Jaloliddin Masharipov

1. Overview

Jaloliddin Masharipov is a highly accomplished Uzbek professional footballer, renowned for his dynamic play as a winger. Throughout his club career, he has achieved significant success, including multiple Uzbekistan Super League titles and domestic cups with Pakhtakor Tashkent and Lokomotiv Tashkent. He also secured titles with Shabab Al-Ahli in the United Arab Emirates. Internationally, Masharipov has been a key player for the Uzbekistan national football team, representing his country at various youth levels and becoming a prominent figure for the senior squad in FIFA World Cup qualification and AFC Asian Cup tournaments. His career has been marked by notable achievements, impactful performances, and a few controversial disciplinary incidents.

2. Early life and background

3. Club career

Masharipov's professional club career has seen him play for several teams across Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, and Iran, accumulating numerous titles and individual accolades.

He started his professional career with Pakhtakor Tashkent in 2013, a powerhouse in the Uzbekistan Super League. During his time with Pakhtakor until the 2020 season, he made 170 official appearances, scoring 32 goals, including 5 goals in 31 cup matches. He played a crucial role in Pakhtakor winning the Uzbek League four times (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020), the Uzbekistan Cup twice (2019, 2020), and the Uzbekistan League Cup in 2019. In the 2020 AFC Champions League, he contributed to the team reaching the quarter-finals. However, in the quarter-final match against Persepolis, his early red card significantly impacted his team's eventual loss. In the 2020 season alone, he recorded an impressive nine goals and 22 assists in 35 appearances across all competitions.

In 2017, Masharipov was loaned to Lokomotiv Tashkent, a local rival. During his loan spell, he played 33 matches, scoring 8 goals (including 2 goals in 6 cup matches), and was instrumental in Lokomotiv achieving a domestic double, winning both the Uzbek League and the Uzbek Cup in 2017.

In July 2020, there were reports linking him to Süper Lig team Trabzonspor, but the transfer did not materialize.

On 26 December 2020, Masharipov signed with Saudi club Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Just one month later, he was sent on a six-month loan to Emirati club Shabab Al-Ahli in the UAE Pro League. With Shabab Al-Ahli, he contributed to their victory in the 2020-21 UAE League Cup and the 2020-21 UAE President's Cup, even being named Man of the Match in the UAE League Cup final.

After returning from his loan spell, Masharipov initially wore the number 7 jersey for Al Nassr. In January 2023, following the high-profile signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Masharipov changed his jersey number to 77, allowing the Portuguese star to wear his iconic number 7. On 17 August 2023, Al Nassr announced that Masharipov's contract had been terminated by mutual agreement.

On 27 September 2023, Masharipov signed a one-year deal with Super League Greece club Panserraikos. However, his tenure with the Greek club was short-lived, as Panserraikos announced his departure on 31 January 2024. Subsequently, he joined Esteghlal in the Persian Gulf Pro League, where he currently plays.

4. International career

Masharipov has represented Uzbekistan at various youth and senior levels, participating in significant international tournaments.

He played for the Uzbekistan U-20 squad, featuring in all five matches of the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Turkey. His contributions helped Uzbekistan reach the quarter-finals, marking the second time in the nation's football history that they advanced to the quarter-finals of a FIFA-organized tournament, following the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

As a member of the Uzbekistan U-23 squad, Masharipov participated in the AFC U-23 Championship 2016 and the 2018 Asian Games. However, his U-23 career was marked by a controversial incident during the King's Cup in 2015. On 1 February, in the first match against South Korea, Masharipov received a red card for a dangerous studs-up kick to the chest of South Korean player Kang Sang-woo. This unsportsmanlike conduct, along with a similar incident involving his teammate Tohirjon Shamsiddinov who repeatedly struck Shim Sang-min's face, drew severe criticism from South Korean football fans and international media outlets, including those in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Uzbekistan Football Association subsequently sent an official apology letter to the Korea Football Association. Both Masharipov and Shamsiddinov were banned from participating in the remaining matches of the tournament, and the Uzbekistan U-23 head coach, Shukhrat Maqsudov, was dismissed for failing to manage his players' conduct.

Masharipov made his senior international debut for the Uzbekistan national football team on 6 October 2016, in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Iran. He came on as a substitute for Sardor Rashidov in the 61st minute of the match, which Uzbekistan lost 0-1.

He scored his first international goal on 13 January 2019, in a 2019 AFC Asian Cup group stage match against Turkmenistan, contributing to Uzbekistan's 4-0 victory.

During the 2018 Asian Games quarter-final match against South Korea, where he participated as an overage player, Masharipov's team was defeated in extra time. Following the loss, he vehemently protested to the referee and was shown a red card after the final whistle, leading to his expulsion.

5. Career statistics

6. International goals

Scores and results list Uzbekistan's goal tally first.

7. Honours

Masharipov has accumulated a significant number of team and individual honours throughout his career.