Kyrgyzstan continue to search for players abroad who could strengthen the national team in the coming years. Eurasia Football begins a series on little-known footballers with Kyrgyz roots or those who already hold Kyrgyz citizenship.
The first part features five players based in Germany and Portugal. All of them either have a direct connection to Kyrgyzstan or grew up in families originating from the country. The list includes both an established player with experience in top European divisions and several young prospects only beginning the transition into senior football.
Michael Martin, 26 — Heilbronn-Freiberg, Germany
Martin is the most experienced player in this selection and the candidate most capable of helping the senior national team immediately.
He was born in Crailsheim, Germany. In an interview with club magazine VOLKSROAD, it was noted that his parents are from Kyrgyzstan. Michael began playing football with local side Satteldorf before joining Stuttgart’s academy at U13 level. He later spent time with Heidenheim and Bochum.
Martin made 48 appearances and scored seven goals for Bochum U19 in the youth Bundesliga. He trained with the club’s first team and expected to receive a professional contract, but the situation changed after a coaching change. During that period, the midfielder also had an option to join Lokomotiv Moscow, but turned down the move because he was initially offered a place with the second team.
After a difficult start to his senior career, Martin revived his career in Austria. He quickly established himself at Vorwärts Steyr before moving to Ried. He made 28 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga during the season.
He later played for Paderborn in Germany, Sirius in Sweden, Dynamo České Budějovice in the Czech Republic and Emmen in the Netherlands, where he made 28 appearances, scored once and provided three assists.
In the summer of 2026, Martin temporarily returned to Germany and joined Heilbronn-Freiberg. He started all of the club’s first 11 matches in the Regionalliga Südwest, scoring once and providing three assists. In the latest match against Freiburg II, he won the penalty from which his team equalised before going on to win 2-1. After 11 rounds, Heilbronn-Freiberg remain unbeaten and top the table.
In Martin’s case, this is not about a distant prospect. He is a 26-year-old central midfielder with top-flight experience in Austria, Sweden and the Czech Republic who is currently playing regularly in Germany.
David Podelov, 16 — Alemannia Aachen U19, Germany
Podelov is one of the youngest players in this selection. He was born on October 24, 2009, and currently plays for Alemannia Aachen U19 despite still being eligible at U17 level.
David spent time in Cologne’s academy before continuing his development at Hennef. There he became one of the more notable players of his age group. In the Mittelrhein Cup final, Podelov scored twice against Fortuna Köln as his team won 5-2.
He was also involved in Germany’s regional talent-identification system. Podelov was invited to selection events for the Mittelrhein regional team, which brings together promising players from academies including Cologne, Bayer Leverkusen, Viktoria Köln and other clubs in the region.
In the summer of 2025, David moved to Alemannia. This season, the 16-year-old forward has already made four appearances for the U19 side in the DFB-Nachwuchsliga, against Bochum, Elversberg, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Saarbrücken. He came off the bench in all four matches and played a total of 97 minutes.
David is not the only footballer in the Podelov family. His older brother, Demas Podelov, born in 2003, also came through a strong German development system. He spent time in Bayer Leverkusen’s academy and later played for Hennef’s youth teams, including at U17 Bundesliga level.
The family’s connection to Kyrgyzstan also appears to be more than formal. The brothers’ mother, Elena Podelova, follows Kyrgyz football and Dordoi. Under a social-media post by the Bishkek club about Alexander Mishchenko, she wrote: “Es ist mein Land. Viel Erfolg Alex” — “This is my country. Good luck, Alex.”
David is still too young for the senior national team, but he is exactly the kind of player Kyrgyzstan could look to bring into its system at youth level.
Alexander Vyatkin, 19 — Gau-Odernheim, Germany
Unlike some of the other players in this selection, Alexander Vyatkin has already been directly on the Kyrgyz Football Union’s radar.
In 2024, he was invited to a training camp with the Kyrgyzstan U18 national team. At the time, Vyatkin was playing in Germany for Wormatia Worms’ youth side.
Alexander later gained experience in one of Germany’s main youth competitions. He played for Wormatia U19, moved to Sandhausen U19 in the summer of 2025 and then joined Gau-Odernheim in the winter. At DFB-Nachwuchsliga level, he faced academy teams from Karlsruhe and Hoffenheim.
Vyatkin has now made the full transition into senior football. His current club competes in the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar, the fifth tier of German football.
In the 2026/27 season, Alexander has played for both the first and second teams. He has already made ten league appearances — one for the senior side in the Oberliga and nine for Gau-Odernheim II in the Bezirksliga.
He has two goals and two assists for the reserve team, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Budenheim. He has also been given playing time with the first team in cup matches.
This is therefore no longer simply a potential candidate with Kyrgyz roots. The KFU already knows the player, Vyatkin has been involved with the country’s youth national team and is now gradually establishing himself in senior German football.
Nursultan Imanov, 18 — Gafanha U19, Portugal
Imanov is a Kyrgyz midfielder born in 2008 who is now in his second season developing in Portugal.
Portuguese football databases list Nursultan directly as a player from Kyrgyzstan. He plays for Gafanha U19 and is gradually receiving more playing time.
In April, Nursultan was already completing full matches for the team. At the end of the season, Gafanha won the Divisão de Honra and earned promotion to the top youth division of the Aveiro Football Association championship.
In the 2026/27 season, Imanov has so far made two official appearances and played 160 minutes. He completed the full 90 minutes against União de Lamas and another 70 against Fiães. Gafanha won both matches without conceding, 2-0 and 5-0.
For the 18-year-old midfielder, the current season is particularly important. The next logical step is a move from U19 football into the senior game.
The fact that a Kyrgyz player has already spent two years inside Portugal’s football system makes him an interesting option primarily for the country’s youth national teams.
Sultan Askaraliev, 18 — Ala-Arriba, Portugal
Another Kyrgyz player in Portugal is forward Sultan Askaraliev. He was born in Kyrgyzstan on November 12, 2007.
His Portuguese journey began through Pro Direct Portugal before he joined Bom Sucesso. Last season, he played for the U23 side despite being significantly younger than most of his teammates and opponents. Askaraliev made ten appearances and scored one goal.
This season, he has taken the next step and moved into senior football with Ala-Arriba, who compete in the top division of the Coimbra district championship.
The Kyrgyz forward has made two appearances for his new club, playing 110 minutes in total: 45 minutes against Brasfemes and 65 against Eirense. Ala-Arriba won the second match 3-1.
At 18, Askaraliev is therefore already beginning to cross the most important threshold for a young player — the transition from youth to senior football.
And this is only Part 1. More countries are coming next. Follow Eurasia Football on social media and stay up to date.