The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s Ahmed Al Rawi (pictured) yesterday was nominated for the Future Star of the Tournament accolade following the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024.
An injury saw Al Rayyan forward Al Rawi miss two group stage ties, but such was his impact in the two games he did feature in the tournament, he merits his place amongst our nominees.
In the opener against Indonesia, the younger brother of Qatar senior player Bassam Al Rawi showed he is just as adept from set-pieces with a gorgeous free-kick that defied physics as it bent around the wall and inside the post.
The forward’s return against Japan in the quarter-finals also showed the other side of game as he scored a thumping header to take his tally to two goals from two games.
Mao Hosoya, who helped Japan clinch their second title, is the other contender along with Uzbekistan’s Khusain Norchaev, Iraq’s Ali Jasim, Indonesia’s Rafael Struick and Abdullah Radif of Saudi Arabia.
Fans will determine the winner through voting underway at AFC website.