01 May 2019
Doha, 1 May 2019. The Qatar Football Association’s Annual Awards Gala held on Tuesday at the Qatar National Convention Centre turned out to be a very successful evening for Aspire Academy graduates Akram Afif and Bassam Al-Rawi.
Striker Akram Afif, who played a crucial role in Qatar’s triumph at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and contributed 18 goals and 13 assists to Al Sadd’s 14th QNB Stars League title, received the prestigious Award for “Best Player” of the season 2018-19.
“It’s a great honour to win the award especially because there are so many good players in Qatar. I thank the QFA, my coaches, Felix Sanchez of the national team and Jesualdo Ferreira of Al Sadd, and, of course, my colleagues for helping me win this honour,” said 22-year-old Afif after receiving his award from QFA Vice President Saoud al-Mohannadi.
Fellow former Aspire teammate, Al Duhail and Qatar national team defender Bassam al-Rawi received the award for the “Best Under-23 player” of 2018-19. The 21-year-old also played an important role in Qatar’s success in the Asian Cup earlier this year as a versatile defender and goal scorer against Lebanon and Iraq.