00:03The standard of football in Asia has never been higher.
00:08Four national teams from the continent will head to North America inside the top 25 on FIFA's rankings.
00:17The quality of domestic competitions has skyrocketed, especially in the Middle East,
00:23where investment in the Saudi Pro League has attracted some of the greatest players in the world to the region.
00:31All of which means that the accolade of AFC Player of the Year has never been harder to earn or
00:38carried more status.
00:41Which makes the accomplishments of Salim al-Dasari especially significant.
00:49In 2025, the Saudi International was crowned the best footballer in the AFC for his continued excellence for al-Hilal
00:58and the Saudi national team.
01:01In further testament to his quality, it was his second award in four years, making him one of just four
01:08players to earn the accolades twice.
01:13Al-Dasari received his 2025 trophy just days after helping the Green Falcons qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
01:25First of all, all praise be to Allah for this victory, a precious one that takes us to the World
01:30Cup.
01:32Congratulations to our leadership and to the Saudi people on achieving this dream.
01:37For years, we've worked hard together to reach this moment, and today we're reaping the fruits of that effort.
01:45The 2026 World Cup will be Al-Dasari's third in a row.
01:48At Russia 2018, he scored a late winning goal against Egypt.
01:53Then at Qatar 2022, he sealed an opening match victory against eventual champions Argentina in one of the tournament's biggest
02:01ever upsets.
02:03Who knows what might be in store in North America?
02:08One must always work harder and harder to finally see the results, step by step, God willing, toward more achievements.
02:16In the end, individual awards are good, but what truly matters to us are the team achievements.
02:23Now 34, Al-Dasari has spent his entire career with Al-Hilal, aside from a year on loan at Villarreal
02:31in 2018, when he made one substitute appearance in La Liga.
02:37Playing on the left wing, he has excellent technical ability, uses his low centre of gravity to dribble out of
02:44tight areas,
02:45and poses a serious goal threat, cutting inside onto his powerful right foot.
02:52He has made a habit of scoring important goals, and has matured into a leader for both club and country.
03:02During his long career with Al-Hilal, he has won six Saudi Pro League titles, and the AFC Champions League
03:09twice.
03:12In 2025, he was the top scorer in the Champions League, but his side was knocked out in the semi
03:18-finals.
03:21The Al-Hilal side that Al-Dasari captains now contains the likes of Khalidou Koulibaly, Dawid Nunez, and Ruben Neves.
03:32So when he leads Saudi Arabia out onto football's grandest stage in North America, there will be no underdog mentality.
03:41Salim Al-Dasari is at the pinnacle of Asian football, ready to elevate the game even further in his homeland
03:48at the 2026 World Cup.
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