🇺🇿 Uzbekistan’s game with Portugal marked a full circle moment for Uzbek football.
Back in 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo visited Uzbekistan’s Tashkent for a promotional visit to a national academy. Two current Uzbekistan national team players were in that group – Rustam Ashurmatov and Dostonbek Khamdamov.
Ronaldo’s arrival in Uzbekistan left a lasting impression on the local youth system. Ashurmatov explained the impact of Ronaldo’s visit to Uzbekistan as transformational for the country’s football:
🗣️ “Uzbek football was born with Cristiano Ronaldo’s visit to our country. The whole country saw him as a superhero. We grew up that way too. But when playing against him, he will be my rival, not my idol.”
17 years later, the then 13 year-olds faced off against the 41-year-old legend in the World Cup.
A dream realised.