Abdelkarim Hassan: I dedicate this win to HH the Emir and the Qatari people

2018 AFC Player of the Year Abdelkarim Hassan spoke of his delight after being crowned as the continent’s best in Muscat on Wednesday night.

Speaking at the press conference which followed the ceremony, Abdelkarim said: “I am happy and proud to be the second Qatari player to win this award after Khalfan Ibrahim. Winning this award is the aim of every player. I want to thank my teammates who helped me, especially as football is a team game.”

“I want to dedicate this award to HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and his personal representative HH Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani and all the Qatari people because this award is not just for me but for all of Qatar.”

“On a personal level, this is a big motivation for me to give my best. I am only 25 years old and this award will surely increase the expectations on me, particularly as Qatar is going to host the 2022 World Cup, a tournament that any player would love to play in. What is needed is to maintain this form and develop further, this is true for the entire team until we go into the World Cup in our best condition.”

Asked about his desire to play in Europe, he said: “I played for six months at Eupen in Belgium. Of course, playing abroad is the ambition of every player. I hope to play abroad as well and I think that I have the abilities and the mentality to play in the European leagues. This is a message to the club officials.”

He added: “Being nominated for this award with two players from Japan was an honour for me. Actually, I did not expect to win the award. Just being the third Qatari player to be nominated for the award after Khalfan Ibrahim and Sebastian Soria is also an honour for me.”

“The Brazilian star Roberto Carlos was my biggest role model at the beginning of my life but after 2010, Nadir Belhadj became my role model, after he started playing at Al-Sadd. He had helped me a lot and gave me a push to be better and I want to express my huge gratitude to him.”