Maksim Shatskikh

Maksim Shatskikh, born on August 30, 1978, is a distinguished Uzbekistani football coach and former professional player, currently leading Asia Talas. Renowned for his prowess as a prolific striker, he is celebrated as one of the greatest players in Uzbekistani football history.

Shatskikh's remarkable career includes a record of thirty-four goals in sixty-one appearances for the national team from 2010 to 2022, making him the top goalscorer in Uzbekistan's football history. He also shares the title of joint all-time top scorer in the Ukrainian Premier League, netting one hundred twenty-three goals in three hundred forty-one matches, a feat he achieved alongside Serhii Rebrov.

His journey in European football began with Dynamo Kyiv, where he played for a decade from nineteen ninety-nine to two thousand nine. Notably, on July twenty-eight, nineteen ninety-nine, he became the first Asian player to score in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, and he is only the second Uzbekistani to score in UEFA competitions, following Mirjalol Kasymov.

On the international stage, Shatskikh represented Uzbekistan in three AFC Asian Cups, contributing to the team's impressive fourth-place finish in two thousand eleven. He concluded his playing career with Rukh Vynnyky and transitioned to coaching, joining the Dynamo football academy's coaching staff in April two thousand sixteen.

In addition to his achievements, Maksim comes from a footballing family, with his brother Oleg Shatskikh also having a career in the sport.