VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS OF SALEM AL-DAWSARI AND HANA TAKAHASHI BEING NAMED MEN'S AND WOMEN'S ASIAN PLAYERS OF THE YEAR RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (OCTOBER 16, 2025) (AFC – Editorial use only. No monetisation.) 1. SAUDI SOCCER PLAYER, SALEM AL-DAWSARI, BEING NAMED MEN’S AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2. AL-DAWSARI STANDING UP, HUGGING TWO PEOPLE NEAR HIM, PEOPLE AROUND HIM FILMING ON MOBILE PHONES 3. VARIOUS OF AL-DAWSARI GOING TO STAGE TO ACCEPT AWARD 4. VARIOUS OF AL-DAWSARI ACCEPTING AWARD 5. JAPANESE SOCCER PLAYER, HANA TAKAHASHI, BEING NAMED AFC WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR 6. GRAPHICS CHANGING ON STAGE TO SHOW TAKAHASHI, LIGHTS FLASHING OVER AUDIENCE 7. AUDIENCE CLAPPING 8. VARIOUS OF THE PRESIDENT OF JAPAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION, TSUNEYASU MIYAMOTO, ACCEPTING AWARD ON TAKAHASHI’S BEHALF 9. AUDIENCE CLAPPING 10. MIYAMOTO WALKING OFF STAGE 11. HOSTS SPEAKING 12. VIDEO MESSAGE FROM TAKAHASHI (NOT A SOUNDBITE) STORY: Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari has been named Asian Player of the Year for the second time, with Japan's Hana Takahashi claiming the women's award at a gala ceremony in Riyadh on Thursday (October 16). Al-Dawsari, who helped his nation secure qualification for a third consecutive World Cup on Tuesday (October 14), reclaimed the award he previously won in 2022 ahead of fellow nominees Akram Afif of Qatar and Malaysia's Arif Aiman. Al-Dawsari's win is the seventh time a player from Saudi Arabia has taken the trophy since compatriot Saeed Al-Owairan won the inaugural award in 1994. Defender Takahashi took the women's title ahead of Holly McNamara from Australia and China's Wang Shuang, becoming the sixth different Japanese player to win since China's Sun Wen won the inaugural award in 1999. Meanwhile, North Korea's Ri Song Ho was presented with the Coach of the Year award for leading his country to the Under-20 Women's World Cup title in Colombia last year. Paris St Germain's South Korean playmaker Lee Kang-in was named International Player of the Year with Maika Hamano of Chelsea and Japan winning the women's award. (Production: Kurt Michael Hall)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
