The awards will be hosted in Doha on October 31, the first since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Qatar’s golden star Almoez Ali spoke on his nomination for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Annual Awards Doha 2022, telling reporters that it is a “childhood dream” come true. 

At a press conference alongside Saudi Arabia’s nominated Salem Al Dawsari, Ali said, “It’s such a great feeling to be among the top three players in Asia. It has always been one of my childhood dreams to be among the top Asian players, and to be honest, I used to look up to Salem [Al Dawsari] and see his good performances.” 

The 27-year-old, who became Qatar’s all-time top scorer with his 42nd goal last year, has been nominated for his performance on both the international and local pitch. 

The Duhail striker said that his best moment from last season was having the experience of playing at a World Cup tournament. 

 “After the World Cup, when we were back to playing with our club, it was the best because I was able to bring the experience from the national team to my club. Thankfully, it was very successful, and we were able to win three titles,” Ali said

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Al Dawsari has been a household name in the Middle East as he has pocketed 16 trophies with Al-Hilal, including five Saudi Pro League titles, three King Cups, Saudi Supercups, and Saudi Crown Prince Cups, as well as two AFC Champions League titles.

On the international pitch, Al Dawsari made his name known as he led a squad to stun eventual champions Argentina in the 2022 Qatar World Cup group matches.

The match against Argentina was Al Dawsari’s favourite, as he called it a historic moment for him and the country. 

“It was such a happy feeling and a historic moment to score against Argentina. But, my ambition will never be to win just one game. A player should always work harder and harder (to achieve more),” said the 32-year-old star. 

“It will be a great achievement for Saudi Arabia if I win. A player has to be passionate and ambitious. If I win tomorrow, my ambition will not stop at that, and it will just give me more of a boost to keep performing for my club and national team,” the midfielder stated. 

Contending for the award against the likes of Almoez Ali and Australia’s Mathew Leckie, who was not present at the press conference.

The AFC Annual Awards are back and are set to be held at the Qatar National Convention Centre following a four-year hiatus.

Australia’s Leckie has been nominated for his performance at club Melbourne City FC as he scored nine goals with the team that lifted their third straight A-League Premier title.

The feat has only ever been accomplished once before in Australian men’s national league history and still stands as one of the most outstanding achievements for Australian football.

At the World Cup stage, Leckie scored the lone goal against Denmark to seal a Round of 16, ultimately his country’s best-ever finish since 2006.

Samantha Kerr, Zhang Linyan, and Saki Kumagai are up for the AFC Women’s Player of the Year in the women’s category.

Kerr became Australia’s all-time top scorer for all athletes during the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup India, where she also won the Golden Boot.

Full nominee lists

AFC Player of the Year
Mathew Leckie (Melbourne City and AUS)
Almoez Ali (Al Duhail SC and QAT)
Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal SFC and KSA)

AFC Women’s Player of the Year
Samantha Kerr (Chelsea FC and AUS)
Zhang Linyan (Guangzhou Women’s/Wuhan Women’s FC/Grasshopper Club Zurich and CHN)
Saki Kumagai (FC Bayern Munich and JPN)

AFC Asian International Player of the Year
Mehdi Taremi (FC Porto and IRN)
Kaoru Mitoma (Royale Union Saint Gilloise/Brighton & Hove Albion and JPN)
Kim Min-jae (Fenerbahce/SSC Napoli and KOR)

AFC Futsal Player of the Year
Moslem Oladghobad (IRN)
Saeid Ahmad Abbasi (IRN)
Guilherme Kuromoto (JPN)

AFC Coach of the Year (Men’s)
Graham Arnold (AUS)
Hajime Moriyasu (JPN)
Saad Al Shehri (KSA)

AFC Coach of the Year (Women’s)
Shui Qingxia (CHN)
Tomomi Miyamoto (JPN)
Kim Eun-jung (KOR)

AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men’s)
Amin Hazbavi (Foolad FC and IRN)
Kuryu Matsuki (Aomori Yamada High School/FC Tokyo and JPN)
Lee Seung-won (Gangwon FC and KOR)

AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women’s)
Mary Fowler (Manchester City and AUS)
Huo Yuexin (Jiangsu Youth Women’s Club and CHN)
Maika Hamano (INAC Kobe Leonessa and JPN)

AFC Member Association of the Year (Platinum)
Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran
Japan Football Association
Uzbekistan Football Association

AFC Member Association of the Year (Diamond)
The Kyrgyz Football Union
Lebanese Football Association
Vietnam Football Federation 

AFC Member Association of the Year (Gold)
The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited
Kuwait Football Association
All Nepal Football Association

AFC Member Association of the Year (Ruby)
Guam Football Association

AFC Regional Association of the Year
Asean Football Federation
Central Asian Football Association
South Asian Football Federation

AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Gold)
Football Australia
Chinese Football Association
Japan Football Association

AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Silver)
Guam Football Association
Philippine Football Federation
The Football Association of Thailand

AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Bronze)
Football Association of Brunei Darussalam
All India Football Federation
Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran
Syrian Football Association

AFC Referees Special Award
Chris Beath (AUS) – Referee,
Anton Shchetinin (AUS) – Assistant Referee,
Ashley Beecham (AUS) – Assistant Referee,
Ammar Aljneibi (UAE) – Support Video Assistant Referee