Abdul Karim Hassan of Qatar crowned Asian footballer of the year 2018

Abdul Karim Hbadan, defender of the Al Sadd and Qatar national team, was named Asian footballer of the year 2018 at the annual awards ceremony in Muscat, Oman.

The 25-year-old is the second Qatari player to win the Asian title of the year after his compatriot Khalfan Ibrahim in 2006. He is also the 12th Arab player to receive the annual prize for the best football player.

The Qatari player has retained the Asian Cup for the fifth consecutive year after being dominated by Arab players in the last four years: Saudi Arabia's Nbader Al Shamrani won the championship in 2014, the only one in the world. Emirati Ahmed Khalil, Omar Abdulrahman in 2015 and 2016 and Omar Khirbin in 2017.

Abdulkareem, a graduate of the Aspire Academy of Sports Excellence, competed with Japanese Yuma Suzuki and Kento Misao (the Japanese Kashima Antlers) to win the Asian player of the year award for the second time.

Al Sadd and the Qatar national team have made great progress this year, helping Al Sadd to qualify for the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League, which is also one of the highlights. Key players from the Qatar team for the 2019 Asian Cup.

In his first statement after the victory, Abdul Karim Hbadan expressed his great pleasure and pride in being the second player in Qatar to win the best footballer of the year award in Asia.
He pointed out that this prestigious award would greatly encourage him, personally, to offer the best in the future, whether with his team or with the national team.