Djeparov, Nishino claim awards

Djeparov becomes the first Uzbekistan player to claim Asia's top personal accolade after edging out Japanese duo midfielder Yasuhito Endo and defender Yuji Nakazawa, as well as Qatar striker Sebastian Soria and UAE forward Ismaeil Matar at an awards ceremony in Shanghai.

Djeparov guided Bunyodkor to the last four of this year's Asian Champions League, where they were eventually beaten by Adelaide United, with a series of impressive displays and helped them claim both the Uzbek League title and Uzbekistan Cup.

The 26-year-old also proved an inspirational figure on the international scene as Uzbekistan made it through to the final round of Asian qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

"For me, it's my first trophy and I'm so happy to win this title," he said.

"It was a surprise, especially when you look at the other players in the top five. It will not affect me or my future career but I see the trophy as result of the hard work I and my coaches have done and will continue to do."

Djeparov stressed his award was also a reflection of the steady improvement in Uzbekistan football.

"In Uzbekistan, there has been a positive change in the development of football," he added.

"The government is doing a lot to develop football so to receive this trophy will have a positive effect on the game in Uzbekistan and its image in Asia and around the world."

Meanwhile, Gamba Osaka boss Akira Nishino was named AFC Coach of the Year after guiding the Japanese side to the Asian Champions League title in November.

Gamba overcame the continent's best before comprehensively defeating Australian outfit Adelaide United in the final as an impressive 5-0 aggregate success earned Nishino the top coaching award, becoming only the second Japanese national to scoop the honour.

"The AFC Champions League was the biggest victory in our history," said the 53-year-old.

"We will take a step forward and achieve more in future. We must develop a stronger team before we face all the upcoming challenges."

Gamba also picked up AFC Team of the Year after an impressive Champions League campaign saw them go through the whole tournament unbeaten, dispatching, among others, 2007 winners and domestic rivals Urawa Reds in the last four.

Ahmed Khalil, brother of UAE international Faisal Khalil, collected the AFC Youth Player of the Year having proved the driving force behind the country's recent AFC Under-19 Championship success in Saudi Arabia.