AlKass Digital
Muscat- Al Sadd's influential defender Abdulkarim Hassan on Wednesday was named AFC Asian Player of the Year, beating Kashima Antlers' Yuma Suzuki and Kento Misao to the top award.
Hassan, one of Qatar teams' key players, received the glittering trophy from AFC President Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The 25-year-old becomes the second Qatari to be named AFC Asian Player of the Year after Khalfan Ibrahim won the same trophy in 2006.
"I am very happy to receive this award. It is an honour not just for me but my club and country," Hassan said after receiving the trophy.
The Al Sadd left-back played a key role in his club's advance to the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-finals and runners-up finish in the 2017-18 Qatar Stars League season.
He remains a key player in the Qatar national side and the winning the award will boost his morale ahead of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.
The Doha native graduated from the Aspire Academy and was only 17 when he first played in the 2011 AFC Champions League, coming off the bench against Esteghlal.
Al Sadd went on to win the AFC Champions League title that year . Hassan continued to progress and was named the Young Player of the Year in the 2012–13 Qatar Stars League.