Matildas star Caitlin Foord has been awarded Asia’s top accolade for an individual player, the AFC player of the year at the Asian confederation’s awards in Abu Dhabi.
Foord was one of a three-woman shortlist that also included Matildas co-captain Lisa De Vanna and China’s Tan Ruyin. It’s the first time two Australians have been nominated for an individual award, drawing praise from head coach Alen Stajcic.
“To have two out of three nominations in such a strong confederation where we have some of the best players and football countries in the world is a real testament of how well our team performed in 2016,” Stajcic said.
Foord battled back from a broken collarbone to play a central role in Australia’s Rio Olympics campaign, scoring against eventual gold medallists Germany to help the Matildas to the quarter-finals.
She has won 50 international caps since debuting at the age of 16.
Foord becomes the third Australian woman to win the award in recent years after Katrina Gorry (2014) and Kate Gill in (2010), but the first to win both the senior and youth accolades, after winning the young player of the year in 2011.
“I wasn’t expecting this ... I accept the award on behalf of all the Matildas,” Foord said.
“It’s obviously a massive achievement. Looking back at the young player award, I was so young and just took the award. I didn’t really expect it, or think too much of it.
“Now when I look back, I’m privileged to have done so well and I will do the same when I look back on this trophy and combine the two.”
In other categories, the W-League’s Kate Jacewicz confirmed her vaunted reputation as she picked up the gong for Asia’s best female referee with Renae Coghill acknowledged with the best assistant’s award.
For the second year in a row a player from United Arab Emirates has won the top men’s award with Al Ain’s playmaker Omar Abdulrahman receiving the male player of the year gong.
Beaten to the 2015 award by compatriot Ahmed Khalil, the prodigiously talented 25-year-old made up for that disappointment by topping this year’s shortlist ahead of Iraq’s Hammadi Ahmed and Wu Lei from China.
Abdulrahman’s recognition comes after the diminutive midfielder played pivotal roles in guiding Al Ain to this season’s AFC Champions League final, and the UAE to a strong position in Group B qualifying for 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
