Utkir Yusupov #1

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Yusupov was born in Kazakhstan’s Turkistan region and moved to Tashkent with his family when he was five. He started his footballing life as a midfielder, but his team’s goalkeeper kept making mistakes so he took over the position – and stayed there. To support his family, he also worked in a shop and sold pastries in a market. “I didn’t have money to buy gloves. I would buy construction workers’ gloves at the market and wear two layers,” he recalled. In 2017, Yusupov obtained Uzbek citizenship and made his debut for the national team a year later. “I debuted in a friendly against Qatar,” he recalled. “It unexpectedly snowed in October, and I went out wearing a short-sleeved kit. I was freezing the entire match – but I didn’t concede a goal.” Yusupov is currently the first-choice goalkeeper for the national team, with excellent reflexes, and is considered a penalty-saving expert, unusually adept at reading his opponent's intentions. He saved two penalties in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

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