Abdukodir Khusanov

Abdukodir Khusanov was born on 29 February 2004 in Tashkent. His father, Khikmat Khoshimov, was an Uzbekistan international; Abdukodir took his grandfather’s surname and came through Bunyodkor’s youth teams. When the club’s senior path stalled, he moved as a teenager to Energetik-BGU in Minsk.

In Belarus he became a starting centre-back and helped Energetik finish second in the league. Strong showings for Uzbekistan at the 2023 U-20 Asian Cup (hosts and champions) and the U-20 World Cup drew RC Lens, who signed him for a modest fee in 2023. He became the first Uzbek in Ligue 1 and featured in the Champions League.

Manchester City signed him in January 2025 on a multi-year deal — the first Uzbek in the Premier League — and he debuted within days against Chelsea. He remains a regular for Uzbekistan. For Central Asian football, his path (Tashkent academy → Eastern Europe → France → England) is now the clearest modern template other scouts point to.

City paid Champions League money for a defender still learning English football’s speed. That is either a statement about Uzbekistan’s rising talent or a big-club gamble on upside. The useful measure is not debut headlines — it is whether he becomes a rotation centre-back Pep Guardiola trusts in March and April. If he does, Tashkent gets a lasting export story. If not, he still opened a door other Uzbeks will try to walk through.