Matildas star Ellie Carpenter claims the AFC International Player of the Year award while Cortnee Vine comes second in Player of the Year

Matildas star Ellie Carpenter has been named the Asian Football Confederation’s first International Women’s Player of the Year, with teammate Cortnee Vine finishing second in the Player of the Year voting.

Carpenter won the award after overcoming a cruciate ligament injury, before playing a crucial role in helping lead the Matildas to the World Cup semi-finals and to her third consecutive Olympic Games.

Vine – who was the hero in Australia’s penalty shootout against France at the World Cup – finished behind Japan’s Kiki Seike for the Player of the Year award.

Seike succeeded Matildas star Sam Kerr for the award and is the fifth Japanese player to claim the title, after Homare Sawa, Saki Kumagai, Natsuko Hara and three-time winner Aya Miyama.

The striker’s form was key to Urawa Red Diamonds’ 2023 Asian Women’s Club Championship title win and helped her club secure a second consecutive Japanese league title before signing for Brighton & Hove Albion in July.

“I am very happy with this prestigious award,” Seike said via video message.

“I will continue to do my best for my club, the national team and to increase the value of Asian football.”

Qatar’s Akram Afif was named Men’s Player of the Year for the second time.

Afif, who had previously won the award in 2019, received the trophy after his performances played a key role in Qatar’s successful defense of their Asian Cup title on home soil earlier this year.

ABC/Reuters