Khalfan Ibrahim has won Asia's top individual accolade and played against some of the best players in the world, but with this year's AFC Champions League final looming, the 2011 success with Al Sadd remains the achievement most cherished by the Qatar international striker.

Ibrahim and his Al Sadd team-mates became the first to win the trophy having progressed through the qualifying rounds of the competition after beating former champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw after extra-time.

And despite the win at Jeonju World Cup Stadium leading to a meeting with European counterparts Barcelona in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup later that year, Ibrahim believes claiming an AFC Champions League winner's medal is his greatest achievement.

"The AFC Champions League is the most important trophy I've ever won," Ibrahim says in October's issue of AFC Quarterly, the official magazine of the Asian Football Federation.

"Even better than finishing third at the FIFA Club World Cup. Maybe it's even better than winning the AFC Player of the Year Award.

"I'm happy that I was part of the success, because it wasn't just me it was everybody working together."

Al Sadd missed out on defending the title in 2011, but the Doha-based club return to the AFC Champions League in 2014 for the first time since their triumph after winning the Qatar Stars League last season.

And Ibrahim showed he was back to his best last season despite a second knee injury in in two years in 2008 raised questions marks over his career as he was named the 2013 Qatar Stars League Player of the Year.

"I think it was a positive that we didn't play in the AFC Champions League for two years, because if we had played then everybody would have said that we are champions, that we are a strong team," he says. "So we have taken a rest, we have been away for two years and we will come back strong again.

"This is the best time to play again in the AFC Champions League. We have two Asian titles and we will play without pressure because we aren't the defending champions. To be honest, we will not be required to win again. We must play, we must do our best but no one expects anything."

Al Sadd's win remains a rarity in the recent history of the AFC Champions League, with FC Seoul hoping to become the fourth Korean winner of the competition since 2009 as the reigning K-League champions face China's Guangzhou Evergrande in this year's final.

But this year's final opponents, Guangzhou, are seeking to become the first Chinese club to secure the title since the dawning of the AFC Champions League era in 2002 and the first Chinese champions in any Asian competition since Liaoning FC won the Asian Club Championship title in 1990.

The first leg of the final will be played in Seoul on Saturday, while Guangzhou will host the second leg at Tianhe Stadium on November 9.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)