Young Malaysian talent unexpectedly nominated by AFC for Asian Player of the Year

This is the AFC award to honor outstanding Asian players who are playing for clubs in the continent. It is different from the AFC Player of the Year award to honor players playing abroad, an award that Kagawa, Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min have received.

In the domestic category, AFC has named Salem Al Dawsari, Akram Afif and Arif Aiman as the final nominees. Arif Aiman caught the attention of AFC after his outstanding performance in the AFC Champions League last season. The 23-year-old scored 5 goals in the AFC Champions League Elite, helping Johor DT reach the round of 16.

On the Southeast Asian front, Arif Aiman is undoubtedly the most prominent figure in the past year. He also played an important role in Johor DT’s treble-winning campaign last season, which included the Super League, FA Cup and Malaysia Cup titles.

Arif Aiman played a total of 29 matches in all competitions, scoring 16 goals. At the age of 23, Arif Aiman has become a mainstay of Johor DT, the only player with 100% domestic blood to maintain an official position in this team full of naturalized stars. In the 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in June, Arif Aiman was the only domestic player Malaysia sent on the field (excluding the goalkeeper) and he played outstandingly with 2 assists.

Aiman will compete with two West Asian football icons, Qatar's Akram Afif, who won the Golden Boot at the 2023 Asian Cup, and Saudi Arabian striker Salem Al-Dawsari. Akram Afif stood out with goals and assists for Al Sadd, while Al Dawsari was the top scorer in the Asian Cup with 10 goals. But in terms of titles, Aiman still surpasses his senior. The winner will be announced at the 2025 AFC Annual Awards Ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the 16th of next month.