Despite being touted by some as a future Asian football hotspot, Central Asian football is typically not given a huge amount of coverage.
Things are starting to steadily change, however. Over the past decade Central Asia’s national teams have made strong progress, and the region’s domestic leagues have also improved, both in terms of the standards of play and the levels of professionalism.
This has brought increased exposure for these leagues and the players who play in them, allowing for greater opportunities for Central Asian players to go and further their careers abroad.
As we see Central Asian football and its players start to come out of the shadows, it seems like the perfect time to take a look at some of the region’s top young talent.
The players we will be looking at are all aged 21 or under and are not ranked in any particular order.
I’ve not included any players from Kazakhstan in this list due to it not being a part of the AFC, and therefore not really a part of Asia or Central Asia in a footballing sense. I’ve also not included any Iranian players as despite Iran being a member of the CAFA, few would really consider Iran to be in Central Asia.
Jasurbek Jaloliddinov (18, Uzbekistan) – Locomotiv Moscow
An attacking midfield playmaker with excellent vision and passing range, Jasurbek Jaloliddinov is the youngest player on the list and arguably the one with the most potential.
Jaloliddinov established himself as one of the top young talents in Central Asian football during a breakout 2018/19 season with Bunyodkor in his native Uzbekistan.
During this season Jaloliddinov played almost every game, making waves with some spectacular long range goals and routinely impressing with his ability to open teams up with defence splitting passes and through balls.
These performances saw him highlighted in the Guardian’s 2019 Next Generation list and also attracted attention from bigger clubs outside his home country. Following a strong start to the 2019/20 season, he was snapped up by Russian giants Lokomotiv Moscow.
Probably on account of his small frame (not ideal in the very physical Russian Premier League) and lack of experience, Jaloliddinov hasn’t yet made a first-team appearance for Lokomotiv. Currently he’s out on loan to RPL battlers Tambov. And while he’s yet to feature in the league for Tambov, if they continue to struggle it would seem to be only a matter of time before Jaloliddinov gets his chance to shine.
Oston Urunov (19, Uzbekistan) – Spartak Moscow
Oston Urunov is another exciting young Uzbek attacking midfielder who, like Jaloliddinov, made his name in the Uzbekistan Super League, before securing a big move to the Russian Premier League.
Unlike Jaloliddinov, however, Urunov has already been able to make a significant impact in Russia.
After joining Ufa, midway through the 2019/20 season he quickly slotted into the starting eleven and put together an impressive run of form. His speed, crossing and dribbling ability soon attracted the attention of some of the RPL’s bigger clubs and Spartak Moscow moved in for him at the end of last season. This year he’s been a regular in Spartak’s matchday squads and has frequently appeared as a substitute.
A fast and agile player, Urunov is not particularly big or strong. He is, however, extremely tough, particularly when it comes to riding tackles and holding up the ball. This toughness coupled his strong work rate has really helped him transition to playing in Russia
Currently one brightest prospects in Central Asian football, how he develops over the next few years will be heavily dependent on his ability to secure a spot in the Spartak starting line-up and get the playing time he needs to really progress as a player.
Ehson Panjshanbe (21, Tajikistan) – PFC Navbahor Namangan
A fast and athletic central midfielder who doesn’t need much time on the ball due to his excellent first-touch, Ehson Panjshanbe has been a regular in the Tajikistan national team for a number of years.
He was also was one of the best players in the Tajikistan Higher League prior to being snapped up by Uzbek side Navbahor Namangan mid-way through the 2020 season.
Panjshanbe has garnered a lot of attention as dead ball specialist, finding the net a number of times over the past few years with some beautifully executed free-kicks. What gets less attention, however, is his high work rate and tenacious ball winning ability.
The ability to break up attacks and quickly distribute the ball further up the field is a timeless skill set for central midfielders. Panjshanbe’s expertise in doing just this makes him one of the top young talents to watch in Central Asian football this year.
Abduvohid Nematov (19, Uzbekistan) – Nasaf
The third Uzbek but unsurprisingly the only goalkeeper to make the list is Abduvohid Nematov. It’s extremely rare for a teenage goalkeeper to establish himself as a club’s starter, but that’s exactly what Nematov has been able to do for the past two seasons at Nasaf.
Worldwide there are currently very few teenage goalkeepers with the same level of first-team experience as Nematov. The amount of playing time he has been able to clock early in his young career is even more surprising given that at barely six feet tall (182cm) he is well under the ideal height for a keeper.
His lack of height, however, is easily compensated for with his high levels of athleticism which help to give him a good level of aerial reach and a solid command of his area.
By far Nematov’s best attribute is his excellent shot stopping ability. Over the course of his first two seasons with Nasaf, Nematov has consistently shown that he has excellent reflexes and is capable of pulling off all the saves that top class goalkeepers need to make.
Gulzhigit Alykulov (20, Kyrgyz Republic) – Kairat
Twenty-year-old Kyrgyz Republic international Gulzhigit Alykulov is the final player on our list. A skillful and intelligent attacking player who is able to play on either wing, Alykulov is probably the most technically capable player on this list.
Despite his young age, Alykulov has already played in three different countries in his short career.
Starting out in 2018 in his native Kyrgyzstan, Alykulov lit up the Kyrgyz Premier League in his debut season. A move to Europe soon followed, joining Belarusian club Neman Grodno.
A solid season with Neman saw him further develop as a player and he soon became a regular in the rapidly improving Kyrgyz Republic national team.
Alykulov’s excellent form did not go unnoticed, picking up 2019 Kyrgyz Footballer of the Year award and securing himself another big move, this time to Kazakhstan’s Kairat.
Alykulov’s first season in Kazakhstan was a huge success. Consistently impressing with his flair and dribbling ability, he was an integral part of the Kairat team that went onto win their first league title in over a decade.
Next season Kairat should have a decent shot at reaching the Europa League group stage. If they make it, Alkulov will have a bigger platform to both develop as player and showcase his talent.
