Salem Al-Dawsari has reignited his bid to become the Asian Football Confederation’s Player of the Year without directly claiming he deserves the award.
The attention now turns to Bangkok, Thailand, where the AFC’s annual awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, 19 November 2026. Al-Dawsari is competing against fellow Saudi Arabia international Firas Al-Buraikan of Al-Ahli and Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand for the continent’s top individual honour.
Al-Dawsari recently posted a photograph of himself holding the award, along with a video from his 2022 triumph. Although the Al-Hilal captain did not explicitly say he should win, the timing of the posts has led to suggestions that he is seeking to influence the contest indirectly.
The 35-year-old has already won the award twice and is aiming to become the first player to claim it for a third time.
His record keeps him firmly in contention. Al-Dawsari scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in 36 appearances for Al-Hilal last season and so far this campaign. He also played six times for Saudi Arabia in 2026, scoring once, and helped his club win the King’s Cup.
However, his rivals have compelling cases of their own.
Al-Buraikan scored the decisive goal for Al-Ahli in the AFC Champions League Elite final against Japan’s Machida Zelvia. His strike came in the sixth minute of extra time and secured the continental title, helping Al-Ahli retain the trophy for a second consecutive season.
The striker also contributed to Al-Ahli winning the Saudi Super Cup for only the second time in the club’s history. With Saudi Arabia, he was one of the leading performers during the Gulf Cup, scoring in the final as his team lifted the trophy. He finished the tournament as top scorer with three goals.
Beiranvand offers a different profile as the only goalkeeper among the finalists. No goalkeeper had been nominated since Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Al-Deayea in 1996.
His performances at the 2026 World Cup were central to his nomination. Against Belgium, in a goalless draw, he made seven saves and was named player of the match. He featured in all three of Iran’s matches at the tournament and reached 90 international appearances, making him the most-capped goalkeeper in the country’s history.
At club level, Beiranvand helped Tractor reach the AFC Champions League Elite last 16 for the first time in four years. He played nine matches in the competition, keeping five clean sheets, and also helped Tractor finish second in the Iranian league.
The debate echoes the recent Ballon d’Or race, when Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal openly argued their cases, while Harry Kane relied on his performances for Bayern Munich and England, scoring 73 goals in 65 matches.
That experience showed that public campaigning does not guarantee success, while silence does not rule a player out. The final decision will rest on the voters’ assessment of the season, rather than the volume of attention generated before the ceremony.
