Rustam Yatimov

Rustam Yatimov was born in Nizhny Novgorod. He started out at the Volga-SDYUSSHOR-8 academy in his home city, but his early career in Russia stalled: FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod went bankrupt before he made a senior appearance, and a spell at FC Olimpiets brought no first-team football either. The breakthrough came abroad. In 2018 he obtained Tajik citizenship and settled at FC Istiklol as a local-status player rather than a foreign one.

At Istiklol he built the reputation that followed him back to Russia: Tajikistan's Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022 and the country's Best Footballer in 2023, alongside a King's Cup win with the national side in Thailand. He was first choice for Tajikistan at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup as the team reached the quarter-finals, and has gone on to earn around 50 caps.

FC Rostov signed him from Istiklol in June 2024, on a fee reported above $250,000, and handed him a contract running to 2029. He made his Russian Premier League debut that July, starting a goalless draw against CSKA Moscow played in +35°C heat at the Rostov-Arena. His first season brought eight clean sheets in 26 league appearances and recognition as Best Goalkeeper of the 2023/24 Russian Cup, though it also left him with an unwanted club record: five yellow cards, more than any goalkeeper in Rostov's Premier League history.