Soccer Football - AFC Asian Cup - Group A - Qatar v Lebanon - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - January 12, 2024 Qatar's Akram Afif celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
LUSAIL, Qatar (Reuters) - Akram Afif still harbours hopes that he will be given another chance to shine at a European club but for now the Al Sadd playmaker has no plans to leave his homeland, saying it his duty to help Qatar retain their Asian Cup crown.
Afif stole the show with two goals in Friday's Asian Cup opener as hosts Qatar beat Lebanon 3-0 while he was also the busiest attacking player on the pitch, creating numerous chances for his team mates.
Lebanon coach Miodrag Radulovic said Afif proved to be the difference in the game, describing him as "one of the best players in Asia" and that he would not be out of place at a European side.
The 27-year-old has already had a taste of European football, playing for Eupen in the Belgian Pro League before signing for Villarreal, where he was sent out on loan to Sporting Gijon and back to Eupen.
He returned to Qatar in 2018 to join Al Sadd, where opportunities were plentiful and the goals started to flow, even earning the Asian Player of the Year award in 2019.
"Every player wishes to play in Europe. I want to play in Europe tomorrow if possible," Afif told reporters after being named Player of the Match against Lebanon.
"But it's not about Akram. I can't go out of the country and go sit on the bench (when in Europe).
"I'm helping my country. But if you ask me, I do wish (to go play in Europe)."
Wearing the red number 11 shirt, Afif could be mistaken for Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah as he shifts through the gears and uses his pace to beat opponents on the wing but he also has the versatility to find space through the middle.
Not just a terrific finisher, Afif is also a creator of goals, topping the assists charts at the 2019 Asian Cup with 10 -- more than twice as many as any other player as Qatar won the title.
The 27-year-old has also struck up a lethal partnership with striker Almoez Ali, who was top scorer in 2019, but when asked about their chemistry on the pitch he stayed true to his 'team first' mentality.
"It can't be me and Almoez against 11. Others are also involved, they defend and try to play the ball to us," he said.
"We are all brothers helping each other."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Lusail, Qatar; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
