BEIRUT: Saudi superstar Salem Al-Dawsari on Tuesday became the sixth player from the Kingdom, and the fifth from Al-Hilal, to be crowned Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year.
Earlier in the evening, Australia and Chelsea forward Sam Kerr took the women’s title. They were honored during the glitzy 2023 AFC Annual Awards ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha.
“I am very happy with this achievement and I would like to thank the leadership in Saudi Arabia for their keen interest in athletes and support for sport,” 32-year-old Al-Dawsari said, according to a report on the AFC website.
“I also want to thank the Saudi Football Federation, Al-Hilal, the Saudi national team, as well as the fans. Of course, I am grateful to my parents and wife, who is my No. 1 supporter.”
The winger, who made his first appearance for Al-Hilal in 2011, is the 25th recipient of the AFC Player of the Year award since its inception in 1994. The six Saudi winners of the award during that time, and the five from Al-Hilal, are records for any single country and club respectively.
Al-Dawsari joined Al-Hilal as a youth player and rose through the ranks to become an important member not only of the Riyadh side, but also of the Saudi national team, after making his debut for the Green Falcons in 2012.
Regarded as one of the finest footballers in Asia, he lit up the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar when he scored the winner in his country’s sensational 2-1 victory over Argentina in their opening match. Al-Dawsari’s astonishing goal in the 53rd minute will live long in the memories of the fans.
He scored again in the third group match in Qatar, a 2-1 defeat by Mexico. In doing so, having previously scored against Egypt during the 2018 World Cup, he equaled the record for the total number of goals by a Saudi player at World Cup finals, three, which was set by the legendary Sami Al-Jaber in 2006.
Meanwhile, he also continues to shine as brightly as ever for Al-Hilal across all major competitions. On the domestic front, he played a pivotal role in their 2021/22 Saudi Pro League and 2022/23 King’s Cup triumphs. And his haul of four goals and three assists in eight matches helped inspire Al-Hilal to a record fifth appearance at an AFC Champions League final, when they finished runners-up in 2022.
Salem Al-Dawsari is 6th Saudi footballer to be named AFC Player of the Year
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Salem Al-Dawsari is 6th Saudi footballer to be named AFC Player of the Year
- 32-year-old Al-Hilal star honored during the Asian Football Confederation’s glitzy Annual Awards ceremony in Doha on Tuesday
- ‘I am very happy with this achievement, and I would like to thank the leadership in Saudi Arabia for their keen interest in athletes and support for sport,’ the winger said
Nunez double seals win as Al-Hilal finish AFC Champions League Elite group stage atop the table
- Reigning champions Al-Ahli take second spot in the West Region rankings with dramatic 4-3 win over Emirati side Shabab Al-Ahli
- The other Saudi contenders, Al-Ittihad, wrap up the group stage with a visit to Al-Sadd of Qatar on Tuesday, having already guaranteed qualification for the Round of 16
DUBAI: Al-Hilal concluded the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite with a 2-1 home win over Al-Wahda of Abu Dhabi on Monday.
The Riyadh side finished top of the 12-team West Region table on 22 points from eight games, five clear of their closest challengers, Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Ahli. Both clubs progress to the Round of 16, which will played over two legs early next month.
Darwin Nunez gave the home team the lead after 19 minutes with a firm header from a Reuben Neves cross, but Brahim Diarra’s equalizer on 32 minutes meant the teams went into the break on level terms.
Al-Hilal were already guaranteed top place in the group regardless of the result but coach Simone Inzaghi signaled a desire to conclude the group stage in style with a victory as he made four substitutions in a second half during which for long spells his team struggled to break down the visitors from the UAE.
The winner finally came after 77 minutes when Nunez converted substitute Sultan Mandash’s low cross from close range to claim his second of the night.
Earlier, reigning champions Al-Ahli claimed a dramatic 4-3 home win over Emirati club Shabab Al-Ahli to all-but ensure second place in the group table.
The Jeddah side seemed to be coasting to a comfortable victory as they built a 3-0 half-time lead thanks to a Feras Al-Buraikan strike after 12 minutes, a Bogdan Planic own goal in the 35th, and a goal from Enzo Millot in the third minute of first-half stoppage time. Things got even better when Saleh Abu Al-Shamat added fourth from the penalty spot after 52 minutes.
That seemed to be that, but the visitors had other ideas and launched a most unlikely comeback courtesy of two strikes from Breno Cascardo, in the 66th and 78th minutes, and a stoppage-time goal by Mohammed Juma that tested the nerves of Al-Ahli’s fans in the closing moments of the match.
The visitors had barely any time to chase an equalizer, however, and the home team held on.
The Kingdom’s third representatives in the competition, reigning SPL champions Al-Ittihad, wrap up their group stage campaign with a visit to Al-Sadd of Qatar on Tuesday.
The Jeddah side are sitting in fifth place in the table on 12 points from seven matches, and cannot finish any lower than that but could end up as high as third place, depending on results tomorrow. The top eight teams qualify for the Round of 16, in which they will be joined by the top eight finishers from the East Region.
