Informed sources told the "Asharq Al-Awsat" newspaper that Al-Hilal star and Saudi national team captain Salah Al-Dosari is preparing to ascend the podium, following the official confirmation of his victory of the Asian Player of the Year award for 2025.

The sources indicated that Al-Dosari surpassed his Qatari competitor Akram Afif by a margin of 8 points, having scored 185 points compared to 177, thus settling the competition just hours before the ceremony scheduled to take place on Thursday evening in the capital, Riyadh.

This award marks the second in Al-Dosari's career, having previously won the award in 2022, continuing to make history and becoming the first Saudi player to win the award twice in his distinguished football career.

Akram Afif from Qatar came in second place, while Malaysian player Arif Hanif finished third, amidst strong competition among the three prominent players in the continent this year at both club and national team levels.

With this achievement, Al-Dosari joins the list of Asian legends who have won the award twice, including Akram Afif (2019 and 2023), Hidetoshi Nakata (1997 and 1998), and Server Djeparov (2008 and 2011), becoming the fourth player in the continent to reach this remarkable milestone.

This year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is hosting the 29th edition of the Asian Awards ceremony for the first time on its soil, which is scheduled to be held at the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh at 8 PM Mecca time, with a significant sporting and media presence from various countries in the continent.