With Afif unable to attend the ceremony due to his commitments with the Qatari national team’s Gulf Cup campaign, Xavi accepted the award on his behalf at the ceremony held at Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Afif received the prestigious honour after an exceptional year for both club and country, producing 10 assists to help power Qatar to the AFC Asian Cup title in the United Arab Emirates in January, before playing a key role as Al Sadd won the Qatar Stars League and reached the AFC Champions League semi-finals.

Afif burst onto the scene at the AFC Asian Cup where he was an instrumental figure in helping Qatar secure their first-ever title. His brilliance was not limited to the Continental stage after guiding Al Sadd to the AFC Champions League semi-finals by scoring five goals.

“I would like to thank the AFC for this award. My thanks also go out to the management of the Qatar national team, Al Sadd and Aspire Academy."

“It is a great honour to receive this award. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who supported me, especially my teammates in the national team and Olympique Lyonnais.

"They’ve helped me grow up as a footballer and their support has led me to this stage. This award will continue to motivate me to perform to the best of my abilities," said Kumagai.

Born in Incheon, Lee's rise to fame started when he joined Spain's Valencia CF academy at the age of 10, where he then featured in the B-team in 2017.

Lee made his debut for the first team a year later in the Copa del Rey to become the youngest Korea Republic player to appear in a European match.

Endo first donned the Japan national team jersey in 2014 when she competed in the AFC U-14 Girls' Regional Championship, before playing in the AFC U-16 Women's Championship a year later, scoring twice against Thailand in the semi-finals with Japan eventually losing 1-0 to DPR Korea in the final.

On top of being part of Continental action at such a young age, the winger also experienced the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan and she didn't disappoint, scoring three goals as Japan finished runners-up to DPR Korea, losing on penalties in the decider.

“I’m honoured to win this award and it is very special for me because it is the first time I’m winning this," said Yoshikawa.

"This is truly a result of all my hardwork and achievements this year.”