Jakhongir Urozov barely featured during a frustrating spell at Turkish side Eyüpspor. Less than two years later, he has established himself as one of the Uzbekistan Super League’s standout defenders and earned a move to Rubin Kazan, where he will hope to succeed where compatriot Rustam Ashurmatov struggled.
Just two years ago, Urozov’s European career looked to be over before it had really begun. Now, the Uzbekistan international returns to the continent as a FIFA World Cup participant, with Russian outlet Sport24 reporting that his salary will increase more than fourfold to around €37,500 per month.
Rubin Kazan have confirmed the signing of the 22-year-old on loan from Dinamo Samarkand until the end of 2026. The clubs have not disclosed the financial details of the deal.
According to Sport24, Rubin will pay an initial €100,000 loan fee, with an option to buy worth a further €700,000. The clause will become mandatory if Urozov features in at least half of the club’s official matches.
The report also claims the defender will earn €450,000 per season in Kazan. By comparison, he is believed to have earned approximately €7,000 a month at Dinamo Samarkand.
Why Urozov rejected Rubin the first time
Interestingly, Urozov’s move to Kazan was not straightforward. Back in June, his agent Shakhriyor Eshboyev confirmed Rubin had offered the defender a four-year contract, but revealed the proposal had been rejected.
According to Eshboyev, Urozov’s priority was a move to one of Europe’s top leagues. He claimed interest had come from clubs in Germany, Italy, England, the Netherlands and Turkey, with the defender determined to test himself at the highest level.
The most notable link was with Borussia Mönchengladbach. German outlet Kicker included the Uzbekistan international among a number of centre-backs being monitored by the Bundesliga club. However, there was never a formal offer, with the interest remaining at the scouting stage.
Dinamo Samarkand also stood firm over their valuation. Club officials told Eurasia Football they would only consider offers worth around $1 million, although the club later confirmed it had not received any official bids from Europe. Head coach Vadim Abramov echoed that view, telling EF there had been far more rumours than genuine offers.
Arda Turan wanted him, but opportunities never came
When Urozov joined Eyüpspor in 2023, he was regarded as one of Uzbekistan’s brightest young defensive prospects. By then, he had captained his country to the AFC U20 Asian Cup title, played at the FIFA U20 World Cup and earned a five-year contract under former Barcelona and Atlético Madrid star Arda Turan.
Urozov later admitted the move came as a surprise, while Turan publicly welcomed the signing. However, the excitement quickly faded. Instead of breaking into the first team, the defender was assigned to the club’s U19 squad.
His only senior appearance came in the Turkish Cup, when he was introduced in the 88th minute against Beşiktaş. After that, he rarely featured in the first-team squad and, despite signing until 2028, his contract was terminated early.
Urozov returned to Uzbekistan in the summer of 2024 with his career at a crossroads. No longer the highly-rated teenager heading for Europe, he was a young defender coming off a lost season and needing to rebuild his reputation.
Dinamo head coach Abramov gave him exactly what he needed: regular football and the confidence to develop without fearing that one mistake would cost him his place.
Back to his best under Abramov
The defender quickly established himself as a regular after joining the Samarkand side. The club initially signed him on loan before making the move permanent, and the defender soon became one of Abramov’s most trusted players.
The 2025 season proved to be a turning point. Dinamo finished fourth in the Uzbekistan Super League, its best result in 25 years, while Urozov was named in the league’s Team of the Season.
Most importantly, he finally received the consistent first-team football that had been missing in Turkey. Instead of being judged on training sessions and a brief cameo in the Turkish Cup, Abramov trusted him week after week, allowing the young centre-back to develop through competitive matches and, just as importantly, learn from his mistakes.
The rewards came quickly. In the spring of 2026, Urozov made his senior debut for Uzbekistan and marked the occasion with a goal against Gabon. Within months, the defender had gone from returning home after a disappointing spell in Turkey to representing his country at its first-ever FIFA World Cup.
