AFC Player of the Year 2025 Salem Al Dawsari eyes more records for club and country

Fri, 17 Oct, 2025

AFC Player of the Year 2025 Salem Al Dawsari eyes more records for club and country

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al Dawsari created history on Thursday when he became the first player from the Kingdom to be crowned the AFC Player of the Year twice, at the glittering AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 presented by NEOM, held at the stunning King Fahad Cultural Center.

Having first lifted the prestigious accolade in 2022, Al Dawsari’s outstanding 2024/25 season saw him surpass two-time winner Akram Afif of Qatar and first-time nominee Arif Aiman Hanapi of Malaysia to reclaim the crown on home soil.

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Women’s Player of the Year 2025 Hana Takahashi: My love for the game has brought me this far

Fri, 17 Oct, 2025

Women’s Player of the Year 2025 Hana Takahashi: My love for the game has brought me this far

Riyadh: Japan’s Hana Takahashi capped off an exceptional 2024/25 campaign by being crowned the AFC Women’s Player of the Year 2025 at the AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 presented by NEOM, held at the King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday (October 16).

The centre-back edged fellow first-time nominee Holly McNamara of Australia and 2018 AFC Women’s Player of the Year, China PR’s Wang Shuang, to become the fifth Japanese woman to lift the prestigious title.

Al Dawsari and Takahashi crowned Asia’s finest at AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 presented by NEOM

Fri, 17 Oct, 2025

Al Dawsari and Takahashi crowned Asia’s finest at AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 presented by NEOM

Riyadh: Saudi Arabian maestro Salem Al Dawsari was named the AFC Player of the Year and Japan star Hana Takahashi claimed the AFC Women’s Player of the Year honour on Thursday night at the dazzling AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 presented by NEOM.

The pair took home the ultimate accolade of being Asia’s finest at the 29th edition of the gala, which also crowned winners from across 18 other categories on a memorable occasion at the iconic King Fahad Cultural Center.

AFC Player of the Year 2025: Salem Al Dawsari

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

AFC Player of the Year 2025: Salem Al Dawsari

Riyadh: Asian icon Salem Al Dawsari was crowned the latest AFC Player of the Year on Thursday night in a milestone moment at the AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 presented be NEOM.

The Al Hilal SFC superstar became the first Saudi Arabian to win the prestigious accolade twice and the fourth to do so after Japan’s Hidetoshi Nakata (1997, 1998), Uzbekistan’s Server Djeparov (2008, 2011) and Qatar’s Akram Afif (2019, 2023).

AFC Women’s Player of the Year 2025: Hana Takahashi

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

AFC Women’s Player of the Year 2025: Hana Takahashi

Riyadh: A sparkling 2024/25 season saw Hana Takahashi land the coveted AFC Women’s Player of the Year accolade on Thursday night at the AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 presented by NEOM.

The 25-year-old became the 19th winner of the award on her first nomination and the sixth Japanese recipient—the most of any Member Association—after Homare Sawa (2004, 2008), Natsuko Hara (2005), Aya Miyama (2011, 2012, 2015), Saki Kumagai (2019) and Kiko Seike (2023).