AFC Player of the Year 2025 revealed: Salem Al Dawsari makes history

The AFC Annual Awards is an event organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), featuring prizes such as Player of the Year, Asian International Player of the Year (Men), Youth Player of the Year, Women’s Player of the Year, Foreign Player of the Year, and many others. In 2025, the ceremony was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 16. This article, NowGoal Mobi reviews the AFC Player of the Year 2025 and summarizes the full list of winners.

AFC Player of the Year 2025: Salem Al Dawsari and Hana Takahashi

Al Hilal captain Salem Al Dawsari was once again honored in the top category, winning AFC Player of the Year 2025 (Men). The Saudi Arabian player beat Akram Afif of Qatar and Arif Aiman of Malaysia to claim the award for the second time. He made history by becoming the first Saudi Arabian player to win the title twice, highlighting the growing strength of Saudi Arabian football following major investment during the 2023–2024 period.

The year 2025 can be considered a successful one for Salem Al Dawsari. Domestically, he helped Al Hilal finish second in the Saudi Pro League and won the Best Saudi Player award with 15 goals and 15 assists. At the regional level, he guided his team to the AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals, scoring 10 goals to finish as the tournament’s top scorer. At international level, he captained his team to the quarter-finals of the competition. With the national team, he also played a key role in helping Saudi Arabia qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the Americas. Saudi Arabia will compete in Group H alongside Spain, Cape Verde, and Uruguay.

Speaking after winning the award, he said: “I want to thank everyone who has supported me in achieving this award. This achievement is not the end of the road, but the beginning of greater ambitions. I will continue to work to raise my national flag high on the international stage.”

In the women’s category, Hana Takahashi claimed the award after leading Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies to a national cup title and a third-place finish in the domestic league. She also helped the team reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Women’s Champions League. Although primarily a defender, she often played in an advanced role and scored 12 goals across all competitions.

After receiving the award, Takahashi said: “This award is very meaningful to me as it recognises everything I have worked for so far. I see this as an evaluation of how far I have come, and from here, I want to keep working hard to compete not only in Asia but also on the world stage. I owe this to my teammates and coaches, my family, and all the fans who have supported me.”

Full list of AFC Annual Awards 2025 winners

1. AFC Player of the Year (Men): Salem Al Dawsari, Saudi Arabia, Al Hilal SFC

2. AFC Player of the Year (Women): Hana Takahashi, Japan, Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies

3. AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Men): Lee Kang-in, South Korea, Paris Saint-Germain

4. AFC Asian International Player of the Year (Women): Maika Hamano, Japan, Chelsea

5. AFC Coach of the Year (Men): Ri Song Ho, DPR Korea

6. AFC Coach of the Year (Women): Marziyeh Jafari, IR Iran

7. AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men): Alex Badolato, Australia, Western Sydney Wanderers

8. AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women): Choe Il Son, DPR Korea

9. AFC Futsal Player of the Year: Salar Aghapour, IR Iran

10. AFC Diamond of Asia: Timothy Fok Tsun Ting, Hong Kong China

11. AFC Regional Association of the Year: ASEAN Football Federation, AFF

12. AFC Member Association of the Year Platinum: Japan Football Association, JFA

13. AFC Member Association of the Year Diamond: Football Association of Thailand, FAT

14. AFC Member Association of the Year Ruby: Lao Football Federation, LFF

15. AFC President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football Gold: Football Australia

16. AFC President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football Silver: Football Association of Malaysia, FAM

17. AFC President’s Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievement: DPR Korea Football Association

Top 4 most winners at the AFC Annual Awards

With this title, Salem Al Dawsari joined the group of players who have won the AFC Player of the Year award more than once. He previously won the award in 2022, beating Almoez Ali and Mathew Leckie. That year, Salem also enjoyed an outstanding season, winning both the Saudi Pro League and the AFC Champions League with Al Hilal. At international level, he scored the decisive goal in Saudi Arabia’s famous victory over Argentina, who later went on to win the tournament.

Another player to have won the award more than once is Akram Afif of Al Sadd. The Qatari star claimed the title twice, in 2019 and 2024, following impressive performances at club and national team level.

Server Djeparov, the Uzbek midfielder, also appears on the list with two wins, in 2008 and 2011. In 2008, he played a key role for Bunyodkor, helping the club dominate the domestic league and perform strongly in the AFC Champions League. In 2011, he impressed with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and the Uzbekistan national team.

The most notable name on the list remains Hidetoshi Nakata, who won the award in two consecutive years, 1997 and 1998. In 1997, he was a key figure in Japan’s World Cup qualifying campaign, showing strong technique and leadership at a young age. He continued to impress at the tournament in France, earning a move to Serie A side Perugia and paving the way for future Japanese players in Europe.

Top 4 most winners at the AFC Annual Awards

1. Hidetoshi Nakata, Japan, 2 wins (1997, 1998)

2. Server Djeparov, Uzbekistan, 2 wins (2008, 2011)

3. Akram Afif, Qatar, 2 wins (2019, 2023)

4. Salem Al Dawsari, Saudi Arabia, 2 wins (2022, 2025)

5. Multiple players with 1 win including Saeed Owairan, Ali Daei, Ali Karimi, etc.

In this article, we have highlighted the winners of the AFC Annual Awards 2025 and the players who have won the award most frequently in history. For more articles on football news and interesting facts, follow here.