Beknaz Almazbekovich Almazbekov (Kyrgyz: Бекназ Алмазбеков; Russian: Бекназ Алмазбекович Алмазбеков; born 23 June 2005) is a Kyrgyz footballer who plays as a forward for Turkish club Galatasaray.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Beknaz Almazbekovich Almazbekov | ||
| Date of birth | 23 June 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Galatasaray | ||
| Number | 44 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Alga Bishkek | |||
| 2017– | Galatasaray | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | Kyrgyzstan U16 | 3 | (2) |
| 2022– | Kyrgyzstan U20 | 3 | (1) |
| 2022– | Kyrgyzstan | 2 | (0) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:00, 11 June 2022 (UTC) | |||
Club career edit
Bishkek edit
Born in Kyrgyzstan, Almazbekov moved to Turkey as a child, as his brother had received an offer to study at a university there.[2] He had played football in his homeland with Alga Bishkek, and was invited to join Galatasaray shortly after his arrival in Turkey.[3] As he was under 18 at the time, the move came under investigation from UEFA, who found no fault, as Almazbekov had not moved to Turkey solely for football-related purposes.[2]
Galatasaray edit
In 2019, while playing for the Galatasaray youth team, he made international headlines by deliberately missing a penalty that he felt the referee had unfairly awarded to his team.[4][5] The following year, after continuing his good form with the Galatasaray youth teams, he was named by the AFC as one of the best young players in Central Asia.[6]
In February 2022, he was promoted to the first team at the age of 16.[7][8] He made his unofficial debut in a 3–1 friendly loss to Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv, as part of the Global Tour for Peace, coming on as a substitute for Emre Kılınç.[3]
In September of the same year, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2005 worldwide.[9]
Almazbekov became the champion in the Süper Lig in the 2022–23 season with the Galatasaray team. Defeating Ankaragücü 4-1 away in the match played in the 36th week on 30 May 2023, Galatasaray secured the lead with 2 weeks before the end and won the 23rd championship in its history.[10]
International career edit
Almazbekov has represented Kyrgyzstan at youth international level.[1][6] In May 2022, he was called up to the senior national team for 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification matches.[11]
Personal life edit
Almazbekov has named former Galatasaray player Wesley Sneijder as an inspiration to him.[12]
Career statistics edit
International edit
- As of matches played 28 September 2022.[13]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyrgyzstan | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Honours edit
Galatasaray
References edit
- ^ a b "Beknaz Almazbekov". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Beknaz Almazbekov kimdir ve kag yagindadir? Galatasaray'in yeni yildiz aday1 A Takim'la idmanda!" [Who is Beknaz Almazbekov and how old is he? Galatasaray's new star candidate is training with the A Team!]. spor.haber7.com (in Turkish). 15 April 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Кыргызстанский футболист дебютировал за турецкий "Галатасарай"" [Kyrgyz football player debuts for Turkish Galatasaray]. fergana.agency (in Russian). 15 April 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "13-year-old Galatasaray player deliberately misses controversial penalty". shropshirestar.com. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Dünya Galatasaraylı Beknaz'ı konuşuyor" [The world is talking about Galatasaray's Beknaz]. cnnturk.com (in Turkish). 28 March 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ a b "АФК назвала лучших молодых футболистов Центральной Азии" [AFC named the best young players in Central Asia]. fergana.agency (in Russian). 19 March 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Футболист из Кыргызстана попал в основной состав турецкого топ-клуба" [A football player from Kyrgyzstan got into the main team of the Turkish top club]. 24.kg (in Russian). 8 February 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Бекназ Алмазбеков готовится дебютировать за "Галатасарай"" [Beknaz Almazbekov is preparing to make his debut for Galatasaray]. 01.kg (in Russian). 11 February 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (28 September 2022). "Next Generation 2022: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Turkish Super Lig: Galatasaray win title for 23rd time after beating Ankaragucu 4-1". BBC Sport. May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "Кубок Азии. Названы футболисты расширенного состава сборной Кыргызстана" [Asian Cup. The players of the extended composition of the national team of Kyrgyzstan were named]. 24.kg (in Russian). 23 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Beknaz Almazbekov: 'Sneijder'i örnek alıyorum'" [Beknaz Almazbekov: 'I take Sneijder as an example']. sporx.com (in Turkish). 14 April 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Beknaz Almazbekov at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "CUMHURİYETİN YÜZÜ, TÜRKİYE'NİN EN BÜYÜĞÜ, ŞAMPİYON GALATASARAY!". Galatasaray S.K. May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
External links edit
- Beknaz Almazbekov at Soccerway