Ange Postecoglou has been named Asian football’s coach of the year with his Socceroos side picking up the team of the year award at a glittering Bollywood-style ceremony in India on Sunday.

Postecoglou, who led Australia to a first ever major football success in the Asian Cup earlier this year, said the two awards were recognition of the huge strides the game has made over the last two years.

“It’s been a great year for Australian football,” Postecoglou said.

• EXCLUSIVE: Melbourne Victory records record profit
• Lowy defends World Cup bid failure in ABC documentary
• Socceroos launch legal action against FFA

“I guess this award is not just for me but everyone who works really hard, and not just the national team but the whole organisation.”

Tottenham’s Son Heung-min of South Korea pipped QPR’s Socceroos midfielder Massimo Luongo for the best international player of the year.

UAE striker Ahmed Khalil usurped teammate Omar Abdulrahman and China’s Zheng Zhi for the Asian player of the year prize.

Much of the smart money had been on 2013 winner Zheng, after he led Guangzhou Evergrande to their second AFC Champions League title in three years against Khalil’s Al Ahli last week.

But instead it was Khalil who accepted the trophy from Asian football boss and FIFA presidential hopeful Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in front of hundreds of delegates.

Postecoglou has revitalised the Australian side, but kept some experience, like Tim Cahill.

“My feeling is something I cannot explain… this award means a lot to me. This achievement is not for Ahmed, it’s for all the people in the Emirates,” Khalil said.

“In the end there can only be one winner. Maybe this year I gave my 100 per cent in all matches.

“Honestly I did not expect to win this award — God has helped me win this award.”

Khalid’s award is richly deserved after his goals fired UAE to third place at the Asian Cup in January and also took Al Ahli to the brink of the AFC Champions League title.

He has also scored 10 times in the UAE’s 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, raising hopes of a second appearance at the tournament after Italy 1990.

Arguably the biggest winners were Japan, who won seven awards in total including best women’s team for their Nadeshiko national outfit, who finished runners-up at World Cup in Canada.

And there was some consolation for Zheng when Evergrande were named club of the year, after winning their fifth straight domestic title as well as the Champions League.