Footballers Kagawa, Mooy and Son in running for Asian International Player of the Year
By Associated Press | Published: 19th November 2017 04:08 PM |
Last Updated: 19th November 2017 04:08 PM | A+A A- |
Borussia Dortmund's Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa (File | AP)
SYDNEY: Emerging Australian football star Aaron Mooy and former winners Shinji Kagawa of Japan and South Korean Son Heung-min make up the shortlist for this year's Asian International Player of the Year award.
And Ange Postecoglou - who's still to decide whether he'll take Australia to the World Cup after guiding it into next year's finals - is among the nominees for Asian Coach of the Year.
Midfielder Mooy was a leading figure in Australia's qualification for the World Cup finals and Huddersfield's promotion to the England Premier League this season.
The nomination of Kagawa, 2012 winner of the award, reflects his inspirational role for both World Cup qualifier Japan and for German Bundesliga force Borussia Dortmund, while 2015 winner Son has been a guiding figure for his country and the EPL's Tottenham Hotspur.
Postecoglou was nominated in the men's coaching award along with Japanese pair Ishii Masatada — coach of 2016 J-League champion Kashima Antlers — and Takafumi Hori, coach of 2016 J-League Cup winner Urawa Red Diamonds.
The nominees for the AFC Player of the Year award, for Asia-based players, are China's Wu Lei, Syria's Omar Khribin, and the UAE's Omar Abdulrahman Al Amoudi. Nominees in the women's section are Australia's Samantha Kerr, South Korea's Sung Hyang Sim, and Japan's Kumagai Saki.
Announcing its shortlists of nominees, the Asian Football Confederation said it would announce award winners on November 29.
