Otabek Shukurov #7

Profile

Another graduate of the Mashal Academy. Shukurov grew up working hard from childhood, washing cars and making shoes. He was the captain of the Uzbekistan team that won the Under-16 Asian Championship in Iran in 2012, and also played in the Under-17 World Cup the following year – Hoffenheim scouted him there and invited him for a trial, but did not proceed with the signing. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2016 and has become more than a player, a conductor of play from the centre of the field, who also has a wicket long shot. The best years of Shukurov’s career came in the UAE with Sharjah, where he spent more than four years, became known as “the Uzbek professor”, and made a huge contribution to them winning the league in 2019, for the first time in 15 years. Shukurov does a lot of charity work in his hometown of Kashkadarya, and during the pandemic provided food for 60 families there. “When I saw some footballers were doing the toilet roll challenge I felt bad, because that doesn’t help anyone. So I thought of a new challenge, something which can truly benefit poor people,” he said. “When I saw videos of families smiling and feeling happy, this for me was real happiness.”

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