Qatar's Akram Afif has been named Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year for the second time, alongside Japan's Kiko Seike, who clinched the women's title at the regional body's annual awards ceremony in Seoul.
Afif, who had already won the award in 2019, was awarded the trophy following his pivotal performances in Qatar's successful defense of their Asian Cup title on home soil earlier in the year.
“I'm nervous, like I'm about to take a penalty in the final,” Afif said while accepting the award on Monday.
“I thank my wife and all the members of the national team, coaches, managers and medical team.
“I will try to win this award for the third time.”
In February, Al Sadd's 27-year-old striker became the first player to score a hat-trick in the Asian Cup final, scoring eight times throughout the tournament to secure the award ahead of Jordan's Yazan Al-Naimat and the South Korean Seol Younger. -court.
Afif is only the third player to win the trophy multiple times, after Japan's Hidetoshi Nakata, who won in 1997 and 1998, and Uzbekistan's Server Djeparov, who won in 2008 and 2011.
Seike succeeds Australia's Sam Kerr to win the women's award ahead of Australia's Cortnee Vine and South Korea's Kim Hye-ri and is the fourth Japanese player to claim the title after Homare Sawa, Saki Kumagai and three-time winner Aya Miyama.
The striker's form was key to Urawa Purple Diamonds winning the Asian Women's Club Championship title in 2023. She helped her club to a second consecutive Japanese national league title before signing for Brighton & Hove Albion in July.
“I am very happy to receive this prestigious award,” Seike said via video message.
Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min was named AFC Men's International Player of the Year. Australia's Ellie Carpenter won the women's award, which recognizes players who have had the greatest impact on the world stage outside of Asian competitions.
Go Oiwa won the Coach of the Year award after leading Japan to the U-23 Asian Cup and the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games, while Park Younger-jeon, head coach of Korea's U-20 team South, won the women's title.
🇶🇦 Akram Afif merienda again engraves his name in the pantheon of Asian football legends!#PremiosAFCA2023 pic.twitter.com/MKfzRHwmpq
-AFC (@theafcdotcom) October 29, 2024