Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
New Delhi: China star Zheng Zhi and United Arab Emirates hotshot Ahmed Khalil have both expressed their delight at being nominated for this year's prestigious AFC Player of the Year award.
The talented duo, along with UAE midfield dynamo Omar Abdulrahman who will only arrive in New Delhi on Sunday due to playing commitments with club side Al Ain, are in contention for the Asian Football Confederation’s top individual accolade which will be announced at a stellar gathering at the Kingdom of Dreams in the Indian capital on Sunday.
“It is a great honour and pleasure for me to be be here and to be nominated for this year’s AFC Asian Player of the year award,” said Zheng who recently guided Guangzhou Evergrande to their second AFC Champions League crown.
“To come to the final stage and be among the final three players who have been nominated is a reward for the whole year for both me and my team.
“I really hope I can win the award but, having said that, I also think that all the nominees are outstanding and that it will be a great honour for whoever wins the Player of the Year award,” added the China captain who was named Asia’s best player in 2013.
Echoing his continental rival's sentiments, Khalil, who featured in the Al Ahli team which lost to Guangzhou in the recent ACL title showdown, added that he hopes that the Player of the Year award can spur him on to greater things.
“I think everyone has done their part in the competition this year and many players deserve to be nominated and competing for the Player of the Year award," commented the 24-year-old.
“Of course, I hope I can win this award and I also hope that the other nominees are also striving to achieve this target. I wish all the others the very best of luck.
“Whether I win or lose the Player of the Year award, it will be another motivation for me to do better in the future and, if I win, it is not for me, but for the whole of the Emirates and the Al Ahli club.”
THE MEN’S NOMINEES (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
AFC Young Player of the Year and AFC U-19 Championship MVP in 2008, Ahmed Khalil has helped UAE club Al Ahli reach the final of this year’s AFC Champions League where they will take on Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande in the title decider this Saturday. He was instrumental in the UAE's clinching third place at the AFC Asian Cup 2015. The 24-year-old forward is also currently the second leading goalscorer (10 goals) in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2018/AFC Asian Cup 2019 Joint Preliminary Round 2 qualifiers.
Omar Abdulrahman (UAE)
Considered by many observers one of the best talents in Asian football, 24-year-old Omar Abdulrahman has scored many crucial goals for the UAE national team and club Al Ain in this year’s AFC Asian Cup, AFC Champions League and the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2018/AFC Asian Cup 2019 joint-qualifiers. He notably led the UAE to a third-place finish in the AFC Asian Cup 2015. A constant provider, the Riyadh-born midfielder scored a crucial goal against Iran’s Naft Tehran to take his club to the Round of 16 of the current edition of the AFC Champions League.
Zheng Zhi (China)
The 35-year-old Zheng Zhi was 2013 AFC Player of the Year as well as Chinese Football Player of the Year in 2002 and 2006. The Liaoning-born midfielder captained Guangzhou Evergrande during their 2013 AFC Champions League title winning run and scored the crucial goal in this year’s semi-final against Japan’s Gamba Osaka to take the Chinese giants to the final which will conclude this Saturday. He has led Guangzhou to five straight Chinese Super League titles and was captain when the Chinese national team reached the quarter-finals of January’s AFC Asian Cup 2015.