Iraq – Former Iraqi international striker Younis Mahmoud responded to the controversial statement of former Saudi international Yasser Al-Qahtani regarding Mahmoud’s deserving of the Best Player Award in the 2007 Asian Cup.
In the 2007 Asian Cup, Al-Qahtani won the tournament’s best player award despite his country’s loss in the final match to its counterpart, the Iraqi national team, led by its star at the time, Younis Mahmoud.
After 17 years of the tournament, Al-Qahtani confirmed in a statement to the Kuwaiti channel ETV that he was entitled to the Best Player Award in the 2007 Asian Cup over Younis Mahmoud.
The former Saudi international said: “Younis Mahmoud was not among the three candidates (to win the 2007 Asian Player of the Year award). In the beginning, my name was alongside the name of Iraqi Nashat Akram and Japanese Ando, but Younis Mahmoud’s name came after Ando, the Japanese national team player, withdrew. He is (Younes Mahmoud) is a great player and an accomplished player. He deserves to be the best player. If he thinks he was unfairly awarded the award, I will shine the cup and send it to him.”
Younis Mahmoud responded to Al-Qahtani in a video circulated on the “X” website, where the former Iraqi striker said: “Yasser Al-Qahtani is a great player and one of the people close to me, and I thank him for the gift. I watched the statement and he has a respectable point of view. I represented Iraq and the first Arab player to enter.” On the list of candidates for the Best Player in the World Award, I ranked 29th, and in the same year (2007) no player entered the list except me.”
He added: “As for the issue of him sending me the Best Player in Asia award as a gift after polishing it, he is certainly generous and I thank him for this generosity, but as for me, I apologize to him because I cannot, for my part, send him the Asian Cup as a gift because it belongs to the Iraqi fans, but I have a lot.” Of the titles I can send to him as a mutual gift, the most important thing is that I made my fans happy and we won the Asian Cup title. As for individual titles (they come and go).”
He continued: “If the AFC believes that Yasser Al-Qahtani is the best player, even though the whole world witnessed, then I took it with open arms.”
