19 May 2022
Qatar international and Aspire Academy Graduates Akram Afif and Homam Al-Amin were named respectively as the ‘Best Player’ and the best U-23 player of the year by Qatar Football Association (QFA) for the 2021-2022 Qatar Stars League season.
Afif, who was competing with Al Duhail striker Michael Olunga and Al Wakrah’s Jacinto Dala, won the highest percentage of votes (68%) to claim the Best Player Award.
Afif, who won the best Asian player award in 2019, played a key role in Al Sadd’s outstanding campaign in the 2021-2022 Qatar Stars League season – he netted 14 goals besides assisting on 17 occasions in 18 matches.
On the U-23 player of the year award, our graduate student athlete and Qatar National Team and Al-Gharrafa SC player, Homam Alamin, crowned the best on back to back win.
The Board of Trustees of QFA Awards conducted a voting process which involved participants from QSL team coaches, Qatar national team coach Felix Sanchez, Qatar Olympic team coach, Club team managers, national team manager and media representatives.
Groomed at Aspire Academy during their initial years and graduated from the national junior teams to the senior squad, 26-year-old Afif and the 22- year- old Homam Aamin, rose to become the most promising players in the country in their respective clubs and Qatar senior team.
In his final year at the Aspire Academy, Afif, then representing the Qatar U19 team, guided them to a memorable victory at the 2014 AFC U19 tournament in Myanmar when he scored the only goal against DPR Korea in the final.
The core of that Qatar U19 squad including coach Felix Sanchez was from the Aspire Academy. Within quick time, several players including Afif went to make their Olympic and senior debut in the following years as the national football team focused on importing the best available talent from one of the world’s leading sports academies.