# Best Footballer in Asia 2024

The Best Footballer in Asia 2024, recognizing the best male footballer in Asia in 2024, was the 12th edition of the Best Footballer in Asia. Akram Afif claimed the award on 21 October 2024. It was the first time that the Best Footballer in Asia was awarded to a player from West Asia. The event was judged by a panel of sixty-three sports journalists. Akram Afif received 18 first-place votes, 13 second-place votes, 2 third-place votes, 8 fourth-place votes, 3 fifth-place votes and finished on 181 points in total.
Due to the change of its calendar in line with the new Asian football calendar, the Best Footballer in Asia 2024, as a transitional edition, only takes account of the time range between January, 1st, 2024 to 15 August 2024 (rather than a whole calendar year as before).

## Voting

63 judges were invited to vote, including 42 representatives from AFC nations/regions which comprise Afghanistan, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Guam，Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Laos，Korea Republic, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arabic Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen. The other twenty-one jurors were independent Asian football experts or from high-profile media outlets. Before voting, all judges were given a 25-player shortlist, but could choose other eligible players.

## Rules

Each juror selected their five best footballers and awarded them five, four, three, two and one point respectively from their first choice to the fifth choice. A trophy for the Best Footballer in Asia was awarded to the player with the highest total of points.

### Tiebreakers

When two or more candidates obtained the same points, the rankings of the concerned candidates was based upon the following criteria in order:
* a) The number of first-place vote obtained
* b) The number of second-place vote obtained
* c) The number of third-place vote obtained
* d) The number of fourth-place vote obtained
If all conditions were equal, the concerned candidates tied.
If the concerned candidates were tied for first place, the award and the trophy were shared.

## Ranking

The votes were based on the results from 1 January to 15 August.
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Points |
| 1 | Akram Afif | Al-Sadd | 181 |
| 2 | Son Heung-min | Tottenham Hotspur | 168 |
| 3 | Soufiane Rahimi | Al Ain | 115 |
| 4 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr | 109 |
| 5 | Aleksandar Mitrović | Al Hilal | 69 |
| 6 | Musa Al-Taamari | Montpellier | 53 |
| 7 | Mehdi Taremi | Porto | 45 |
| 8 | Wataru Endo | Liverpool | 44 |
| 9 | Lee Kang-in | Paris Saint-Germain | 41 |
| 10 | Takefusa Kubo | Real Sociedad | 39 |
| 11 | Yazan Al-Naimat | Al Ahli | 18 |
| 12 | Ayman Hussein | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al Khor | 18 |
| 13 | Saud Abdulhamid | Al Hilal | 16 |
| 14 | Hiroki Ito | VfB Stuttgart | 9 |
| 15 | Salem Al-Dawsari | Al Hilal | 9 |
| 16 | Aymeric Laporte | Al Nassr | 8 |
| 17 | Takumi Minamino | AS Monaco | 7 |
| 18 | Takehiro Tomiyasu | Arsenal | 7 |
| 19 | Abbosbek Fayzullaev | CSKA Moscow | 6 |
| 20 | Hidemasa Morita | Sporting CP | 6 |
| 21 | Hassan Al Haydos | Al-Sadd | 5 |
| 21 | Jackson Irvine | St. Pauli | 5 |
| 23 | Ali Jasim | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 5 |
| 24 | Meshaal Barsham | Al-Sadd | 4 |
| 25 | Yassine Bounou | Al Hilal | 3 |
| 25 | Hwang Hee-chan | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 |
| 25 | Joel Chima Fujita | Sint-Truiden | 3 |
| 25 | Khalid Al-Hashemi | Al Ain | 3 |
| 29 | Khalid Eisa | Al Ain | 2 |
| 29 | Kim Min-jae | Bayern Munich | 2 |
| 29 | Ayase Ueda | Feyenoord | 2 |
| 32 | Sunil Chhetri | Bengaluru | 1 |
| 32 | Ritsu Doan | SC Freiburg | 1 |
| 32 | Nestory Irankunda | Adelaide United | 1 |
Source: