Alhamdulillah - Salem Al-Dawsari and Hana Takahashi win Asian player awards in Riyadh
As-salamu alaykum. Alhamdulillah, at a gala in Riyadh on Thursday Saudi winger Salem Al-Dawsari was named Asian Player of the Year for the second time, and Japan’s Hana Takahashi took the women’s award.
Al-Dawsari, who helped Saudi Arabia secure qualification for a third straight World Cup earlier this week, reclaimed the honour he first won in 2022, finishing ahead of Qatar’s Akram Afif and Malaysia’s Arif Aiman. He said he was grateful for the prize and praised Allah for the blessing, adding that he hopes, insha’Allah, there will be more to come. He also noted that team trophies mean more to him than individual awards and thanked fans, teammates and his club for their support.
This marks the seventh time a Saudi player has won the award since Saeed Al-Owairan took the first one in 1994.
On the women’s side, Takahashi beat Australia’s Holly McNamara and China’s Wang Shuang to the trophy. She said she is honoured and is focusing on working hard ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup next year, hoping to earn a place with the Japan national team and to help lift women’s football across Asia. She’s the sixth different Japanese player to win since Sun Wen in 1999.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s Ri Song Ho was named Coach of the Year after guiding his side to the Under-20 Women’s World Cup title in Colombia last year. Paris Saint-Germain’s South Korean playmaker Lee Kang-in won the International Player of the Year, and Maika Hamano of Chelsea took the women’s international award.
Congratulations to all the winners - may Allah bless their efforts and inspire more young Muslims to engage with the beautiful game.
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