Singapore, October 16, 2025: Malaysia’s Arif Aiman has raised the bar throughout his short career so far, and the Johor Darul Ta’zim FC attacker is setting his sights on going even further as he seeks to become the first ASEAN player to be crowned the Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year.
The 23-year-old is the first player from his country to be nominated for the continent’s most prestigious individual accolade, which has previously been won by legends such as Hidetoshi Nakata of Japan and Iran’s Ali Daei, with the latest edition to be presented in Riyadh on Thursday night.
Arif has been named on the three-man shortlist alongside twice winner Akram Afif of Qatar and 2022 winner Salem Al-Dawsari from Saudi Arabia and he is only the second player from ASEAN to be nominated, with Thailand’s Therdsak Chaiman the most recent in 2003.
“It’s an honour to be nominated for the AFC Player of the Year alongside big names like Salem Al-Dawsari and Akram Afif,” said Arif, who is featuring for JDT in this season’s ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™, on Wednesday.
“I want to say thank you to my family and my team, my coaches who have helped me to reach this high level and I want to say thank you to my boss, Tunku Ismail (owner of JDT).
“It’s really exciting to be the first Malaysian to be here and to stand with the biggest names in Asian football. But it’s just the beginning for me, I want to learn everything about football, to bring up my club and country so we can go far.”
The nomination is the latest high point for the Kuantan-born wide man, who has tormented defences both at home and overseas since breaking through for JDT in 2020 as a fresh-faced 18-year-old.
Signed by the Johor giants two years earlier having impressed at youth level after coming through the National Football Development Programme of Malaysia and the Mokhtar Dahari Academy, Arif quickly became the brightest prospect in ASEAN football.
In 2021, he was named the Football Association of Malaysia’s Most Valuable Player, becoming the youngest person to claim the award at just 19. He has gone on to win the trophy a further three times as Arif and JDT have dominated the domestic scene.
Arif has transferred those successes at home onto the regional and continental stage, playing a key role in his club’s run to the last 16 of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite earlier this year.
He has also featured prominently in the club’s strong start to the Shopee Cup™, scoring in 3-1 win over Lion City Sailors FC from Singapore and shining in the 4-0 victory over Thailand’s Bangkok United FC.
“This season we have started well,” said Arif. “We’ve had so many games this year, there have been more challenges because we’re playing in so many competitions.”
Arif has been instrumental in Malaysia’s recent strong run of form in qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and he flew directly to Riyadh from Kuala Lumpur after playing the entirety of his national side’s 5-1 win over Laos at Bukit Jalil Stadium on Tuesday.
And as he moves into the upper echelon of talent within Asian football, Arif acknowledges there is still work to be done to fulfil his undoubted potential.
“Our national team are now preparing for the AFC Asian Cup in 2027 in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We’re preparing game by game, trying to get better, to be stronger and then, maybe one day, the national team can fight at the highest level in international football.
“I must work hard and prepare and be dedicated, to be at the same level as Akram and Salem. It’s a long journey.
“I must learn a lot of football, and I see Salem and Akram as my role models. I want to play in high level competitions with high pressure and to have the responsibility to play in internationals.”
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