Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kuala Lumpur: The introduction of the AFC International Player of the Year Award may be to recognise the most outstanding Asian player who plays their club football outside the confederation's boundaries but the inaugural shortlist brings back memories of when two of the candidates faced off in one of Asian football's biggest matches, the 2011 AFC Asian Cup final.
In goal for Australia on that dramatic January night in Doha was Mark Schwarzer, while a key player for Japan at both ends of the Khalifa Stadium field was buccaneering left-back Yuto Nagatomo.
Nagatomo supplied the cross for substitute Tadanari Lee to fire the extra-time winner as Japan won the AFC Asian Cup for a record fourth time with a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
Fast forward almost 20 months and Schwarzer and Nagatomo are in competition once again, with the Australia's most-capped player and Nagatomo, whose stellar displays at the Asian Cup helped earn him a move from Cesena to Italian giants Inter Milan, in the reckoning for the inaugural AFC International Player of the Year Award at the 2012 AFC Annual Awards gala at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Kuala Lumpur on November 29.
The third player on the shortlist is Nagatomo's Japan team-mate Shinji Kagawa, who missed the 2011 AFC Asian Cup final after breaking his metatarsal in the semi-final against Korea Republic.
But it is not events in 2011 nor is it necessarily for what they have accomplished in their national team colours that will see either Schwarzer, Nagatomo or Kagawa make Asian football history as the first ever winners of the AFC International Player of the Year Award.
This accolade is primarily about how they have performed for their club teams throughout 2012, taking into account factors including: the level of domestic league competition, their attributes, what they bring to the team and all their relevant match statistics.
And with Schwarzer proving to be a model of consistency for Fulham in the English Premier League; Nagatomo serving up a succession of sublime displays in Italy's Serie A and Kagawa in blistering form in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund prior to his move to EPL giants Manchester United, the battle for the inaugural AFC International Player of the Year Award could be as close as the 2011 AFC Asian Cup final.
For more information on the criteria for the 2012 AFC Annual Awards categories click here.