The Doha club stole the headlines in the first half of 2018, winning eight games in a row on their march to the quarter-finals, before they matched Ulsan Hyundai’s record of nine successive wins, from 2012, by defeating Persepolis 1-0 in the first leg of the quarter-finals.

A 3-1 defeat in the return meeting saw Al Duhail exit but, having since acquired high-calibre signings including Medhi Benatia and Shoya Nakajima, and boasting several players – including Al Rawi – from Qatar’s victorious AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 campaign, the defender believes Al Duhail are ready to challenge for the Continental trophy.

From Omar Abdulrahman to Wu Lei to Omar Khribin, some of the biggest stars in Asian football have announced themselves through the AFC Champions League over the years.

The Continent's prime club competition returns with the group stage of the 2019 edition starting next week. The-AFC.com looks at 10 players the age of 22 and under who could be the next big hit in this year's campaign.

From the likes of household names in Keisuke Honda of Melbourne Victory and Bafetimbi Gomis at Al Hilal to prolific scorers like Al Ahli's Djaniny and Buriram United's Diogo, there will be plenty of new stars set to shine on Asian club football's grandest stage in this year's continental competition.

While the above have already spent several months at their new clubs, or previously appeared in the AFC Champions League, we look at some of the most recent signings and reveal what they could bring to their teams at the 2019 edition.

The defender’s last appearance in the tournament came in the 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the second leg of the 2017 final as the 2-1 aggregate victory saw the Japanese team add to their 2007 title to become Continental champions for a second time.

Urawa failed to qualify for the 2018 edition, however, meaning Makino and his teammates had to watch on as domestic rivals Kashima Antlers were crowned kings of Asia. But the Saitama side secured their return to the AFC Champions League after winning the Emperor’s Cup at the end of last year.

Ulsan secured their place in the 2019 AFC Champions League Group Stage after recording an emphatic 5-1 win against Malaysia's Perak in a play-off tie on Tuesday.

The 2005 Continental champions won the Korea Football Association (FA) Cup in 2017 under Kim's management, and the 48-year-old coach wants the same success in the domestic league, as well as the AFC Champions League.

Zhang began his professional career with Hangzhou Greentown after graduating from the club’s youth academy in 2015. Shortly after, the 22-year-old made a move to Eredivisie side SBV Vitesse for two years.

In 2017, Zhang signed with Albion, where he was subsequently loaned out to German club Werder Bremen and Netherlands side ADO Den Haag in 2018.

Garrido, who hails from Spain, replaces Zoran Mamic in the Al Ain hotseat and has been given a contract till the end of the 2018/19 season by Al Ain.

The record 13-time UAE Pro League champions are currently second in the standings on 32 points. They trail leaders Sharjah by five points with 11 matches to play, beginning with Al Nasr on Saturday.