Denisov hoping for Uzbek progress - RUSSIA 2018
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“I’ve played for the national team for a long time, but I don’t ever remember there being the kind of fervour there is now. I remember the stadiums did occasionally sell out for national side matches in the past, but this time it was absolutely packed to the rafters – someone even scaled the trees next to the arena to try to watch the game.”
That’s how 29-year-old Uzbekistan defender Vitaliy Denisov, who has played 63 matches for his national side, described the football boom in his home country in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com. In that home match in November 2015 at the overflowing Pakhtakor stadium, the Uzbeks beat Korea DPR 3-1.
More recently, two 1-0 home wins against Philippines and Bahrain, as well as Korea DPR’s 3-2 defeat in Manila guaranteed Uzbekistan first place in Group H and qualification for the third round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Asia qualifying stage.
For Uzbekistan it was a grand achievement, but for Vitaliy Denisov it brings a completely unique kind of success. “I’m a Russian born in Uzbekistan. I represent Uzbek football in Russia and hope I do them justice. And I really do dream of playing in Russia at the World Cup. It’s a unique, once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
His father, Gennady Denisov, was also a footballer and to this day holds the Pakhtakor Tashkent record for the number of appearances in the country’s championship – 371. “My father never forced me into football; I wanted it myself. He helped me with advice, supported me and gave me direction – particularly when I moved to a country that was foreign to me when I was 13.”
Denisov began his education in football at Pakhtakor Tashkent, but at 13 he moved to Moscow’s Akademika. “When you move from a relatively modest sized city to a vast metropolis like Moscow, it comes as a shock. The most important thing is to get to used to the city’s frantic pace,” the defender recalls.
"I represent Uzbek football in Russia and hope I do them justice. And I really do dream of playing in Russia at the World Cup. It’s a unique, once-in-a-lifetime chance."
Uzbekistan defender Vitaliy Denisov
From Rivaldo to the World Cup
Denisov got used to that frantic pace fairly quickly. From Akademika he moved to CSKA Moscow, and now plays for Lokomotiv Moscow. Over the last few years, his dedication on the pitch has won him a legion of fans. The industrious left-back’s special weapon is the length of his throw-ins. “I don’t know where I learned that. It certainly wasn’t my father – he never threw the ball that far. I’ve been able to do it since I was a kid. Perhaps it’s because I played a lot of basketball.”
Denisov is one of the footballers helping to put Uzbekistan on the footballing map: “Our country is fairly well-known in terms of tourism. There are ancient towns – like Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand – that are really popular among tourists from Europe. Loads of people travel along the Silk Road by car. But in terms of football, we’re not yet as globally renowned. We have already had real success: we are consistently among the favourites for Asian tournaments – often in the top four or five. Our youth team were Asian U-16 champions in 2011. At one point we rocked the whole world when Bunyodkor invited Rivaldo to be on the team. But we’re still not that well-known. It might be worth holding more friendlies with European sides, and the Federation is working on that. But the best advertisement for our football will certainly come during the World Cup.”
In their last qualifying campaign, Uzbekistan just missed out on the 2014 World Cup intercontinental play-offs: in the fifth qualifying round, they lost out to Jordan on penalties (8-9). Denisov prefers not to dwell on it: “I don’t think I could find the right words to explain how I felt. We were so close – just one goal away.”
World Cup qualification would change everything
Uzbekistan has proved itself as a formidable force in Asian football in recent years. “After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many former Soviet republics had problems with their football, not just us. There wasn’t always the funding available; we tried to get football back on track again. Slowly but surely everything has come together, and some Uzbek clubs have been really successful. More and more teams are able to fly to meet-ups in other countries and get the experience of playing with foreign teams. Progress has been steady and eventually an excellent generation of players has now emerged; many of them go to play in leading foreign clubs.”
Uzbekistan did not get off to a good start in the second 2018 World Cup qualifying round – losing 4-2 away to Korea DPR. “After that we got a new coach, Samvel Babayan, who changed a lot of things: the style of play, the tactics, and he brought in new players – and then we won seven times in a row!"
If Uzbekistan make it to the final tournament, the boom that Uzbek football has experienced will doubtlessly be taken to another level. “A lot of things will improve, both for the football federation and the country as a whole. When we get to show ourselves at the highest level, the whole world will recognise our players. And it’s possible even more people will want to visit our country. But we’re going to need to try really hard to achieve that.”