Soccer Extreme : AFC has announced the first shortlist of 15 players who are in contention for the prestigious AFC Player of the Year 2009 award.Japan have three players in the list, which will be revised after each match day until the award is given out in late November.
Two Saudi and DPR Korea players have also made the cut. Bahrain, Iran, Syria, China, Indonesia, Qatar, Uzbekistan and Maldives have one nominee for the award, which goes to the best player in Asia, at this stage.
Making the initial list are Japanese internationals Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka) and AFC Champions League semi-finalists Nagoya Grampus defender Yoshida Maya.
Though, Kawasaki and Gamba are no longer in the AFC Champions League fray, Nakamura and Endo have chances to earn valuable points when Japan meet Hong Kong on Thursday and on November 18 in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
Sayed Mohamed Adnan, whose heroics at the back earned Bahrain an inter-continental play-off berth, also made it to the list along side Iran and Sepahan defender Hadi Aghily.
Saudi Arabia’s Nasser Al Shamrani and Mohammed Noor, DPR Korea’s Hong Yong-jo and Ri Myong-guk, Syrian Firas Al Khatib, China’s Li Weifeng, Indonesian Markus Rihihina, Qatar and Umm Salal goalkeeper Baba Malick, Uzbekistan’s Alexander Geynrikh and Maldives’ Ali Ashgaq are also on the roster.
With the list undergoing revisions after each match day, several changes are expected, leading right upto the moment when the lucky winner is announced on November 24 in a grand function at the Shangri-la Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The best player of Asia is chosen on the basis of a weighted ranking system which takes into account Most Valuable Player nominations at key AFC and FIFA tournaments (see below). Server Djeparov (Bunyodkor and Uzbekistan) is the reigning AFC Player of the Year. (AFC)
NOMINEES FOR AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2009 (in alphabetical order)
| No | NAME | NAT | NAT. TEAM | CLUB |
| 1 | Alexander Geynrikh | UZB | Uzbekistan | Pakhtakor, UZB |
| 2 | Ali Ashfaq | MDV | Maldives | VB, MDV |
| 3 | Baba Malick | QAT | Qatar | Umm Salal, Qatar |
| 4 | Firas Al Khatib | SYR | Syria | Al Arabi/Al Qadsiya, KUW |
| 5 | Hadi Aghily | IRN | Iran | Sepahan, IRN |
| 6 | Hong Yong Jo | PRK | DPR Korea | Rostov, RUS |
| 7 | Kengo Nakamura | JPN | Japan | Kawasaki Frontale, JPN |
| 8 | Li Weifeng | CHN | - | Suwon Bluewings, KOR |
| 9 | Markus Rihihina | IDN | Indonesia | PSMS Medan, IDN |
| 10 | Maya Yoshida | JPN | - | Nagoya Grampus, JPN |
| 11 | Mohammed Noor | KSA | Saudi Arabia | Al Ittihad, KSA |
| 12 | Nassir Al Shamrani | KSA | Saudi Arabia | Al Shabab, KSA |
| 13 | Ri Myong Guk | PRK | DPR Korea | Pyongyang Athletics Club |
| 14 | Sayed Mohamed Adnan | BHR | Bahrain | Al Khor, QAT |
| 15 | Yasuhito Endo | JPN | Japan | Gamba Osaka, JPN |