Impressive Touhid Lotfi named ‘Most Valuable Player’

AFC – BANGKOK, Islamic Republic of Iran’s Touhid Lotfi has been named the AFC U-20 Futsal Championship’s Most Valuable Player after guiding his side to the title on Friday.

Iran’s talismanic captain rounded off a superb individual campaign with another highly creditable display as Iran beat Iraq 2-0 to secure the inaugural tournament’s crown.

The livewire playmaker scored six times in seven matches – including a hat-trick against Thailand in the semi-finals – while also creating numerous assists as Iran netted an impressive 40 goals throughout the competition.

And despite being unable to add to his tally in the final, Lotfi was a shining light yet again as he further underlined just why he is regarded as one of the region’s riding stars in the world of futsal.

“No words can express how I felt when I received this award, all I could do was cry and ask God if it was meant to be,” the 19-year-old said after receiving his accolade.

“But this award is not just because of my efforts, I have to acknowledge that it’s my colleagues who gave me the opportunity to hold this award.

“My performances from the Group Stage onwards have been thanks to my coach Ali Arani. All I needed to do was follow the plan,” he added.

Touhid Lotfi at the AFC U-20 Futsal Championship

*Played 7 matches
*Scored 6 goals
*On target against: Mongolia (1), Lebanon (2) and Thailand (3)