Al Hilal legend: Salem Al-Dawsari will lose out on the award for this reason
Explosive statements
Salem Al-Dawsari, the Al-Hilal captain, has received an unexpected assessment from one of the biggest names in the club's history regarding his chances of winning the AFC Player of the Year award for 2026. Saud Kariri, the former Al-Hilal star, has nominated his rival Firas Al-Buraikan, the Al-Ahli striker, for the prize, basing his case on the numbers and criteria relating to last season and the current one.
The race for the continental award is heating up between the Saudi pair Salem Al-Dawsari and Firas Al-Buraikan, alongside Iran's Alireza Beiranvand, the Tractor goalkeeper, after the Asian Football Confederation announced the final list of nominees. It's a contest that carries particular significance for Saudi football, with two Roshn League stars among the contenders for the continent's most prestigious individual title.
Speaking on the Saudi "Thmanyah" network of channels, Saud Kariri admitted that Salem Al-Dawsari winning the award would be a perfect end to his career. But he stressed the need to assess the competition according to the numbers and criteria linked to the current and previous season, rather than relying solely on the player's name or his past achievements.
Kariri said: "I think Salem Al-Dawsari winning the award would be a fine conclusion to his career, but based on the numbers and criteria for last season and this season, I see Firas Al-Buraikan as deserving of the award."
There's an important implication in those comments. Kariri does not diminish Al-Dawsari's standing or what he has delivered throughout his career, but he believes that what Al-Buraikan has achieved over the period under assessment gives him the edge when comparing the nominees.
And so the Al-Ahli striker's name has entered the debate over who deserves the prize most, even from within Al-Hilal itself.
Salem Al-Dawsari enters the race having won the AFC Player of the Year award twice, in 2022 and 2025. He is aiming to become the first player to claim it three times, drawing on his long experience and his impact with Al-Hilal and the Saudi national team.
Firas Al-Buraikan, by contrast, is in contention for the first time. He scored the winning goal for Al-Ahli in the final of the AFC Champions League Elite for the 2025-2026 season, contributing to his side's second successive title. He also featured with the Saudi national team at the 2026 World Cup, won the Arabian Gulf Cup title and finished the tournament as top scorer with three goals.
