# Akram Afif

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.
Early in his career, he was considered to be one of the most promising players to emerge from Qatar. He was named the Asian Footballer of the Year on two occasions: the first in 2019, after being recognized for his instrumental role in Qatar’s successful 2019 Asian Cup campaign. and the second award coming in 2023.

## Familial history

Afif was born in Doha to a Tanzanian Somali father, Hassan Afif and a Yemeni mother, Fayza. After Akram's father retired from playing, he managed Al-Gharafa from 1986 till 1987 and Al-Markhiya from 2001 till 2003 and 2006 till 2007.

## 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.
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.
Afif later joined Villarreal's youth team.

### Eupen

In January 2015, Afif was signed by Belgian club Eupen. He scored a goal in his debut against Eendracht Aalst on 19 January. On 24 January in his next match against KRC Mechelen, he assisted in three of his side's five goals.
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. On 4 August, he was loaned to fellow top tier club Sporting de Gijón in a season-long deal.
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. After nine league matches, he returned to his first senior club Eupen on a one-year loan deal on 14 July 2017.

### Al Sadd

In January 2018, Villarreal loaned Afif out to Al Sadd SC on a 1-year deal. This was later extended by an additional season. 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). In July 2020, Afif joined Al Sadd on a permanent basis after signing a 5-year deal.
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.

## International career

Afif featured in Qatar U20's AFC U-19 Championship qualification campaign in 2014. During the main tournament, he scored the lone goal in the final against DPR Korea to give Qatar the victory.
He was called up to the senior national team in September 2015 by coach Daniel Carreño. He scored in Qatar's 15–0 win against Bhutan on 3 September 2015 during the 2018 World Cup Qualification rounds. He also registered an assist in the match.
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.
On 3 January 2024, he was named in Qatar's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. In the team's opening match of the tournament, he scored twice as Qatar beat Lebanon 3–0 in Lusail. 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. In the round of 16, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Palestine. 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. 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.

## 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.
His brother, Ali Afif, is a footballer for QSL side Umm Salal SC.
Afif learned Spanish for his move to Sevilla. In June 2015, he graduated from Aspire Academy.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 24 January 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Eupen | 2014–15 | BSD | 9 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | 2 |
| Eupen | 2015–16 | BSD | 16 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 17 | 6 |
| Eupen | Total | Total | 25 | 8 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 26 | 8 |
| Sporting Gijón (loan) | 2016–17 | La Liga | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11 | 0 |
| Eupen (loan) | 2017–18 | BPL | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16 | 1 |
| Al Sadd | 2017–18 | QSL | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5 |
| Al Sadd | 2018–19 | QSL | 22 | 26 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 9 | 3 | — | — | 34 | 31 |
| Al Sadd | 2019–20 | QSL | 19 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 22 |
| Al Sadd | 2020–21 | QSL | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 20 | 9 |
| Al Sadd | 2021–22 | QSL | 18 | 14 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 16 |
| Al Sadd | 2022–23 | QSL | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 22 | 11 |
| Al Sadd | 2023–24 | QSL | 22 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 36 | 30 |
| Al Sadd | 2024–25 | QSL | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 11 |
| Al Sadd | Total | Total | 127 | 107 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 46 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 214 | 136 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 171 | 114 | 27 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 46 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 262 | 143 |
* ↑ Includes Belgian Cup, Copa del Rey, Emir of Qatar Cup
* ↑ Includes Qatar Crown Prince Cup/Qatar Cup
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Appearances in AFC Champions League
* ↑ One appearance in Sheikh Jassim Cup, three appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
* ↑ Appearance in Qatari Stars Cup
* ↑ Appearances in Arab Club Champions Cup

### International

    As of match played 28 December 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Qatar | 2015 | 5 | 1 |
| Qatar | 2016 | 7 | 0 |
| Qatar | 2017 | 17 | 4 |
| Qatar | 2018 | 11 | 6 |
| Qatar | 2019 | 19 | 6 |
| Qatar | 2020 | 4 | 2 |
| Qatar | 2021 | 19 | 4 |
| Qatar | 2022 | 13 | 3 |
| Qatar | 2023 | 7 | 0 |
| Qatar | 2024 | 19 | 13 |
| Total | Total | 121 | 39 |
    Scores and results list Qatar's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Akram Afif :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 3 September 2015 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Bhutan | 10–0 | 15–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 6 June 2017 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | North Korea | 2–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 3. | 13 June 2017 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | South Korea | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4. | 5 September 2017 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar | China | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5. | 23 December 2017 | Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait | Yemen | 1–0 | 4–0 | 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup |
| 6. | 21 March 2018 | Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq | Iraq | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2018 International Friendship Championship |
| 7. | 21 March 2018 | Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq | Iraq | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2018 International Friendship Championship |
| 8. | 24 March 2018 | Basra Sports City, Basra, Iraq | Syria | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2018 International Friendship Championship |
| 9. | 11 September 2018 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Palestine | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 10. | 12 October 2018 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Ecuador | 1–0 | 4–3 | Friendly |
| 11. | 14 November 2018 | Stadio di Cornaredo, Lugano, Switzerland | Switzerland | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 12. | 1 February 2019 | Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Japan | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup final |
| 13. | 15 October 2019 | Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar | Oman | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 14. | 19 November 2019 | Central Republican Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan | Afghanistan | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 15. | 29 November 2019 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Yemen | 6–0 | 6–0 | 24th Arabian Gulf Cup |
| 16. | 2 December 2019 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar | United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 4–2 | 24th Arabian Gulf Cup |
| 17. | 2 December 2019 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar | United Arab Emirates | 2–0 | 4–2 | 24th Arabian Gulf Cup |
| 18. | 4 December 2020 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Bangladesh | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 19. | 4 December 2020 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Bangladesh | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 20. | 13 July 2021 | BBVA Stadium, Houston, United States | Panama | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 21. | 17 July 2021 | BBVA Stadium, Houston, United States | Grenada | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 22. | 3 December 2021 | Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar | Oman | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2021 FIFA Arab Cup |
| 23. | 6 December 2021 | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar | Iraq | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2021 FIFA Arab Cup |
| 24. | 26 March 2022 | Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar | Bulgaria | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 25. | 27 September 2022 | Franz Horr Stadium, Vienna, Austria | Chile | 1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 26. | 13 October 2022 | Estadio Municipal de Marbella, Marbella, Spain | Nicaragua | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 27. | 5 January 2024 | Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Jordan | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 28. | 12 January 2024 | Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Lebanon | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 29. | 12 January 2024 | Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Lebanon | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 30. | 17 January 2024 | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar | Tajikistan | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 31. | 29 January 2024 | Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar | Palestine | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 32. | 7 February 2024 | Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Iran | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 33. | 10 February 2024 | Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Jordan | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup final |
| 34. | 10 February 2024 | Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Jordan | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup final |
| 35. | 10 February 2024 | Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | Jordan | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup final |
| 36. | 21 March 2024 | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Kuwait | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 37. | 21 March 2024 | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | Kuwait | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 38. | 10 September 2024 | New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos | North Korea | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 39. | 21 December 2024 | Sulaibikhat Stadium, Sulaibikhat, Kuwait | United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 1–1 | 26th Arabian Gulf Cup |

## Honours

Al Sadd
* Qatar Stars League: 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24
* 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