Trailblazer
Striker Eldor Shomurodov could be the first of many Uzbekistan players to make his name in a major European league in the near future
Western European leagues have proved hard to break into for Uzbeks, despite their own Super League being amongst the strongest in Central Asia
When Eldor Shomurodov came on in the dying minutes of Roma’s 2022 Europa Conference League final victory over Feyenoord, he became the first Uzbek to win a UEFA title.
The White Wolves striker, who averages a goal every other game at international level, blazed a trail for his countrymen when he joined Genoa in 2020 and was snapped up a year later by Roma for € 17.5 million.
The only other Uzbek to play in Serie A was the little-known Ilyos Zeytulayev, who signed for Juventus in 2000 but failed to make a breakthrough and made most of his appearances in the second tier, often on loan. Now, after 34 Roma appearances but just three goals, Shomurodov is also out on loan albeit still in Serie A at Spezia.
Western European leagues have proved hard to break into for Uzbeks, despite their own Super League being amongst the strongest in Central Asia.
“In Europe, we don’t get a chance to watch Uzbek football but it’s a similar quality to Kazakhstan,” says coach Nikola Lazarevic, who took an ageing Qizilqum Zarafshon team to fifth in the USL last season. “It’s the best level in Central Asia and there are some well-organised clubs, but we cannot compete with the level of Saudi Arabia, South Korea or Qatar.”
Top overseas players in the Uzbek league can attract more than $400,000 a year, while leading Uzbek players bring in half that. Playing abroad is an attraction and most Uzbeks initially head for Russia, which is unsurprising as the landlocked republic only gained independence in1991 after the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Centre-half Rustam Ashurmatov plays at Rubin Kazan and midfielder Khojimat Erkinov at Torpedo Moscow, while Jaloliddin Masharipov and Azizjon Ganiev play in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates respectively.
The bulk of the national team come from a handful of domestic clubs, mainly Nasaf, AGMK and Pakhtakor Tashkent, who won their15th league title in 2022. Attendances can be sparse. Runners-up Navbahor from Namangan averaged more than15,000 in 2022 but across the league the average was only 3,500.
Overseas players and coaches feature heavily; Lazarevic was one of 25 Serbs playing or coaching in the USL last season. Clubs can field up to six legionnaires, who often come to Uzbekistan after failing to make the grade in Western Europe.
This is why no Uzbek club has won the Asian Champions League yet, although Qarshi-based Nasaf did win the second tier AFC Cup in 2011. Nasaf, Pakhtakor and their Tashkent rivals Bunyodkor have come close in the Champions League but not for over a decade, but the advent of a new licensing system in 2023 and privatelyowned clubs could raise standards.
Dilshod Ruzmetoff, the Ubzek Football Association’s European representative, says private owners have “a great interest in competent management and transparency [and] the development of the academy and infrastructure of the football club.”
Two USL clubs in 2023 will have private owners. Yaypan-based Turon have private investors and achieved promotion after beating Lokomotiv Tashkent in the 2022 relegation playoff last November. Surhan from Termez just avoided relegation last year but could be transformed under the ownership of oil business ERIELL. “I would not be surprised if FC Surhan in a couple of years will win the Champions League Cup of AFC,” says Ruzmetoff.
That sort of achievement and a strong showing from Shomurodov at Spezia could have Western European clubs taking a closer at Uzbek players in the future.