Mexico's major sports media platform - balonypie.com portal published an analytical article about the performance of Abduqodir Khusanov, the most famous footballer of the Uzbekistan national team participating in the 2026 World Cup. Experts note that Husanov has achieved great success in a short period of time and continues to make a name for himself in world football.
Abdukodir's professional career began in 2022 outside of Uzbekistan, when he moved to the Belarusian club Energetik-BGU. However, his true talent and potential were revealed at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. At this tournament, Khusanov distinguished himself with his high skill in complex situations, defensive mastery, and accurate passes from defense to various distances.
His brilliant performances paved the way for him to enter the European elite, and in the summer of 2023, he signed a contract with the French club "Lans." This was a challenging challenge, as the Uzbek footballer went almost entirely from the amateur stage to participating in the UEFA Champions League and playing against major French clubs.
It was during this period that Abdukodir Khusanov was recognized as a truly "unpolished diamond," because his ability to anticipate the opponent's movements, his strength in single combat, and decisive participation in counterattacks created opportunities for him to achieve great success.
As expected, Husanov did not stay in France for long. A year and a half later, in January 2025, during the winter transfer window, Manchester City, managed by Pep Guardiola, offered 40 million euros for the Uzbek footballer. However, due to a decline in John Stones' performance and Ruben Dias' injuries, Abdukodir was forced to show himself immediately, with limited time to adapt to the new environment and the team.
Khusanov is a 22-year-old right-footed central defender, 1.86 meters tall, who, in addition to his defensive abilities, is distinguished by his speed, ball control, and ability to organize the game from defense. These are key factors in Guardiola's teams, as ball control, consistent positional shifts, and rational movements are prioritized.
An additional advantage is its ability to appear in various areas of attack. This allows activating the internal channel, opening access to one of the midfielders, moving in sync with the wing-back, or even making long passes to bypass the defensive lines after exiting the pressing.
The Uzbek defender has also repeatedly played effectively in almost right-back positions or in the center of the triple defense.
The statistics of the 2025-2026 season in the Premier League also confirm his performance: expected counter-goals (xGA) - 11.32, conceded goals - 7, passing accuracy - 91.3%, winning duels - 56.4%, ball withdrawal efficiency - 71.4%, winning air duels - 23.1%, blocks - 19, clean sheets - 30, recovery - 40.
However, not everything is perfect. In recent matches, Khusanov struggled against agile players capable of long-range shots, often losing position and leaving the goal defenseless. He also appeared weak in struggles for high balls and often lost easily. This shows a weakness in competitiveness, and if he wants to stay with the European elite, especially in the English Premier League, where standard situations are becoming increasingly important, he must address this shortcoming.
World Cup: a real challenge
It's hard to imagine a country like Uzbekistan participating in the World Cup, but after the format changed, this country will participate in the World Cup for the first time in 2026. Abdukodir Khusanov will take on the task of worthily defending the honor of the national team, as well as demonstrating to the whole world that he is not an "unpolished diamond," but a star of the world elite. According to expert Santiago Hernandez, Khusanov will strengthen his position on the world stage as a true star.
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