The road back, however, was far from straightforward.
A setback before the World Cup
The start of the 2026 season was difficult for Urozov. Dinamo were dealing with financial problems, creating uncertainty throughout the squad, and the young defender endured a rare dip in form. Individual mistakes led directly to goals in several league matches.
After one of those games, Abramov publicly defended his player. He admitted Urozov had made uncharacteristic errors but argued the defender had also been unfortunate. Abramov also pointed to Urozov’s impressive performances for Uzbekistan, where he had looked far more composed and even produced a crucial defensive intervention in one match.
His place in Uzbekistan’s FIFA World Cup squad was not guaranteed. Fabio Cannavaro initially named an extended training squad before cutting it down to 26 players, and Urozov’s domestic form meant there were genuine doubts over whether he would make the final selection.
However, the defender possessed something few others in the squad could offer. A naturally left-footed centre-back, Urozov provided valuable balance in Cannavaro’s preferred back three, allowing Uzbekistan to build attacks more naturally from the left side. That versatility ultimately secured his place in the final squad.
Questions over his consistency did not disappear. In Uzbekistan’s final warm-up match against the Netherlands, Urozov mistimed a challenge on Crysencio Summerville and conceded the penalty from which Cody Gakpo opened the scoring. By then, however, his place at the World Cup was already secure.
He made his tournament debut as a substitute against Colombia before remaining on the bench against Portugal. His first start finally arrived in Uzbekistan’s final group match against DR Congo.
DR Congo showed Urozov’s value
Urozov started alongside Abdukodir Khusanov and Rustam Ashurmatov in Uzbekistan’s back three against DR Congo. After Eldor Shomurodov’s early opener, the side protected its lead for almost an hour.
During that spell, Urozov produced one of the strongest performances of his career. He kept his game simple, remained composed under pressure and looked comfortable alongside two far more experienced international defenders.
As The Leopards grew into the match after the break, Uzbekistan’s entire defence came under increasing pressure, but the Super League defender showed he belonged on the World Cup stage.
Importantly, DR Congo’s equaliser did not stem from a mistake by Urozov. The penalty was conceded by Khusanov, while Urozov himself was substituted in the 82nd minute as Cannavaro sacrificed a defender for striker Igor Sergeev with Uzbekistan chasing the game.
The match ended in a 3-1 defeat, but it also demonstrated that Urozov could compete at a far higher level than many had expected.
The World Cup changed how he was viewed. Before the tournament, he was one of the Uzbekistan Super League’s most promising young defenders. Afterwards, he was a World Cup starter who had held his own on football’s biggest stage.
A chance to succeed where Ashurmatov could not
The experience of fellow international Rustam Ashurmatov should serve as both inspiration and a warning.
Ashurmatov made 45 appearances and scored three goals for Rubin Kazan. His spell at the club was far from a failure, but he never established himself as the undisputed first-choice centre-back.
Before joining Iranian side Esteghlal, he admitted he wanted more regular playing time to improve his chances of featuring at the World Cup.
Urozov arrives in a more favourable tactical situation. Younger and naturally left-footed, he is well suited for Rubin’s back three.
However, nothing will be handed to him. At Rubin, being an Uzbekistan international or a World Cup player guarantees nothing. Every place has to be earned, and a run of mistakes could quickly see him lose ground in the battle for minutes.
That leaves him in an interesting position. He arrives neither as an automatic starter nor as a squad player. His first months are likely to be split between Russian Premier League rotation and Russian Cup matches.
From there, everything will depend on whether he can combine his obvious strengths, left foot, aerial presence and comfort in a back three, with the consistency that occasionally deserted him earlier this year.
At Eyüpspor, Urozov was never given the opportunity to prove himself. Abramov offered him that chance in Samarkand, guiding the defender from a handful of minutes in Turkey to the Uzbekistan national team, the World Cup and, ultimately, a move back to Europe.
Now, the challenge begins again. This time, every opportunity will have to be earned.