1. Overview
Daler Adyamovich Kuzyayev (Далер Адьямович Кузяевdɐˈlʲer ɐˈdʲjaməvɪtɕ kʊˈzʲæ(j)ɪfRussian) is a Russian professional footballer who primarily plays as a central midfielder or a right midfielder. Born on January 15, 1993, in Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia, Kuzyayev currently plays for the French club Le Havre AC and the Russia national team. His club career has seen him play for several Russian teams, most notably FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, where he achieved significant domestic success, before making a move to France. He has also been an integral part of the Russia national team, representing his country in major international tournaments.
2. Personal Life
Daler Kuzyayev is ethnically a Tatar. He hails from a family with a strong footballing heritage. His older brother, Ruslan Kuzyayev, is also a professional footballer, having played predominantly in the lower leagues of Russia. His father, Adyam Kuzyayev, is a former footballer and currently works as a coach for JK Narva Trans in Estonia. Further back in his family's history, his grandfather, Kabir Kuzyayev, was a footballer who played in the Soviet First League for FC Pamir Dushanbe during the 1960s, establishing a multi-generational legacy in the sport.
3. Club Career
Daler Kuzyayev's professional club career began in the Russian lower divisions, progressing through various teams before his highly successful tenure with FC Zenit Saint Petersburg and his subsequent move to France.
3.1. Early Career
Kuzyayev initiated his professional journey in the Russian Second Division with FC Karelia Petrozavodsk. He made his debut for the club on July 23, 2012, in a match against FC Spartak Kostroma. During the 2012-13 season, he recorded 22 appearances for Karelia Petrozavodsk. He then moved to FC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk for the 2013-14 season, where he played 15 matches in the Russian First League.
His ascent continued as he joined Terek Grozny, making his debut in the Russian Premier League on May 15, 2014, in a game against FC Rubin Kazan. Over his four seasons with Terek Grozny, from 2013 to 2017, Kuzyayev accumulated 70 league appearances, establishing himself as a consistent presence in the top flight of Russian football.
3.2. Zenit Saint Petersburg
On June 14, 2017, Daler Kuzyayev returned to his youth club, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, signing a three-year contract. His debut for Zenit on July 16, 2017, was marked by his first professional goal, which he scored against FC SKA-Khabarovsk just seven minutes after entering the game as a half-time substitute.

His initial contract expired at the end of the 2019-20 season, and Kuzyayev became a free agent, expressing an interest in playing abroad. After missing the 2020 Russian Super Cup and the first 10 matches of the 2020-21 Russian Premier League season, he ultimately re-signed with Zenit, agreeing to a new three-year contract on October 6, 2020. During his six seasons at Zenit Saint Petersburg, spanning from 2017 to 2023, Kuzyayev made a total of 130 league appearances, scoring 16 goals, and played a crucial role in the club's dominance, securing multiple domestic titles.

3.3. Le Havre AC
Following the conclusion of his successful spell with Zenit, Kuzyayev made a significant move to the French club Le Havre AC, signing a two-year contract on July 12, 2023. Since joining, he has quickly become an important player for the team. In the 2023-24 Ligue 1 season, he made 29 appearances and scored 2 goals. He also contributed to the team's French Cup campaign with 3 appearances and 1 goal. As of the current 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, he has made 12 league appearances, scoring 1 goal, and has also played 1 match in the French Cup.
4. International Career
Daler Kuzyayev has been a consistent presence for the Russia national team since his debut, representing his country in various friendly matches and major tournaments.
4.1. Debut and Key Matches
Kuzyayev made his debut for the Russia national team on October 7, 2017, participating in a friendly game against South Korea. This marked the beginning of his international career, where he quickly became a regular call-up.
4.2. Major International Tournaments
On May 11, 2018, Kuzyayev was included in Russia's extended squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and was subsequently named in the final World Cup squad on June 3, 2018. During the tournament, he appeared as a second-half substitute in all of Russia's group stage matches. He earned starting positions in both knockout stage games: the Round of 16 victory against Spain and the quarterfinal shoot-out loss to Croatia.
Kuzyayev was also selected for UEFA Euro 2020, initially included in the preliminary 30-man squad on May 11, 2021, and then confirmed in the final squad on June 2, 2021. He started Russia's opening game against Belgium on June 12, 2021, but had to be substituted after 25 minutes due to a head collision with Timothy Castagne. Despite this incident, he recovered to play the full game in Russia's subsequent 1-0 victory against Finland on June 16. He started again on June 21 in the final group game against Denmark, a match Russia lost 1-4, leading to their elimination from the tournament. Kuzyayev was substituted halfway through the second half of that match.
4.3. International Goals
Daler Kuzyayev has scored the following goals for the Russia national team:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 November 2019 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino | San Marino | 1-0 | 5-0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 2 | 15 November 2020 | Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey | Turkey | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2020-21 UEFA Nations League B |
| 3 | 5 September 2024 | Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam | Vietnam | 1-0 | 3-0 | 2024 LPBank Cup |
5. Career Statistics
This section provides comprehensive statistical data for Daler Kuzyayev's professional career, detailing his appearances and goals for both clubs and the national team across various competitions and seasons.
5.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Karelia Petrozavodsk | 2012-13 | Russian Second League | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 23 | 0 | |||
| Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | 2013-14 | Russian First League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 16 | 0 | |||
| Terek Grozny | 2013-14 | Russian Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2014-15 | Russian Premier League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 22 | 0 | ||||
| 2015-16 | Russian Premier League | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 24 | 0 | ||||
| 2016-17 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 28 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 70 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | - | - | 75 | 0 | |||||
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2017-18 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | - | 9 | 1 | - | 36 | 7 | ||
| 2018-19 | Russian Premier League | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 11 | 2 | - | 30 | 4 | |||
| 2019-20 | Russian Premier League | 20 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | 4 | 0 | - | 28 | 1 | |||
| 2020-21 | Russian Premier League | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 6 | 0 | - | 25 | 4 | |||
| 2021-22 | Russian Premier League | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 2 | ||
| 2022-23 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 5 | 8 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 35 | 5 | |||
| Total | 130 | 16 | 16 | 2 | - | 35 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 183 | 23 | |||
| Le Havre | 2023-24 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2024-25 | Ligue 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 3 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | 45 | 4 | |||||
| Career total | 278 | 19 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 342 | 27 | ||
5.2. International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | 2017 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | 3 | |
6. Honours
Daler Kuzyayev has achieved significant team honours throughout his career, primarily with FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, where he enjoyed a highly successful period.
- Russian Premier League: 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23
- Russian Cup: 2019-20
- Russian Super Cup: 2021, 2022