Salm Al-Dawsari reportedly finishes third in Asian Player of the Year race

Salm Al-Dawsari has reportedly missed out on a chance to make history after being placed third in the final voting for the Asian Player of the Year award.

Badr Al-Abid, a journalist specialising in Asian football, revealed the reported standings during the television programme Dorina Ghair. According to the information he shared, Firas Al-Braikan finished first, ahead of Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand in second place, while Al-Dawsari, the captain of Al-Hilal and Saudi Arabia, was third.

The ranking has not yet been confirmed officially. The final decision will be established when the Asian Football Confederation announces the winners at its awards ceremony, with attention now focused on the outcome of the competition.

If the reported result is confirmed, it would represent a significant twist in a race in which Al-Dawsari had been hoping to add another major individual honour to his career. He has already won the award twice, in 2022 and 2025, and was seeking to become the first player to claim it three times.

Al-Dawsari’s third nomination had raised the possibility of a historic achievement. However, the standings disclosed by Al-Abid suggest that this year’s contest may end differently, pending the official announcement.

The reported result is particularly notable given Al-Dawsari’s status in Asian football in recent years. He has become one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent figures on the continental stage and has secured the award twice within a relatively short period.

Al-Hilal and the Saudi national team captain had therefore entered the latest race with a record in sight. The information released on Dorina Ghair has instead created uncertainty around the final outcome, although the official awards ceremony remains the decisive stage.

The article’s fixture listings also include Al-Hilal against Al-Diriyah in the Saudi Pro League on 20 November 2026, and Al-Ahli against Al-Faisaly in the same competition and on the same date.