| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Beknaz Almazbekovich Almazbekov | ||
| Date of birth | (2005-06-23)23 June 2005 (age 19) | ||
| Place of birth | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan[1] | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rukh Lviv | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2017 | Alga Bishkek | ||
| 2017–2024 | Galatasaray | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2025 | Llapi | 9 | (0) |
| 2025– | Rukh Lviv | 2 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | Kyrgyzstan U16 | 3 | (2) |
| 2022– | Kyrgyzstan U20 | 6 | (2) |
| 2022– | Kyrgyzstan | 12 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 March 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 September 2024 | |||
Beknaz Almazbekovich Almazbekov (Kyrgyz:Бекназ Алмазбеков;Russian:Бекназ Алмазбекович Алмазбеков; born 23 June 2005) is a Kyrgyzfootballer who plays as aforward for Ukrainian clubRukh Lviv.
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 withAlga Bishkek, and was invited to joinGalatasaray shortly after his arrival in Turkey.[4] As he was under 18 at the time, the move came under investigation fromUEFA, who found no fault, as Almazbekov had not moved to Turkey solely for football-related purposes.[3]
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 theAFC 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 sideDynamo Kyiv, as part of theGlobal Tour for Peace, coming on as a substitute forEmre Kılınç.[4]
In September of the same year, he was named by English newspaperThe Guardian as one of the best players born in 2005 worldwide.[10]
On 1 September 2024, it was announced that Almazbekov was transferred toKF Llapi of theKosovo Superleague. The player then signed a three-year contract with the club.[11]
Almazbekov has represented Kyrgyzstan at youth international level.[1][7] In May 2022, he was called up to the seniornational team for2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification matches.[12]
Almazbekov has named former Galatasaray playerWesley Sneijder as an inspiration to him.[13]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyrgyzstan | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Galatasaray
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