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Akram Afif
Qatar v Lebanon (37) (cropped).jpg
Afif with Qatar at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup
Personal information
Date of birth (1996-11-18) 18 November 1996 (age 27)
Place of birth Doha, Qatar
Height 1.76 m
Playing position Left winger
Club information
Current club Al Sadd
Number 51
Youth career
2004–2006 Al Markhiya
2006–2009 Al Sadd
2009–2014 Aspire Academy
2012–2014 → Sevilla (loan)
2014–2015 Al Sadd
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2015–2016 Eupen 26 (8)
2016–2020 Villarreal 9 (0)
2016–2017 → Sporting Gijón (loan) 9 (0)
2017–2018 → Eupen (loan) 15 (1)
2018–2020 → Al Sadd (loan) 48 (44)
2020– Al Sadd 56 (43)
National team‡
2014 Qatar U19 5 (4)
2014–2015 Qatar U20 7 (1)
2015–2018 Qatar U23 12 (4)
2015– Qatar 110 (35)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Qatar
AFC Asian Cup
Winner 2019 United Arab Emirates
Winner 2023 Qatar
FIFA Arab Cup
Third 2021 Qatar
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 10 February 2024.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 February 2024

Akram Hassan Afif Yahya Afif (Arabic: أكرم عفيف; born 18 November 1996) is a Qatari professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd and the Qatar national team.

Early in his career, he was a considered a very promising player to emerge from Qatar. Akram has been named in a three-man shortlist for the Asian Football Confederation’s men's player of the year for bringing the 2019 Asian Cup to Qatar. He won the Asian Footballer of the Year award in 2019.

Familial history

Afif was born in Doha to Somali-Yemeni father Hassan Afif from the Yafa tribe, and Afif’s mother is from Yemen. Afif's father was born in Tanzania and later moved to Somalia. His father was a top player for Horseed in Somalia and the Somalia national team, before moving to Qatar and playing for Al Ittihad. He later became a Qatari citizen. After he retired from playing, he managed Al-Gharafa from 1986 to 1987, and Al-Markhiya from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2006 to 2007.

Club career

Akram Afif 13981129001173637176665899032363
Afif playing for Al Sadd in 2020

Akram started off in the youth teams of Al-Markhiya and then Al Sadd before joining the Al Sadd as a full-time student in 2009. During his time at Aspire, Afif traveled to Spain on an exchange student program and played for the youth teams of Sevilla and Villarreal.

He represented Sevilla in the 2013 Al Kass International Cup, netting a brace and earning an assist in the team's first match, which ended as a 3–0 victory against Aspire Academy.

Afif later joined Villarreal's youth team..

Eupen

In January 2015, Afif was signed by Belgian club Eupen. He scored a goal in his debut against Eendracht Aalst on 19 January. On 24 January in his next match against KRC Mechelen, he assisted in three of his side's five goals.

Afif finished his first senior season with two goals in nine matches. On 18 March 2016, he scored a brace in a 4–0 home win against KSV Roeselare.

Villarreal

On 8 May 2016, it was confirmed that Afif would be rejoining Villarreal, this time on a permanent deal. In doing so, he became the first Qatari-born signing in La Liga history. On 4 August, he was loaned to fellow top tier club Sporting de Gijón in a season-long deal.

Afif made his debut in the main category of Spanish football on 21 August 2016, coming on as a substitute for Burgui in a 2–1 home win against Athletic Bilbao. After nine league matches, he returned to his first senior club Eupen on a one-year loan deal on 14 July 2017. He went back to his home country in January 2018 to play for Al Sadd where he had a very successful season.

International career

Akram Afif 2018 (cropped)
Afif playing for Qatar U23 in 2018

Afif featured in Qatar U20's AFC U-19 Championship qualification campaign in 2014. During the main tournament, he scored the lone goal in the final against DPR Korea to give Qatar the victory.

He was called up to the senior national team in September 2015 by coach Daniel Carreño. He scored in Qatar's 15–0 win against Bhutan on 3 September 2015 during the 2018 World Cup Qualification rounds. He also registered an assist in the match.

During Qatar's successful 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign, Afif played a paramount role in helping his team lift the trophy, registering 10 assists overall, a new record in the tournament.

On 3 January 2024, he was named in Qatar's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. In the team's opening match of the tournament, he scored twice as Qatar beat Lebanon 3–0 in Lusail. He scored the only goal of Qatar's second Group A match, a 1–0 win over Tajikistan, to put them through to the knockout stage. In the round of 16, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Palestine. In the semi-final match against Iran, he scored a goal and provided an assist in a 3–2 victory, which qualified his country to the final for the second time in a row. Afif went on to score a hat-trick of penalties in the final which Qatar won 3–1 against Jordan; in addition, he managed to finish the tournament as top scorer with eight goals.

