In a letter sent to the Korea Football Association (KFA), Ki made it official that he will no longer play for the Taeguk Warriors.

"With the 2019 AFC Asian Cup being my last event, I'm laying down the big honour and responsibility of the national team," Ki said in his letter.

"In my football career, the national team was more valuable than anything else. I want to thank fans who have loved and supported me for all this time."

Qatar 2-0 Lebanon
Group Stage - January 9: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium

Second-half goals from Bassam Al Rawi and Almoez Ali saw Qatar pick up a 2-0 win over a determined and well-organised Lebanon as they recorded an opening victory in Group E.

Japan 3-2 Turkmenistan Group Stage - January 9: Al Nahyan Stadium

Japan came from behind and survived a late Turkmenistan rally to seal a 3-2 Group F win over their Central Asian opponents with Ritsu Doan bagging his side’s vital third goal.

The 41-year-old from Uzbekistan, who is no stranger to high-profile encounters, will be officiating in his second AFC Asian Cup final, having managed the 2011 final between Japan and Australia in Qatar.

Ravshan will be assisted by compatriots Abdukhamidullo Rasulov and Jakhongir Saidov (UZB) with Ma Ning from China PR named as the fourth official. Italian Paolo Valeri has been appointed as the VAR and will be supported by assistants Muhammad Taqi bin Jahari from Singapore and Australia’s Christopher Beath.

With the two teams potentially 90 minutes away from creating history, the-AFC.com breaks down some of the key facts and details ahead of what promises to be a match to remember.

In Felix Sanchez, Qatar have a head coach who has overseen the steady progress of several of Al Annabi’s leading lights – notably Akram Afif and Almoez Ali – thanks to his spells with a host of the West Asian nation’s age-group teams.

The 43-year-old Barcelona native joined the Doha-based Aspire Academy in 2006 before, seven years later, taking charge of the Qatari side which would go on to beat DPR Korea and claim the AFC U-19 Championship in 2014. 

Sanchez subsequently replaced Jorge Fossati in the Qatar hotseat in 2017, a role he now combines with the country’s U-23 side who he guided to a third-place finish at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship.

As the Continent counts down the hours to the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 final, the-AFC.com hears from the key individuals in Friday's encounter at Zayed Sports City Stadium.