By Michael Church
SEOUL (Reuters) – Newly crowned AFC Player of the Year Akram Afif has set his sights on breaking new ground after joining a select group of players who have won the continent’s top individual award two times.
Afif joined Japan’s Hidetoshi Nakata and Server Djeparov of Uzbekistan as the only players to win the Asian Football Confederation’s top accolade twice, and the Qatari is now determined to complete a hat-trick of successes.
“I want to make history, I want to make something big for my life,” Afif, who first won the award in 2019, said after collecting the trophy at a gala ceremony in Seoul.
“Tomorrow my son, someone will speak about me and what I did for the country, what I did for myself, what I did for the club. Yes, I won it twice, but there are others who have won it twice.
“Yes, I won the Asian Cup twice but there are others who have won it more than two times. So still I’ve done nothing big.”
Afif won the latest award after playing the lead role in his nation’s defence of the Asian Cup title in Qatar earlier in the year, with his success for both his team and on an individual basis replicating his achievements in 2019.
Then the Al-Sadd forward was also instrumental in Qatar’s first Asian Cup win in the United Arab Emirates five years ago and those performances also saw him named the continent’s best player by the confederation.
With Afif due to turn 28 next month and with two trophies now residing in his cabinet, he is determined to add to his haul for himself, his club and his national team.
“Of course I’m proud of myself and what I did, but I want more,” he said. “Everyone wants more, everyone wants to be better than yesterday, so I want to be the first one to do it three times.
“I want to win the (Asian Champions League Elite), I have never won it with my club. Yes, I won (the Asian Cup) two times with the national team… but there are many things I didn’t do.
“I ask God to help me and I will do my best every day, starting from tomorrow.”
Afif also remains open to the prospect of returning to play club football in Europe having returned to Qatar after spells in Spain and Belgium earlier in his career.
“Of course, there is no player who does not want to play with big clubs in European leagues,” he said.
“Every year I get some offers and if there is something serious they will communicate with the club to proceed with it.”
(Reporting by Michael Church)
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