Abdukadir Khusanov: the road from Belarus to Manchester City

Belarusian football representatives proudly note Abdukadir Khusanov's transfer to Manchester City, acknowledging that he began his professional career in the Belarusian Premier League.

The road to Europe through Belarus

The Uzbek player signed his first professional contract with Energetik-BGU in 2022 and a year later moved to Lens, the then French vice-champion. This transfer was marked as the first major sale in the history of Belarusian football by a local team to a European top-5 league.

Belarusian footballer on Uzbek football

Yaroslav Makushinsky, who currently plays for the Belarusian club Vitebsk, once played for Bukhara in the Uzbek championship and played with Abdukadir Khusanov in Energetik-BGU. He said in an interview:

➤ “The first league of the Uzbek championship is also a strong competition. The organization is at a high level, there are a lot of fans. They actively support their team.”

➤ “The club ‘Bukhara’, where I played, could fight for fifth place in the Belarusian Premier League. Because the competition there is very strong and the level of the teams is very close to each other.”

Thoughts about Abdukadir Khusanov

Makushinsky also spoke about Khusanov’s hard work and discipline:

“Abdukadir could not get into the starting lineup when he first came to Energetik-BGU, but he worked very hard. He gave 100 percent in training. He was not only a talented player, but also a humble person.”

European giants fought for Khusanov

Abdukadir Khusanov learned the secrets of football at the Bunyodkor academy. However, as a teenager, he went to Belarus and at the age of 18 signed a professional contract with Energetik-BGU.

As a result of his rapid development, he came to the attention of European clubs through Lens. There was a serious competition for his transfer between Manchester City and Real Madrid. In the end, the English champions won and agreed to pay 50 million euros for him.

Abdukadir Khusanov is currently the first and so far the only Uzbek player to play in the top divisions of the French and English championships.

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