Mukhammad Sultonov

Born in Yavan, in what is now Tajikistan's Hatlon Region, he holds both Russian and Tajik citizenship and would have been eligible to play for Tajikistan by birth. He has instead represented Russia at youth level, with caps for the U18, U19 and U20 sides. In interviews with Sputnik Tajikistan and Rambler Sport, he explained the calculation behind that choice: because Tajikistan sits outside the Eurasian Economic Union, switching allegiance would reclassify him as a foreign player in the Russian league and cut into his playing time. He said he would only reconsider if Tajikistan joined the union.

His route into professional football ran through the CSKA Moscow academy, where he won the Russian youth championship in 2009, before he began his senior career at Lokomotiv-Kazanka. The following decade took him through a string of clubs, and it was at Rotor Volgograd that his form peaked: he won the FNL title with Rotor in the 2018/19 season and reached the FNL Cup final the following year, picking up the FNL Player of the Month award three times in 2019 and again in March 2021. At Torpedo Moscow he was named FNL Player of the Season for 2021/22.

Earlier in his career, a spell at Tosno ended in bronze in the First Division and a run through the promotion play-offs.