IRANIAN INTERNATIONAL DAEI SNARES TOP ASIAN AWARD

Iran's Ali Daei has been named Asian Player of the Year for goals against top European teams 'unrivalled in the history of Asian footballers'.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Daei, who plays for his national side and Germany's Hertha Berlin, brought 'unrivalled positive publicity' for Asian soccer in 1999.

He was to receive the award from AFC president Sultan Ahmad Shah at a ceremony in Beirut last night.

China's Sun Wen, the first woman to be nominated for the Player of the Year award, was named Asia's most valuable women's player of 1999.

The Chinese team, who were runners-up in the Women's World Cup in the United States last year, bagged the award for Asian National Team of the Year.

The AFC singled out Daei's goals in the European Champions' League against Chelsea and AC Milan.