Beknaz Almazbekov

Beknaz Almazbekov
Personal information
Full name Beknaz Almazbekovich Almazbekov
Date of birth (2005-06-23) 23 June 2005
Place of birth Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan[1]
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position Forward
Youth career
2014–2017 Alga Bishkek
2017–2024 Galatasaray
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024–2025 Llapi 9 (0)
2025–2026 Rukh Lviv 25 (0)
International career‡
2019 Kyrgyzstan U16 3 (2)
2022– Kyrgyzstan U20 6 (2)
2022– Kyrgyzstan 13 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 June 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 June 2025

Beknaz Almazbekovich Almazbekov (Kyrgyz: Бекназ Алмазбеков; Russian: Бекназ Алмазбекович Алмазбеков; born 23 June 2005) is a Kyrgyz professional footballer who plays as a forward.

Club career

Bishkek

Born in Kyrgyzstan, Almazbekov moved to Turkey as a child, as his brother had received an offer to study at a university there.[3] He had played football in his homeland with Alga Bishkek, and was invited to join Galatasaray shortly after his arrival in Turkey.[4] 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.[3]

Galatasaray

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.[5][6] 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.[7]

In February 2022, he was promoted to the first team at the age of 16.[8][9] 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.[4]

In September of the same year, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2005 worldwide.[10]

KF Llapi

On 1 September 2024, it was announced that Almazbekov was transferred to KF Llapi of the Kosovo Superleague. The player then signed a three-year contract with the club.[11]

International career

Almazbekov has represented Kyrgyzstan at youth international level.[1][7] In May 2022, he was called up to the senior national team for 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification matches.[12]

Personal life

Almazbekov has named former Galatasaray player Wesley Sneijder as an inspiration to him.[13]

Career statistics

International

As of matches played 28 September 2022.[14]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Kyrgyzstan 202210
Total10

International goals

Scores and results list Kyrgyzstan's goal tally first.
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1. 27 March 2026 Calista Sports Center, Belek, Türkiye  Madagascar 1–4 2–5 Friendly

Honours

Galatasaray

References

  1. 1 2 "Beknaz Almazbekov". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  2. ↑ Beknaz Almazbekov at Soccerway
  3. 1 2 "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. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Кыргызстанский футболист дебютировал за турецкий "Галатасарай"" [Kyrgyz football player debuts for Turkish Galatasaray]. fergana.agency (in Russian). 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "13-year-old Galatasaray player deliberately misses controversial penalty". shropshirestar.com. 28 March 2019. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Dünya Galatasaraylı Beknaz'ı konuşuyor" [The world is talking about Galatasaray's Beknaz]. cnnturk.com (in Turkish). 28 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 "АФК назвала лучших молодых футболистов Центральной Азии" [AFC named the best young players in Central Asia]. fergana.agency (in Russian). 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "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. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "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.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "Llapi transfers a footballer from Galatasaray". koha.net. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "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. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  13. ↑ "Beknaz Almazbekov: 'Sneijder'i örnek alıyorum'" [Beknaz Almazbekov: 'I take Sneijder as an example']. sporx.com (in Turkish). 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  14. ↑ Beknaz Almazbekov at National-Football-Teams.com
  15. ↑ "CUMHURİYETİN YÜZÜ, TÜRKİYE'NİN EN BÜYÜĞÜ, ŞAMPİYON GALATASARAY!". Galatasaray S.K. 30 May 2023. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
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