Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Brazilian striker Muriqui (Luiz Guilherme Da Conceicao Silva) has added another individual accolade to his collection after the AFC Champions League MVP and Top Scorer was named the 2013 AFC Foreign Player of the Year.
Muriqui’s superb contribution to Guangzhou Evergrande’s AFC Champions League triumph, in which he scored 13 times in addition to claiming the Abdullah Al Dabal award for the tournament’s best player, saw the livewire 27-year-old become the second Brazilian to win the AFC Foreign Player of the Year. Following inaugural winner Rogerinho (Rogério de Assis Silva Coutinho).
“I am so happy to have won this award but this was the result of teamwork rather than individual efforts. I’m also so happy with our performance in the ACL this year,” said Muriqui after receiving his trophy from AFC Executive Committee Member Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat.
As for our coach Marcello Lippi, he’s a great coach. He has helped the club and the Chinese players do well in our games. If people think he’s good to coach the national team and if he wants to do so, I’m sure he’ll be up to the job,” continued the Brazilian, who turned his attention to the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco, where Guangzhou will be aiming for domestic, continental and world treble.
“I’m sure me and my teammates can keep scoring in the FIFA Club World Cup. I have scored more than 10 goals in the ACL and hopefully I will repeat this performance.”