Source: Alamy Stock Photo

Afif is the best player, and Martínez is the best coach in Qatar.

Akram Afif, star of the Qatari national football team and Al Sadd club, was crowned the Best Player in Qatar for the 2023-2024 season on Sunday. Pedro Martinez, the Portuguese coach of Al Gharafa, won the Best Coach award, and Jassim Jaber of Al Arabi was named Best Under-23 Player.

Afif, who won the league’s top scorer award with 26 goals in an exceptional season, replicated his continental achievement by winning both the Best Player and Top Scorer awards in the last 2023 Asian Cup hosted by Qatar, helping his country secure their second consecutive title.
Afif ran for the title along with Algerian Yacine Brahimi of Al Gharafa and Brazilian Roger Guedes of Al Rayyan.

Afif, 27, who had an outstanding season marred only by a red card in the Emir Cup final, said, “I am proud of what has been achieved.” He added, “Indeed, it was an exceptional season on a personal level, with titles with the national team and the club, and the four awards (Best Player and Top Scorer in both the Asian Cup and the league). It is an indescribable feeling.”

The player, who had short stints abroad and moved to Villarreal in Spain without playing for them, continued, “The two awards are individual in appearance, but their essence is collective, because I would not have been on the podium twice without the great effort put in by my teammates, the technical staff, and the administrative staff.”

He added, “We now look forward to consolidating continental superiority by securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup with the national team and competing for the first title in the Asian Elite League with the club.”

Meanwhile, Martinez, the Al Gharafa coach, was named Best Coach, while Al Sadd coach Wissam Rizk, who achieved the league and Emir Cup double, came in second, and another Portuguese, Leonardo Jardim of Al Rayyan, came in third.

Martinez said, “Winning the Best Coach award of the season will be the best motivation for me to continue working with my team to achieve the desired goals in the coming season.”
He added, “We were not fortunate to win a title this season, despite the great levels and tremendous efforts made by the team. We paid the price for our stumbles in the final stages of the league after unexpectedly having lost points, and we let go of our pursuit of the Emir Cup.

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