PETALING JAYA: Young winger Arif Aiman Hanapi is Malaysia's pride after he made the top 40 rankings for top goal scorer for 2023.
Based on statistics released by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) player is ranked 19th with nine goals, sharing the position with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Leicester City's Patson Daka.
Arif, who was also the winner of the Malaysian League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for 2021 and 2022, scored three goals with JDT in international competitions and six goals with the national team.
Another Harimau Malaya player, Darren Lok, who plays with Sabah, is in the 38th position with eight goals.
The 32-year-old striker scored two goals with the national team in addition to netting six goals for Sabah in the AFC Cup.
Belgium's Romelu Lukaku topped the list with 22 goals. Manchester City star Erling Haaland is in second place with 18 goals, followed by Iranian Mehdi Taremi (14 goals), while Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo share fourth place with 13 goals.
It is a boost for the 21-year-old Arif to share the same stage with the global football stars and for his upcoming Malaysia campaign in the Asian Cup Finals in Doha, Qatar.
