beforehand received the award in 2019, was offered with the trophy following his instrumental performances in Qatar’s profitable defence of their Asian Cup title on residence soil earlier within the yr.
“I’m nervous like I’m about to take a penalty within the closing,” Afif stated as he accepted the award on Monday.
“I thank my spouse and all of the nationwide group members, coaches, directors and medical group.
“I’ll strive once more to win this award for a 3rd time.”
In February, the 27-year-old Al Sadd ahead turned the primary participant to attain a hat-trick within the Asian Cup closing and netted eight occasions all through the event to safe the award forward of Jordan’s Yazan Al-Naimat and South Korean Seol Younger-woo.
Afif is simply the third participant to win the trophy a number of occasions, following Japan’s Hidetoshi Nakata, who received in 1997 and 1998, and Server Djeparov of Uzbekistan, who received in 2008 and 2011.
Seike succeeds Australia’s Sam Kerr to win the ladies’s award forward of Australia’s Cortnee Vine and Kim Hye-ri of South Korea and is the fourth Japanese participant to say the title after Homare Sawa, Saki Kumagai and three-time winner Aya Miyama.
The striker’s kind was key to Urawa Crimson Diamonds’ title win within the Asian Ladies’s Membership Championship in 2023. She helped her membership safe a second consecutive Japanese home league title earlier than signing for Brighton & Hove Albion in July.
“I’m very glad to obtain this prestigious award”, Seike stated by way of video message.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min was named the AFC Males’s Worldwide Participant of the 12 months. Australian Ellie Carpenter received the ladies’s award, recognising gamers who’ve made the largest influence on the worldwide stage exterior of Asian competitions.
Go Oiwa received Coach of the 12 months after main Japan to the Underneath-23 Asian Cup and the quarterfinals of the Olympic Video games, with Park Younger-jeon, head coach of South Korea’s Underneath-20s, successful the ladies’s title.
🇶🇦 Akram Afif etches his identify within the pantheon of Asian soccer legends as soon as once more!#AFCAwards2023 pic.twitter.com/MKfzRHwmpq
— AFC (@theafcdotcom) October 29, 2024
