Melbourne City’s Mathew Leckie has been nominated for the 2022 AFC Men’s Player of the Year award.
After a four-year hiatus, the AFC Annual Awards is returning on October 31 in Doha and City’s Socceroos star Leckie is in the running for the top Asian honour which is based on last year’s form.
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Leckie is one of three nominees, along with Al Duhail’s Almoez Ali of Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al Dawsari from Al Hilal, as three-time reigning Isuzu UTE A-League premiers City prepare to open their season against Western United on October 21.
It comes after the 32-year-old helped inspire City’s run to the 2021-22 Grand Final.
Leckie enjoyed his best A-Leagues campaign that term, scoring nine goals and supplying four assists as the club won their second straight Premiership but lost the decider to Western United.
In 2022, he also scored for the Socceroos against Denmark as Australia qualified for the FIFA Men’ World Cup round of 16 before scoring seven goals for City in 2022-23.
The only other Australian male to win this award was former Brisbane Roar, Adelaide United and Sydney FC defender Sasa Ognenovski in 2010 after winning the 2010 AFC Champions League with South Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
Elsewhere, A-Leagues legend and Matildas captain Sam Kerr has been nominated for the AFC Women’s Player of the Year.
In 2022, the 2017 AFC Women’s Player of the Year became Australia’s all-time leading goalscorer – men or women – during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where she won the Golden Boot.
Kerr also helped Chelsea win a fourth straight Women’s Super League title in 2022-23 with 30 goals and seven assists across all competitions.
Chinese star Zhang Linyan and Saki Kumagai of Japan have also been nominated.
Socceroos boss Graham Arnold has been nominated for the AFC Men’s Coach of the Year, alongside Japan’s Hajime Moriyasu and Saad Al Shehri of Saudi Arabia.
Matildas sensation Mary Fowler is on the three-player shortlist for the AFC Youth Player of the Year, along with Huo Yuexin (Jiangsu Youth Women’s Club) and Maika Hamano (INAC Kobe Leonessa).
Meanwhile, Australian trio Chris Beath, Anton Shchetinin and Ashley Beecham have been nominated for the AFC Referees Special Award.
AFC nominees:
AFC Player of the Year
Mathew Leckie (Melbourne City and AUS)
Almoez Ali (Al Duhail SC and QAT)
Salem Al Dawsari (Al Hilal SFC and KSA)
AFC Women’s Player of the Year
Samantha Kerr (Chelsea FC and AUS)
Zhang Linyan (Guangzhou Women’s/Wuhan Women’s FC/Grasshopper Club Zurich and CHN)
Saki Kumagai (FC Bayern Munich and JPN)
AFC Asian International Player of the Year
Mehdi Taremi (FC Porto and IRN)
Kaoru Mitoma (Royale Union Saint Gilloise/Brighton and Hove Albion and JPN)
Kim Min-jae (Fenerbahce/Napoli and KOR)
AFC Futsal Player of the Year
Moslem Oladghobad (IRN)
Saeid Ahmad Abbasi (IRN)
Guilherme Kuromoto (JPN)
AFC Coach of the Year (Men’s)
Graham Arnold (AUS)
Hajime Moriyasu (JPN)
Saad Al Shehri (KSA)
AFC Coach of the Year (Women’s)
Shui Qingxia (CHN)
Tomomi Miyamoto (JPN)
Kim Eun-jung (KOR)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Men’s)
Amin Hazbavi (Foolad FC and IRN)
Kuryu Matsuki (Aomori Yamada High School/FC Tokyo and JPN)
Lee Seung-won (Gangwon FC and KOR)
AFC Youth Player of the Year (Women’s)
Mary Fowler (Manchester City and AUS)
Huo Yuexin (Jiangsu Youth Women’s Club and CHN)
Maika Hamano (INAC Kobe Leonessa and JPN)
AFC Member Association of the Year (Platinum)
Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran
Japan Football Association
Uzbekistan Football Association
AFC Member Association of the Year (Diamond)
The Kyrgyz Football Union
Lebanese Football Association
Vietnam Football Federation
AFC Member Association of the Year (Gold)
The Football Association of Hong Kong, China Limited
Kuwait Football Association
All Nepal Football Association
AFC Member Association of the Year (Ruby)
Guam Football Association
AFC Regional Association of the Year
Asean Football Federation
Central Asian Football Association
South Asian Football Federation
AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Gold)
Football Australia
Chinese Football Association
Japan Football Association
AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Silver)
Guam Football Association
Philippine Football Federation
The Football Association of Thailand
AFC President Recognition Awards for Grassroots Football (Bronze)
Football Association of Brunei Darussalam
All India Football Federation
Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran
Syrian Football Association
AFC Referees Special Award
Chris Beath (AUS) – Referee,
Anton Shchetinin (AUS) – Assistant Referee,
Ashley Beecham (AUS) – Assistant Referee,
Ammar Aljneibi (UAE) – Support Video Assistant Referee
