The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Uzbekistan

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This page contains a list of the greatest Uzbekistani Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 30 of which were born in Uzbekistan. This makes Uzbekistan the birth place of the 71st most number of Soccer Players behind Bolivia, and Montenegro.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Uzbekistani Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Uzbekistani Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Uzbekistani Soccer Players.

Photo of Vasilis Hatzipanagis

1. Vasilis Hatzipanagis (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 46.91, Vasilis Hatzipanagis is the most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages on wikipedia.

Vasilis Hatzipanagis (Greek: Βασίλης Χατζηπαναγής, Greek pronunciation: [vaˈsilis xad͡zipanaˈʝis], born 26 October 1954) is a Greek former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder for Iraklis Thessaloniki in the Greek Alpha Ethniki and Pakhtakor Tashkent in the Soviet Supreme League. He also played for Greece and the Soviet Union side. Hatzipanagis is widely acclaimed among Greek and international football aficionados as one of the preeminent Greek footballers of all time. Despite his undeniable talent, his career was marred by contractual controversies, which led to his perpetual underappreciation. Numerous sources have bestowed upon him the epithet of "the Greek Maradona," underscoring his skill and influence on the game. Notably, on 22 June 1984, he received the prestigious invitation to join the World XI, a team comprising esteemed football legends from around the globe, further solidifying his status as a luminary of the sport.

Photo of Maksim Shatskikh

2. Maksim Shatskikh (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 46.10, Maksim Shatskikh is the 2nd most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Maksim Aleksandrovich Shatskikh (born 30 August 1978) is an Uzbekistani professional football coach of Pakhtakor Tashkent and a former player. A prolific striker, he is widely regarded as one of the best Uzbekistani player of all time and is currently the top goalscorer of the national team with 34 goals in 61 games. Shatskikh is the joint all-time top scorer of the Ukrainian Premier League with 123 goals in 341 games together with Serhii Rebrov. He spent a decade playing for Dynamo Kyiv from 1999 to 2009. On 28 July 1999, Shatskikh became the first Asian player to score in the UEFA Champions League and is only the second Uzbekistani player, after Mirjalol Kasymov, to score in UEFA football competitions. At international level, he played in three AFC Asian Cups for Uzbekistan, helping them to fourth place in 2011. Most recently he played for Rukh Vynnyky. On 8 April 2016, it was announced that he ended his playing career and became a coaching staff of the Dynamo football academy. His brother Oleg Shatskikh is also a former footballer.

Photo of Server Djeparov

3. Server Djeparov (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 42.91, Server Djeparov is the 3rd most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Server Reshatovich Djeparov (Crimean Tatar: Server Reşat oğlu Ceparov; Uzbek: Server Rishodovich Jeparov, Uzbek Cyrillic: Сервер Ришодович Жепаров, born 3 October 1982) is a former Uzbek professional football midfielder who is the assistant coach of the Uzbek national team. He has won the Asian Footballer of the Year award twice in 2008 and 2011.

Photo of Mirjalol Qosimov

4. Mirjalol Qosimov (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 42.77, Mirjalol Qosimov is the 4th most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Mirjalol Kushakovich Qosimov (Uzbek: Mirjalol Qoʻshoqovich Qosimov, Russian: Мирджалол Кушакович Касымов; in English also: Mirdjalal Kasimov or Kasymov) (born 17 September 1970) is a former head coach of the Uzbekistan national football team. He also played for the national team as a playmaker in midfield. Qosimov is currently the manager of AGMK.

Photo of Eldor Shomurodov

5. Eldor Shomurodov (b. 1995)

With an HPI of 42.47, Eldor Shomurodov is the 5th most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  Her biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Eldor Azamat oʻgʻli Shomurodov (born 29 June 1995) is an Uzbek professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Roma and captains the Uzbekistan national team. Shomurodov played in his homeland for Mash'al Mubarek and Bunyodkor, before spending three years with Rostov in the Russian Premier League. In 2020, he moved to Genoa in Serie A for €8 million and a year later Roma for €17.5 million, followed by loan spells at Spezia and Cagliari. After helping the under-20 team to the quarter-finals of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Shomurodov made his full international debut for Uzbekistan later that year, and represented the country at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. With 41 goals, he is the nation's all-time top scorer.

Photo of Dimitris Papadopoulos

6. Dimitris Papadopoulos (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 40.46, Dimitris Papadopoulos is the 6th most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Dimitrios Papadopoulos (Greek: Δημήτριος Παπαδόπουλος; born 20 October 1981 in Uzbekistan, Jizzakh region, Mirzachul district) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.

Photo of Odil Ahmedov

7. Odil Ahmedov (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 39.81, Odil Ahmedov is the 7th most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Odil Akhmedov (Uzbek Cyrillic: Одил Аҳмедов; born 25 November 1987) is a former Uzbek professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He represented Uzbekistan national team.

Photo of Peter Odemwingie

8. Peter Odemwingie (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 39.05, Peter Odemwingie is the 8th most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Peter Osaze Odemwingie (born 15 July 1981) is a former professional footballer who played as a forward. Born in what is now Uzbekistan, Odemwingie began his career with Bendel Insurance in the Nigeria Premier League. He then earned a move to European football with Belgian side La Louvière where he spent three seasons winning the Belgian Cup before moving to French side Lille. Odemwingie scored 26 goals for Lille while also playing in the UEFA Champions League with the side. Lokomotiv Moscow bought him for £10 million in July 2007. He scored 23 times in 3+1⁄2 years for Lokomotiv. He joined English side West Bromwich Albion in August 2010. He scored 30 Premier League goals for the Baggies, which won him three Premier League Player of the Month awards. A failed move to Queens Park Rangers saw him fall out of favour with manager Steve Clarke and he was sold to Cardiff City in August 2013 for a fee of £2.25 million. He spent six months at Cardiff before joining Stoke City in a player-exchange with Kenwyne Jones in January 2014. Odemwingie made his debut for the Nigeria national team in a friendly against Kenya in May 2002 and has represented the country over 60 times, including at two World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations, as well as winning silver at the 2008 Olympics.

Photo of Alexander Geynrikh

9. Alexander Geynrikh (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 38.91, Alexander Geynrikh is the 9th most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Alexander Rudolfovich Geynrikh (Russian: Александр Рудольфович Гейнрих, Aleksandr Rudolfovich Geynrikh, German: Alexander Heinrich; born 6 October 1984) is an Uzbek former footballer who played as a forward for the Uzbekistan national team.

Photo of Jaloliddin Masharipov

10. Jaloliddin Masharipov (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 38.67, Jaloliddin Masharipov is the 10th most famous Uzbekistani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Jaloliddin Masharipov (Uzbek: Джалолиддин Машарипов; born 1 September 1993) is an Uzbek professional footballer who plays as a winger for Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal, and the Uzbekistan national team.

People

Pantheon has 40 people classified as Uzbekistani soccer players born between 1954 and 2003. Of these 40, 39 (97.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Uzbekistani soccer players include Vasilis Hatzipanagis, Maksim Shatskikh, and Server Djeparov. The most famous deceased Uzbekistani soccer players include Vladimir Fyodorov. As of April 2024, 10 new Uzbekistani soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Vladimir Fyodorov, Ulugbek Bakayev, and Jasur Hasanov.

Living Uzbekistani Soccer Players

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Deceased Uzbekistani Soccer Players

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Newly Added Uzbekistani Soccer Players (2024)

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