The Qatari star Akram Afif, player of Al-Sadd Club and the Qatari national team, expressed his great happiness to be in the Saudi capital Riyadh to attend the AFC Football Awards ceremony, scheduled for this evening, Thursday.

Afif confirmed in media statements before the ceremony that his presence in Riyadh is a special honor for him, noting that he wishes good luck to his competitor Salem Al-Dosari, captain of Al-Hilal Saudi Club, during the award ceremony.

The Qatari star said: "I expect Salem Al-Dosari to win the award for Best Player in Asia, and I wish him all the best, as he has had an outstanding season and deserves recognition."

The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place at the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh at 8 PM, with the presence of a select group of Asian football stars and officials from national federations.

The AFC had previously announced the final list of nominees for the Best Player in the continent for the year 2025, which includes the trio Akram Afif from Qatar, Salem Al-Dosari from Saudi Arabia, and Aref Ayman Hanbi from Malaysia.

Also competing for the award for Best Asian Player Abroad are Iranian Mehdi Taremi, Japanese Takefusa Kubo, and South Korean Lee Kang-in, in an exciting race expected to attract significant public attention.