Maldivian football legend Ali Ashfaq lands in the AFC Dream Team
The AFC shortlisted 13 strikers for the poll to select their Dream Team
Ali Ashfaq has made a name for himself representing Maldives in the international football arena
Maldivian football legend Ali Ashfaq (Dhagandey) has secured a spot on the AFC Dream Team after having secured 28.35 percent of votes in the poll among the AFC's top 13 strikers.
The AFC Dream Team comprises of players who won an online poll, and is based on a 3-4-3 formation. While Ali Ashfaq made it on the AFC Dream Team, he was joined by Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri in the shortlist of strikers during the initial vote.
With a long and prolific career in local and international football, 35 year-old Ali Ashfaq shows no sign of stopping. He is currently a forward for his first team, Club Valencia, and has been a well-loved legend among Maldivian football fans, and has even led the Maldivian National Football Team as captain for a number of years.
Maldivian National Team defender Akram Abdul Ghani (Aku) was also recognized by the AFC earlier as one of their top defenders, but had failed to make the Dream Team due to a lack of votes.
Ashfaq is the only player from a South Asian country to secure a spot in the AFC Dream Team.
Ali Ashfaq first played in the AFC at age 18 in 2004, and has since played in 10 AFC competitions. Ashfaq has scored goals in every one of his AFC appearances, with a career count of 29 goals in AFC matches under his belt at present. Ali Ashfaq ranks 7th place on the AFC Cup's top scorers list.
Ashfaq has played AFC Cup matches while representing New Radiant Sports Club, Club Valencia, VB Addu FC and TC Sports Club, and has played a critical role in securing goals in his AFC appearances.
While the AFC has shortlisted Ali Ashfaq as one of their best strikers, he previously won the AFC bracket challenge for the most memorable goal as well. Ashfaq also won the best solo-goal challenge with the most public votes, for his goal in the 2013 AFC Cup's confrontation between New Radiant and Indonesia's Persibo, which ended with a resounding 7-0 win for the Maldivian team.
