Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia), Victor Wanyama (Kenya), Onel Hernandez (Cuba), Junior Firpo (Dominican Republic), Jordi Amat (Indonesia)…what do all of these players have in common? They’re the sole players to represent their country in the Premier League.
Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, there have been a total of 126 nations represented in the English top-flight. Of those countries, 18 of them have had only one player represent them in the Premier League. At 20 years of age, Abdokodir Khusanov has become the latest player to join this exclusive group.
Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Khusanov developed at Bunyodkor’s academy before deciding to leave immediately after turning 18 and joining Energetik-BGU in March 2022. Khusanov didn’t take long to leave his mark in Belarus and quickly became one of the first names on the team sheet, eventually making his senior debut for Uzbekistan in June 2023. One month later, Khusanov left Eastern Europe and headed west for France, joining Lens on a four-year contract.
“Khusanov was discovered by Energetik-BGU at a U16 tournament played between Uzbekistan, Belarus and a few other former Soviet nations,” said Uzbek football expert Conor Bowers to RG. “Once he got there, he was basically a level above everyone and was one of their most dangerous players. He’d get the ball from the back and just push forward and take shots, he played with aggression, and he quickly became used to the physical nature of Belarussian football. You could see he was too good for that level within a few games. He has all the tools to be elite, he just needs good coaching and time to develop.”
Over the next year, Khusanov would become the first Uzbek player to play in Ligue 1, the youngest Uzbek to play in any UEFA competition, the first Uzbek to play in the Coupe de France, as well as the youngest Uzbek to play in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. He also emerged as a key figure in defense for Uzbekistan, excelling for the White Wolves in the Asian Cup and the Summer Olympics.
Khusanov began the 2024/25 season on the bench, with Kevin Danso, Jonathan Gradit and Facundo Medina being the preferred central trio. However, when Danso looked set to join Roma in the final days of the summer window for €25 million, the cardiologist spotted a minor, harmless scarring on his heart during the medicals. Whilst Danso recovered from his surgery, Khusanov was able to take advantage of his teammates’ convalescence and emerge as a vital figure in defense.
After registering just 15 appearances in 2023/24, Khusanov has already racked up 16 this season. He’s impressed in Lens’ backline and emerged as one of the first names on Will Still’s team sheet thanks to his blistering speed, incisive passing, and last-ditch defending. He never shies away from a duel and is more than capable of recovering in time to put in a forceful tackle, whilst he’s always first on the scene and anticipating the danger before it arrives: in fact, only Auxerre’s Gideon Mensah (2.2) and Brest’s Julien Le Cardinal (2.7) are completing more interceptions per 90 in Ligue 1 than Khusanov (2.0).
He was even voted into the Ligue 1 Team of the First Half of the 2024/25 season by fans, and his stellar displays earned the attention of various Premier League clubs like Tottenham, Wolves and Newcastle. However, it was Manchester City, winners of the past four Premier League championships, who won the race for Khusanov. 18 months after joining Lens for €100,000, Khusanov joined City for €40 million plus bonuses, signing a contract through June 2029.
A mere three years after playing in Uzbekistan, Khusanov will be looking to ply his trade at the top level of world football and take the next step in his development under Pep Guardiola. But can he help City turn around their woeful form? That will be easier said than done.
