Akram Afif facts for kids
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Afif playing for Qatar at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Akram Hassan Afif Yahya Afif | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 November 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Doha, Qatar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Al Sadd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Sporting Gijón (loan) | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Eupen (loan) | 15 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | → Al Sadd (loan) | 48 | (44) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | Al Sadd | 79 | (63) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Qatar U19 | 5 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Qatar U20 | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Qatar U23 | 12 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015– | Qatar | 125 | (40) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 January 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 June 2025 |
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Akram Afif is a professional footballer from Qatar. He was born on November 18, 1996. Akram plays as a left winger for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd and the Qatar national team. Many people think he is one of the best footballers Qatar has ever had.
Akram Afif has won the Asian Footballer of the Year award twice. He first won it in 2019 for his important role in Qatar's win at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He won it again in 2023.
Contents
Club Career
Starting in Youth Teams
Akram Afif began his football journey in the youth teams of Al-Markhiya and then Al Sadd. In 2009, he joined the Aspire Academy as a full-time student. While at Aspire, he got to travel to Spain. There, he played for the youth teams of famous clubs like Sevilla and Villarreal.
He even played for Sevilla in a tournament called the 2013 Al Kass International Cup. In one match, he scored two goals and helped set up another, leading his team to a 3–0 win.
Playing in Europe
In January 2015, Akram joined a Belgian club called Eupen. He scored a goal in his very first game on January 19. In his next match, he helped his team score three goals! He finished his first season with two goals in nine games.
On May 8, 2016, Akram made history by joining Villarreal permanently. He became the first player born in Qatar to sign with a club in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. He later played on loan for Sporting de Gijón and then returned to Eupen for another loan spell.
Success with Al Sadd
In January 2018, Akram Afif was loaned to Al Sadd SC in Qatar. This loan was later extended. During this time, he played incredibly well. In the 2018–19 season, he scored 26 goals and made 15 assists in 22 league games. He helped Al Sadd win the league title that season. He also won the Best Player Award from the Qatar Football Association (QFA).
In July 2020, Akram officially joined Al Sadd permanently with a five-year contract. He continued to shine, especially in the 2023–24 season. He scored 26 goals and made 11 assists in 22 matches. This made him the top goal scorer and helped Al Sadd win their 17th league title. He also won the Best Player Award from the QFA again.
International Career
Youth National Teams
Akram Afif played for Qatar's youth national teams. He was part of the Qatar U20 team that played in the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship. In the final match of that tournament, he scored the only goal against DPR Korea, helping Qatar win the championship!
Playing for Qatar's Senior Team
Akram was called up to the senior national team in September 2015. He scored a goal in Qatar's huge 15–0 win against Bhutan on September 3, 2015. He also helped set up another goal in that game.
He played a very important part in Qatar's amazing win at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He made 10 assists during the tournament, which was a new record! This helped his team lift the trophy.
In January 2024, Akram was part of Qatar's team for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. He scored two goals in the first match against Lebanon, which Qatar won 3–0. He also scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Tajikistan, helping Qatar reach the knockout stage. In the next round, he scored the winning goal against Palestine. In the semi-final against Iran, he scored a goal and made an assist, helping Qatar reach the final for the second time in a row. In the final match against Jordan, Akram scored three goals from penalties, leading Qatar to a 3–1 victory. He finished the tournament as the top scorer with eight goals.
Personal Life
Akram Afif was born in Doha, Qatar. His family has roots in Yemen. His mother, Fayza, is from the Yafa tribe. His father, Hassan Afif, also has Yemeni roots. His father was a footballer who played for the national team of Somalia and for clubs in Tanzania and Qatar. After he stopped playing, his father became a manager for some football clubs.
Akram's brother, Ali Afif, is also a footballer. He plays for Umm Salal SC in the Qatar Stars League. Akram learned Spanish when he moved to play for Sevilla. He graduated from Aspire Academy in June 2015.
Honours
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Al Sadd
- Qatar Stars League: 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24, 2024–25
- Emir Cup: 2020, 2021, 2024
- Qatar Cup: 2020, 2021
- Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2019
- Qatari Stars Cup: 2019–20
Qatar
- AFC Asian Cup: 2019, 2023
Individual
- WAFF U-23 Championship Top goalscorer: 2015
- Qatar Stars League Top goalscorer: 2019–20, 2023–24
- Qatar Stars League Top assists provider: 2018–19, 2019–20
- Qatar Stars League Team of the Year: 2018–19, 2019–20, 2023–24
- Qatar Stars League Player of the Year : 2018–19, 2019–20
- Estad Doha Qatar Player of the Year: 2018, 2019
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2019, 2023
- AFC Player of the Year: 2019, 2023
- IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the Year: 2020, 2024
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2021
- FIFA Arab Cup Bronze Ball: 2021
- FIFA Arab Cup Team of the Tournament: 2021
- AFC Asian Cup Golden Boot: 2023
- AFC Asian Cup Best Player: 2023
- Best Footballer in Asia: 2024
See also
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
