Maksim Samorodov

Maksim Samorodov's first goal in Kazakhstan's top division came with a flourish: on 2 July 2021, against Akzhaiyk, he scored twice in a 2:1 win. He had come up through the club's own academy, moving through the youth ranks before joining the reserve side, Aktobe M, in 2019, and by the time he broke into the first team that October, against Kairat, the pathway from academy graduate to senior player was complete.

He stayed with Aktobe through 2024, and the numbers built steadily across his time there. The club's run of results during his spell there brought a Kazakhstan First Division title in 2020, followed by a silver medal in the national championship in 2022 and bronze the year after.

International recognition followed the same trajectory. Samorodov progressed through Kazakhstan's youth sides before earning a senior debut against France in March 2021, aged just 18. It took two years for his first goal at that level to arrive, but when it came — against Slovenia in March 2023, in qualifying for Euro 2024 — it confirmed he had a role to play for the national team, not just a place in the squad.

In August 2024, Samorodov moved to Akhmat Grozny on a four-year contract, taking his career outside Kazakhstan for the first time. He now wears the number 20 shirt for the Russian club.