The 25-year-old, who currently plays for Al Hilal, beat Iraqi duo Younis Mahmoud and Nashat Akram to the honour.

I'm very proud winning this award," he said.

"Frankly speaking, I wasn't representing only myself. I'm representing the Saudi people and all of my teammates."

Al Qahtani was linked with a move to Middlesbrough earlier this month and although Gareth Southgate has already denied an interest, the player insists Boro are still interested.

"Mido, their Egyptian player, talked to me on the phone and told me that the team manager of Middlesbrough would like to sign me and I had some discussions," stated Al Qahtani.

The Saudi Arabian captain admits it would be an honour to move to Europe.

"I have no clue what is going to happen next," he said. "I hope to play in Europe, it's a dream.

"I would love, for the benefit of my team, to play in Europe and gain more experience - I would love to go to England or Spain, for sure."