Rafael Struick Nominated For AFC U-23 Future Star

Rafael Struick is a candidate for AFC Future Star (Instagram/@rafaelstruick).

JAKARTA - The 2024 U-Qatar Asian Cup in Qatar witnessed the appearance of the best young talents in Asia who were so captivating. Their skills and persistence in the race for titles and venues at the 2024 Paris Olympics have drawn the spotlight.

After Japan's U-23 win over Uzbekistan U-23 in the final, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has curated which players deserve to be nominated for the Future Stars.

The AFC has selected six players with a charming appearance throughout the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. The winners of the Future Stars are determined by the many voting of football lovers throughout Asia.

Asian football fans can vote through the AFC page.

The following are the nominations for the AFC U-23 Future Stars.

Mao Hoskya (Japan U-23)

Although he didn't talk much in the group stage, Japanese striker U-23, Mao Hoskya, performed brilliantly in the crucial match of the knockout system.

The formidable striker, who has played at senior level, broke the U-23 Qatar resistance as he scored the winner in the quarter-finals.

Before doing an incredible shot, he showed his first perfect touch, and charming control.

Against Iraq U-23 in the semifinals, he opened the scoring for a 2-0 win and a ticket to the final as well as the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Khusain Norchaev (Uzbekistan U-23)

Like Hoskya, the U-23 Uzbekistan striker, Khusain Norchaev, did not appear the most productive during the group stage. He scored one goal when White Wolves won 5-0 over Kuwait U-23 in the group's second game.

Norchaev's real influence occurred in the quarter-finals as he scored the opener against Saudi Arabia U-23.

The goal range continues to flow. He scored his third goal in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup when he broke into the Indonesia U-23 goal in the semifinals. He became an important actor in Uzbekistan U-23 making history for the first time qualifying for the final round of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Ali Jasim (Irak U-23)

Skills in possession of the ball, clever assists, and great goals. The U-23 Iraqi striker, Ali Jasim, has brought all of his tricks to Qatar and has been one of those shining.

Jasim has consistently brought the best game throughout the tournament, be it with his stunning dribels, providing assists for his teammates, or converting any chances into goals.

Of course, there is no more memorable moment than his victory in extra time in the race for third place against Indonesia U-23 to secure a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Rafael Struick (Indonesia U-23)

A two-goal scorer against South Korea U-23 which will forever be engraved in the history of Indonesian football.

Indonesian U-23 striker, Rafael Struick, will always be remembered through the brace in the quarter-final match.

Indonesia U-23, which appeared as a debutant, turned out to be a lot of talk and couldn't be underestimated.

Struick became the actor who brought Garuda Muda to the semifinals of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. He scored an amazing opener from 25 yards before scoring his second goal against South Korea U-23.

Indonesia U-23 finally advanced to the top four after winning on penalties 11-10 against Taegeuk Warriors.

Abdullah Radif (Saudi U-23 Arabia)

Returning to Qatar for the second AFC tournament in a row after his brilliant appearance at the 2023 Asian Cup, Saudi U-23 Arabian striker Abdullah Radif, showed his quality at the U-23 level.

He proved reliable. Radif exploded against Thailand U-23 in the group stage, scoring his only hat-trick in the U-23 Asian Cup with three clinical settlements.

Bertandem dengan Aiman Yahya di lini depan serta didukung Haitham Asiri dan Ahmed Al Ghamdi, Piala Asia U-23 2024 sekali lagi menunjukkan bahwa masa depan Green Falcons tampak cerah.

Ahmed Al Rawi (Qatar U-23)

Injury made Ahmed Al Rawi miss two group stage matches. However, with his influence in the two matches he displayed in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, he deserves his place among these nominations.

In the opening match against Indonesia U-23, the younger brother of senior Qatar player Bassam Al Rawi, showed that he was equally proficient in execution of set pieces.

He fired a beautiful, curved free-kick that outwitted Ernando Ari Sutaryadi. The striker's return to Japan U-23 in the quarter-finals also shows the other side of the game.

He scored a header to add his tally to two goals from two games.