32-year-old Al-Hilal star honored during the Asian Football Confederation’s glitzy Annual Awards ceremony in Doha on Tuesday ‘I am very happy with this achievement, and I would like to thank the leadership in Saudi Arabia for their keen interest in athletes and support for sport,’ the winger said BEIRUT: Saudi superstar Salem Al-Dawsari on Tuesday became the sixth player from the Kingdom, and the fifth from Al-Hilal, to be crowned Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year. Earlier in the evening, Australia and Chelsea forward Sam Kerr took the women’s title. They were honored during the glitzy 2023 AFC Annual Awards ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha. “I am very happy with this achievement and I would like to thank the leadership in Saudi Arabia for their keen interest in athletes and support for sport,” 32-year-old Al-Dawsari said, according to a report on the AFC website. “I also want to thank the Saudi Football Federation, Al-Hilal, the Saudi national team, as well as the fans. Of course, I am grateful to my parents and wife, who is my No. 1 supporter.” The winger, who made his first appearance for Al-Hilal in 2011, is the 25th recipient of the AFC Player of the Year award since its inception in 1994. The six Saudi winners of the award during that time, and the five from Al-Hilal, are records for any single country and club respectively. Al-Dawsari joined Al-Hilal as a youth player and rose through the ranks to become an important member not only of the Riyadh side, but also of the Saudi national team, after making his debut for the Green Falcons in 2012. Regarded as one of the finest footballers in Asia, he lit up the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar when he scored the winner in his country’s sensational 2-1 victory over Argentina in their opening match. Al-Dawsari’s astonishing goal in the 53rd minute will live long in the memories of the fans. He scored again in the third group match in Qatar, a 2-1 defeat by Mexico. In doing so, having previously scored against Egypt during the 2018 World Cup, he equaled the record for the total number of goals by a Saudi player at World Cup finals, three, which was set by the legendary Sami Al-Jaber in 2006. Meanwhile, he also continues to shine as brightly as ever for Al-Hilal across all major competitions. On the domestic front, he played a pivotal role in their 2021/22 Saudi Pro League and 2022/23 King’s Cup triumphs. And his haul of four goals and three assists in eight matches helped inspire Al-Hilal to a record fifth appearance at an AFC Champions League final, when they finished runners-up in 2022.