adminGangwon FC playmaker Ikromjom Alibayev was once in the limelight as the midfield commander responsible for the future of Uzbekistan. It was also at the international competition that Kangwon coach Choi Yong-soo confirmed Alibayev’s talent. I highly appreciated the talent of Alibayev, who proudly showed off his skills against Korea while wearing the Uzbekistan U-23 national soccer team uniform. He was brought to FC Seoul, and this is why he was called back to Gangwon this year.
All soccer players are the same, but the national team is the ultimate goal and dream of the players. Alibayev is no different. Moreover, Uzbekistan, which Alibayev belongs to, is one of the rivals that Korea always encountered on the road in the process of qualifying for the World Cup, so it is familiar to Korean fans. So, I had a short talk with Alibayev about soccer in Uzbekistan, not the K-League or Korean soccer. The story of ‘K-League’ but ‘Uzbekistan national team’ Alibayev is rarely covered in the Korean media, so I think it will be quite interesting for Korean soccer fans.
“I don’t know what people do, but I want to do my best in Gangwon.”
Alibayev calmly admitted that fact when he was told that he had not always succeeded just before the finals. Alibayev said bitterly, “As you said, I always went all the way to the final qualifying round, but I couldn’t get past that hurdle.” Then, “Personally, honestly, it’s hard to know what the problem is. However, last year, the Uzbekistan U-23 national soccer team played well in the Korean expedition. Since there have been achievements, I think young players will be able to advance to the World Cup as the main axis. Moreover, from the next World Cup, it will be possible because the number of tickets to the finals increases.” Even so, he blurted out, “But I’m too old to be able to go out.”
Alibayev is 30 years old in Korean age. He can’t be seen as young, but it’s also too early to give up. Moreover, there are quite a few cases where veteran players are taken as a mental support. When he said that it would be possible if he used Gangwon FC as a stepping stone to return to the national team, he simply replied, “I will work hard.”
There is a reason. Alibayev has not been called up to the national team since the game against Georgia on November 15, 2021. Although he was put in a bad situation for various reasons such as injuries during his loan life at Daejeon or Citizen, he showed a comeback by playing 18 games at his country’s prestigious Park Takor Tashkent. Nevertheless, the reason he considers himself estranged from the national team is that the current Uzbekistan coach Sretsko Katanechi has never called him.
It’s just a joke since it’s still before the season starts, but when asked if he would call again if he scored 15 goals and provided 15 assists, as Kangwon coach Choi Yong-soo said, he laughed and said, “It will be difficult.” At the same time, Alibaev asked, “Do you remember Jamsar Iskanderov, who played for Seongnam FC in the past?” 스포츠토토
After leaving Seongnam, Iskanderov played an active part in Uzbekistan club PFC Nabbahor Namangan. He had excellent performances such as 7 goals and 8 assists in 26 matches in the Uzbekistan League and 7 matches, 4 goals and 1 assist in the Uzbekistan Cup, and was also named the 2022 Uzbekistan Player of the Year. Alibayev said, “Iskanderov showed good performance enough to become the player of the year in Uzbekistan, but he was not called up to the national team. “he said.
In short, Ali Bayev saw that it would be difficult for Uzbekistan coach Katanechi to make a strong generational change, so it would be difficult for him and other players of his age to join the national team. At the same time, he did not hide that he still had lingering feelings for the national team, saying, “You don’t know about people. If you succeed in as many points as possible in Gangwon, there is a chance that you will be called again.”
To Alibayev, he joked that coach Choi Yong-soo might achieve great results in Gangwon and become the Uzbekistan national team coach. Then, when he said that he would be used as an ace in Uzbekistan, Ali Bayev laughed, saying, “If that happens, of course I will be able to go to the national team.” Alibayev seemed satisfied with the fact that he was receiving the coach’s trust in Gangwon, which he had not been able to gain for a while within the Uzbekistan national team.