Al-Sadd star Akram Afif was crowned the AFC Asian Player of the Year for 2023, winning the title for the second time after his first win in 2019. The award was presented at the annual AFC Awards ceremony held today in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, at the Grand Peace Palace in Kyung Hee.
Akram Afif is the third player from Al Sadd Club to win the Asian Player of the Year award, following Khalfan Ibrahim, who won it in 2006, and Abdelkarim Hassan, who received the award in 2018.
Akram Afif competed for this award alongside Jordanian player Yazan Al-Naimat from Al-Arabi and South Korean player Seol Young-woo, who currently plays for Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade.
In 2023, Akram Afif achieved a domestic double with Al-Sadd — winning the Qatari League for a record 17th time in the club’s history and securing the Amir Cup. Akram also became the league’s top scorer, netting 26 goals and providing 11 assists, contributing to a total of 37 out of the 65 goals scored by Al Sadd in the league.
Additionally, Akram succeeded with the Qatari national team in winning the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, where he was crowned the top scorer with 8 goals and provided three assists, contributing to 11 of the 14 goals scored by the Qatari team throughout the tournament.
Akram Afif also received the Qatar Football Association’s award for Best Player for the 2023-2024 season overall.
