Doha: As the race to be crowned first club in Asia reaches its final two weeks, attention is also turning to the battle for the 2020 AFC Champions League Golden Boot.
While Al Nassr’s seven-goal striker Abderazzaq Hamdallah announced himself as the King of the West earlier in the competition, there are still several candidates from the East who could topple the Moroccan star in the remaining turns.
Join the-AFC.com as we take a look at five of Asian football’s current most important title contenders, all of whom could potentially be crowned Golden Boot winners for 2020.
Abderazzaq Hamdallah (Al Nassr) – 7 goals
The winner on hold and, while waiting to see if his seven goals are enough, is precisely what the Moroccan shooter will do after his side of Al Nassr suffer a semi-final defeat to Persepolis FC of the Islamic Republic Iran in the western area in early October.
Hamdallah was scoring as early as February, scoring against Al Sadd and Al Ain before COVID-19 interrupted the competition, then picking up where he left off with three goals in two matches against Sepahan in September.
He continued his brilliant campaign with a late winner against Al Taawoun in the round of 16 and converted a penalty in Al Nassr’s ill-fated semi-final against Persepolis.
Semi-final: Al Nassr 1-1 Persepolis (Persepolis wins 5-3 on penalties)
Hamdallah will win a slice of history if he keeps the lead. No Moroccan player has ever won the AFC Champions League top scorer award.
Yoon Bit-garam (Ulsan Hyundai) – 4 goals
Junior forward Negrao has long been Ulsan Hyundai’s top finisher in the K League, but veteran midfielder Yoon has led the way on the continent this season, scoring four goals in as many appearances.
The 30-year-old delivered in quantity and quality. His sensational debut effort against Shanghai Shenhua was only improved by a superb free kick against FC Tokyo, and he also contributed as a supplier, providing an assist against Perth Glory.
Group F – MD5: FC Tokyo 1-2 Ulsan Hyundai FC
Pointing out his team’s many attacking weapons, Yoon is one of four Ulsan players to have scored multiple goals in the tournament, with Junior Negrao, Kim In-sung and Bjørn Johnsen scoring two apiece.
Ado Onaiwu (Yokohama F. Marinos) – 4 goals
Missing out on Yokohama’s famous national title last season, Onaiwu wasted little time to announce himself to his new club with two goals against Sydney FC on Matchday 2, and he picked up where he left off. arrested in Qatar.
Group H – MD2: Yokohama F. Marinos 4-0 Sydney FC
Far from being a regular starter in recent months, he seized his chance with a goal against Shanghai SIPG on Matchday 4, then scored as a substitute against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors three days later with a volley initially marked as a Song Bum-keun clean. goal.
After making a few short-lived appearances for Urawa Red Diamonds in 2017, 2020 could still be the year Onaiwu takes the AFC Champions League and Golden Boot award by storm at home.
A Lan (Beijing FC) – 3 goals
Formerly known as Alan Carvalho, and the only Beijing player since arriving on loan in July, the Brazilian-born forward has made a significant contribution to a club record of 16 points, scoring three goals.
Group E – MD2: FC Seoul 1-2 Beijing FC
He used well-timed points for his goals against Melbourne Victory and Chiangrai United, but the field pick was his first, a formidable curling effort against FC Seoul on Matchday 3.
Un Lan would have scored four goals to his name had he converted a last-minute penalty against Chiangrai last time around, but with just two group stage starts to his name, the 31-year-old should be fresh and ready to add to his count in the knockout phase.
Teruhito Nakagawa (Yokohama F. Marinos) – 3 goals
A valuable goal contributor during Yokohama F. Marinos’ surge to last year’s league title, Nakagawa made a catchy start to life in the ACL with a brace against Sydney FC in Japan in February. .
Group H – MD2: Yokohama F. Marinos 4-0 Sydney FC
It was a less successful championship campaign this time around for the 28-year-old, but he added to his continental tally with a goal against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Tuesday, and he could still finish among the Golden Boot contenders if Yokohama deepened The tournament.
Honorable mentions
Trent Buhagiar (Sydney FC) – 5 goals
The 22-year-old was a revelation in this year’s tournament, scoring five of Sydney’s eight goals to become the club’s all-time top scorer in the AFC Champions League.
Unfortunately for Buhagiar, he won’t have the chance to add to his tally as Sydney was eliminated in the group stage.
Isa Alkasir (Persepolis) – 4 goals
The Iranian striker was instrumental in leading his team to the later stages of the competition, but as Persepolis advanced to the final on December 19, Al Kasir’s suspension means he will not be able to. not add to his total of four goals.
