Reigning Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif has again been included on the three-man shortlist for the Asian Football Confederation’s annual award, alongside Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari and Arif Aiman of Malaysia.
Australian Holly McNamara, Wang Shuang from China and Japanese defender Hana Takahashi have been nominated for the women’s award.
Qatari forward Afif, who also won in 2019, would become the first three-times winner of the title should he lift the trophy at a gala ceremony in Riyadh on October 16.
Al-Hilal’s Al-Dawsari is hoping to win for a second time after being crowned in 2022, while Johor Darul Ta’zim winger Arif is the first Malaysian to be nominated for the award.
Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League winner Lee Kang-in from South Korea has been listed for the AFC’s International Player of the Year Award alongside Iran’s Mehdi Taremi and Takefusa Kubo from Japan.
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