During a glamorous ceremony in Doha on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's winger Salem Al-Dawsari and Australia's striker Samantha Kerr were crowned the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Players of the Year.

Expressing his gratitude, Al-Dawsari, who received the award for best men's player, extended thanks to his teammates, supporters, and family during the annual awards event held this year in the Qatari capital.

“I thank my father, my mother and my teachers in life, and I also thank my wife and my sons and daughters,” Al-Dawasari, who plays for Saudi Pro League Team Al Hilal said.

The player also expressed his gratitude towards the political leadership in the Gulf monarchy, which is widely expected to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. This follows the withdrawal of Australia, the only other contender for the tournament, on Tuesday.

Having secured the winning goal in his team's unexpected victory against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup, the Saudi player triumphed over competition from Australia's Mathew Leckie and Qatar's Almoez Ali to clinch the AFC Male Player of the Year award.

Kerr, who previously claimed the title of women’s AFC player of the year in 2017, competed with nominees Zhang Linyan from China and Saki Kumagai from Japan to secure the women’s accolade.

“It’s been an amazing year for me and my team and I just want to thank all my teammates, my coaches, my family and friends. It’s been amazing,” the Chelsea player and all-time Australia top goal scorer said as she accepted the award in a video message.

After a four-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual awards ceremony, originally scheduled for Qatar in 2020, has made its comeback.

Qatar, an affluent Gulf state known for hosting the 2022 World Cup, is slated to host the confederation’s forthcoming Asian Cup, commencing in January.

The small emirate has confirmed that the Asian Cup will take place in nine stadiums, seven of which serve as a legacy from the world cup held nearly one year ago.

“The AFC is delighted to be able to bring the Asian football family together in the stunning city of Doha,” AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said.