Persepolis' run to the final was built on a solid backline, with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and defenders Shojae Khalizadeh and Jalal Hosseini already included in the relevant categories for the Best 2018 XI, but defense alone does not win games, and Ali Alipour was the main outlet up front for the Tehran giant.
Having scored just one goal in his previous two Continental campaigns, Alipour netted a brace in the 2018 opener against Nasaf before adding another against Al Wasl as Persepolis topped Group C.
Alipour saved his next two goals for vital moments in the knockout stages as he scored against Al Jazira in the Round of 16 and Al Sadd in the semi-finals to help his club into their first AFC Champions League final.
The Iranian striker defeated Baghdad Bounedjah, Dejan Damjanovic, Youssef El Arabi, Mame Thiam, Kim Shin-wook, Yuma Suzuki, and Alexandre Pato to win the award.
In a poll conducted by the-afc.com, 75 percent of participants voted for Alipour.