* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 24 January 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10 June 2025
Akram Hassan Afif Yahya Afif (Arabic: أَكْرَم حَسَن عَفِيف يَحْيَى عَفِيف; 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. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers to have emerged in Qatar's history.[4]
Afif was named the Asian Footballer of the Year on two occasions: the first in 2019,[5] after being recognized for his instrumental role in Qatar’s successful 2019 Asian Cup campaign,[6] and the second award coming in 2023.[7]
Club career
Youth career
Akram started off in the youth teams of Al-Markhiya and then Al Sadd before joining the Aspire Academy 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.[8][9]
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.[10]
In January 2015, Afif was signed by Belgian club Eupen.[12] He scored a goal in his debut against Eendracht Aalst on 19 January.[13] On 24 January in his next match against KRC Mechelen, he assisted in three of his side's five goals.[14]
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.[15] On 4 August, he was loaned to fellow top tier club Sporting de Gijón in a season-long deal.[16]
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.[17] After nine league matches, he returned to his first senior club Eupen on a one-year loan deal on 14 July 2017.[18]
Al Sadd
In January 2018, Villarreal loaned Afif out to Al Sadd SC on a 1-year deal.[19] This was later extended by an additional season.[20] During his loan spell, he played in 22 league games and scored 26 goals and 15 assists in the 2018–19 season, helping his team win the league. He was also awarded that season's Best Player Award by the Qatar Football Association (QFA).[21] In July 2020, Afif joined Al Sadd on a permanent basis after signing a 5-year deal.[22]
In the 2023–24 season, he played a key role in Al Sadd's successful league campaign, contributing 26 goals and 11 assists within 22 matches, thereby winning the top goalscorer award and helping his team secure its 17th league title. His consistent performance also earned him a nomination for the Best Player Award by the QFA, which he won.[23]
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.[28]
On 3 January 2024, he was named in Qatar's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.[29] In the team's opening match of the tournament, he scored twice as Qatar beat Lebanon 3–0 in Lusail.[30] 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.[31][32] In the round of 16, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Palestine.[33] 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.[34] 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.[35]
Personal life
Afif is of Yemeni Arab 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 descent however, he played for the national team of 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.[36][37][38]
^"Our final list for Asia". Twitter. Qatar Football Association. 3 January 2024. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
^"Group A: Qatar 3-0 Lebanon". Asian Football Confederation. 13 January 2024. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
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