JDT's Arif Aiman wins fourth straight MVP award
Johor Darul Ta'zim midfielder Arif Aiman Hanapi posing with his MVP award at the 2024-2025 National Football Awards in Kuala Lumpur tonight. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR : Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT)'s star Arif Aiman Hanapi made history at the 2024-2025 National Football Awards here tonight by becoming the first player to be crowned Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the fourth consecutive time.
The national player's remarkable achievement places him in a league of his own, surpassing the record of former national striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, who won the title three times in a row from 2010 to 2012.
It was also a memorable night for the 23-year-old Arif Aiman after he won two other awards – Best Midfielder and Best Goal in the Malaysia League (M-League) 2024-2025 – and was named in the Fans XI as a forward.
This marks Arif Aiman's first win in the Best Midfielder category having previously won the Best Forward title three times from 2021 to 2023.
Arif Aiman excelled in this season's M-League, showcasing his skills with 12 goals and 13 assists to steer the Southern Tigers to the Super League and FA Cup trophies.
He also helped JDT reach the Malaysia Cup final against Sri Pahang FC, which will be played at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Arif Aiman's JDT teammate, Bergson da Silva, won the Super League Golden Boot and Best Foreign Player award after having bagged 32 goals this season.
The goal tally is his highest since he started playing in the Malaysian League with JDT. He last emerged as top scorer in the 2022 season with 29 Super League goals.
Kuching City FC head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak caused an upset by winning the Best Coach award for the first time after beating two other nominees, Hector Bidoglio (JDT) and Kinoshi Katsuhito (Selangor FC).
Having been nominated from 2019 to 2021, the Singaporean-born coach finally won the award after leading Kuching City to fourth place in the Super League in only their second season in Malaysia's top-flight league.
It marks the club's best achievement since its founding as an amateur team competing in the People's Football League in 2015.
Overall, the 2024-2025 National Football Awards saw JDT dominate eight of the main categories contested this time.
In addition to the three awards won by Arif Aiman and two by Bergson, Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed lived up to expectations by successfully defending his Best Goalkeeper crown for the third consecutive time, while Feroz Baharudin took home his maiden Best Defender trophy.
As Super League champions for the 11th consecutive time, JDT were also named Best Team of the season, bringing their total haul to eight major awards under Bidoglio's leadership.
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