Personal life

Afif is of Yemen and Somali heritage. He was born in Doha, Qatar. His mother, Fayza, is of Yemeni descent from the Yafa tribe and is a homemaker. His father, Hassan Afif, is of Yemeni and Somali descent however, he played for the national team and spent a portion of his life in Somalia and was born in Moshi in Tanzania. His father previously played for Simba in Tanzania but later moved to Somalia where he went on to play for Horseed FC. He subsequently moved to Qatar and played for Al Ittihad (later renamed Al Gharafa). After retiring, he managed Al Gharafa from 1986 until 1987 and Al Markhiya from 2001 until 2003 and 2006 until 2007.

His brother, Ali Afif, is a footballer for QSL side Umm Salal SC. Afif learned Spanish for his move to Sevilla. In June 2015, he graduated from Aspire Academy.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Eupen 2014–15 BSD 9 2 – – – – 9 2
2015–16 16 6 1 0 – – – 17 6
Total 25 8 1 0 – – – 26 8
Sporting Gijón (loan) 2016–17 La Liga 9 0 2 0 – – – 11 0
Eupen (loan) 2017–18 BPL 15 1 1 0 – – – 16 1
Al Sadd 2017–18 QSL 7 3 2 1 2 1 8 0 0 0 19 5
2018–19 22 26 3 2 — 9 3 — 34 31
2019–20 19 15 2 0 2 3 8 5 4 0 35 22
2020–21 11 5 4 2 1 0 4 2 — 20 9
2021–22 18 14 4 1 — 6 1 — 28 16
2022–23 15 10 4 1 2 0 – 1 0 22 11
2023–24 12 14 0 0 0 0 5 0 4 2 21 16
Total 104 87 19 7 7 4 40 11 9 2 180 111
Career total 151 95 23 7 7 4 40 11 9 2 230 119

International

Scores and results list Qatar's goal tally first.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 3 September 2015 Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Bhutan 10–0 15–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2. 6 June 2017 Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar  North Korea 2–0 2–2 Friendly
3. 13 June 2017 Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar  South Korea 2–0 3–2 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4. 5 September 2017 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar  China 1–0 1–2
5. 23 December 2017 Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait  Yemen 1–0 4–0 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup
6. 21 March 2018 Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq  Iraq 1–0 3–2 2018 International Friendship Championship
7. 2–1
8. 24 March 2018 Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq  Syria 2–1 2–2
9. 11 September 2018 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar  [[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]] 2–0 3–0 Friendly
10. 12 October 2018 Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Ecuador 1–0 4–3
11. 14 November 2018 Stadio di Cornaredo, Lugano, Switzerland  Switzerland 1–0 1–0
12. 1 February 2019 Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  Japan 3–1 3–1 2019 AFC Asian Cup final
13. 15 October 2019 Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar  Oman 1–0 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
14. 19 November 2019 Central Republican Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan  Afghanistan 1–0 1–0
15. 29 November 2019 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Yemen 6–0 6–0 24th Arabian Gulf Cup
16. 2 December 2019 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar  United Arab Emirates 1–0 4–2
17. 2–0
18. 4 December 2020 Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Bangladesh 2–0 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
19. 5–0
20. 13 July 2021 BBVA Stadium, Houston, United States  Panama 1–0 3–3 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup
21. 17 July 2021 BBVA Stadium, Houston, United States  Grenada 2–0 4–0
22. 3 December 2021 Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar  Oman 1–0 2–1 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
23. 6 December 2021 Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar  Iraq 2–0 3–0
24. 26 March 2022 Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar  Bulgaria 1–0 2–1 Friendly
25. 27 September 2022 Franz Horr Stadium, Vienna, Austria  Chile 1–1 2–2
26. 13 October 2022 Estadio Municipal de Marbella, Marbella, Spain  Nicaragua 1–0 2–1
27. 5 January 2024 Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Jordan 1–0 1–2
28. 12 January 2024 Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar  Lebanon 1–0 3–0 2023 AFC Asian Cup
29. 3–0
30. 17 January 2024 Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar  Tajikistan 1–0 1–0
31. 29 January 2024 Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar  [[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]] 2–1 2–1 2023 AFC Asian Cup
32. 7 February 2024 Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Iran 2–1 3–2
33. 10 February 2024 Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar  Jordan 1–0 3–1 2023 AFC Asian Cup final
34. 2–1
35. 3–1

Honours

Persepolis v Al Sadd SC 2018 (Akram Afif)
Afif in an Al Sadd line-up in 2018

Al Sadd

  • Qatar Stars League: 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22
  • Emir Cup: 2020, 2021
  • Qatar Cup: 2020, 2021
  • Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2019
  • Qatari Stars Cup: 2019–20

Qatar

Individual

See also

  • List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
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