November 1 – Two goalscorers who had a stunning 2022/23 season have scooped the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) men’s and women’s player of the year awards.
Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al Dawsari and Australian icon Samantha Kerr have delivered season to remember and moments that will go down in football history.
Al Dawsari’s brilliant winning strike for Saudi Arabia against Argentina at the World Cup Qatar 2022 topped a season in which he helped Al Hilal reach both the Club World Cup Morocco 2022 and AFC Champions League 2022 Finals, in addition to winning the 2021/22 Saudi Pro League and 2022/23 King’s Cup.
He is the sixth Saudi player and the fifth from Al Hilal to win the AFC Player of the Year award.
Sam Kerr won her second AFC Player of the Year award, six years after winning her first. The 30-year-old striker supplanted Tim Cahill as the all-time leading scorer for Australia, men or women in 2022, and hammered in 30 goals to lead Chelsea to a league and cup double in England the 2022/23 season.
The AFC Annual Awards Doha 2022 were presented at the Qatar National Convention Centre’s Al Mayassa Theatre. In January Qatar will host the final tournament of the 2022 Asian Cup.
Japan’s Hajime Moriyasu, who orchestrated the Blue Samurai’s stunning comeback victories over former champions Germany and Spain to qualify for the Round of 16 at the World Cup Qatar 2022, received the men’s AFC Coach of the Year award.
Shui Qingxia, who ended China’s 16-year wait for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup trophy when she led the Steel Roses to victory in India in 2022, became the first to win the title both as a player and head coach, and was presented with the AFC Coach of the Year award in the women’s category.
AFC Annual Awards 2022:
AFC Diamond of Asia
Saoud Al Mohannadi of Qatar (posthumous)
AFC Member Association of the Year
Platinum: Uzbekistan Football Association
Diamond: Lebanese Football Association
Gold: The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited
Ruby: Guam Football Association
AFC Regional Association of the Year
Central Asian Football Association
AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football
Gold: Football Australia
Silver: Guam Football Association
Bronze: All India Football Federation
AFC Coach of the Year (Women’s)
Shui Qingxia (CHN)
AFC Coach of the Year (Men’s)
Hajime Moriyasu (JPN)
AFC Futsal Player of the Year
Moslem Oladghobad (IRN)
AFC Women’s Player of the Year:
Samantha Kerr (Chelsea FC and AUS)
AFC Player of the Year:
Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal SFC and KSA)
The awards below were not presented in Qatar:
AFC Asian International Player of the Year:
Kim Min-jae (Fenerbahce/SSC Napoli/FC Bayern Munchen and KOR)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women’s)
Maika Hamano (INAC Kobe Leonessa/Chelsea FC and JPN)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men’s)
Kuryu Matsuki (Aomori Yamada High School/FC Tokyo and JPN)
AFC Referees Special Award
Chris Beath (AUS) – Referee,
Anton Shchetinin (AUS) – Assistant Referee,
Ashley Beecham (AUS) – Assistant Referee,
Ammar Aljneibi (UAE) – Support Video Assistant Referee
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