WITH his flowing curls and thrilling attacking play, it was no surprise that Akram Afif was likened to Liverpool star Mo Salah at the Asian Cup.

Over the space of a month, the Qatar forward lit up the tournament. With eight goals, including a hat trick in the 3-1 win over Jordan in the final, he was the leading scorer and man of the match as his team won back-to-back titles.

But once the celebrations are over, Afif will return to Al Sadd in Qatar, rather than a team from one of Europe’s top leagues.