Sixteen-year-old US-born forward Caleb Kopytin — known on social media as “baby_haaland” — has joined Ilbirs and is now eligible to represent Kyrgyzstan in official competitions.

Ilbirs has already presented the player and is widely regarded as one of the key development platforms feeding Kyrgyzstan’s youth national teams.

Kopytin was developed in the United States, playing youth soccer for South Carolina United FC and representing Fountain Inn High School in South Carolina. He previously featured in several friendly matches for Kyrgyzstan’s U-17 national team — appearances permitted before a player is formally tied to a federation — and scored in one of those games.

On social media, Kopytin uses the nickname baby_haaland, a reference to Norwegian striker Erling Haaland. The forward stands out physically for his age.

International transfers of minors are regulated under Article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. Kopytin obtained Kyrgyz citizenship through a simplified procedure, as one of his parents was born in Kyrgyzstan, and has completed the necessary requirements to represent the country.

For Kyrgyz football, integrating players eligible through family ties abroad is a familiar practice. In different years, the national team has included both Kyrgyz-born players holding foreign passports and foreign-born players eligible to represent the country through parental background. For young footballers, representing Kyrgyzstan can serve as an opportunity to step into the professional pathway and showcase themselves at a higher level.