UEFA includes 18-year-old Kazakh player in Champions League top list

Tengrinews.kz – The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) named Kairat goalkeeper Sherkhan Kalmurza’s save as one of the best during the Champions League matchday.

UEFA’s press service published a post asking followers to vote for the best save from a shortlist.

The 18-year-old Almaty goalkeeper’s save, made in the fifth minute of Kairat’s historic match against Sporting, was included in the top five.

In addition to Kalmurza, the list also featured Galatasaray’s Turkish goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır, Vanja Milinković-Savić from Napoli, Newcastle’s Nick Pope, and Sherkhan’s opponent in the match, João Virgínia, who made a key save for the Portuguese team after a shot from Dastan Satpayev.

Sherkhan Kalmurza is one of the youngest goalkeepers in Champions League history. He is officially Kairat’s third-choice goalkeeper and was placed in the starting lineup after injuries to Alexander Zarutsky and Temirlan Anarbekov.

The match against Sporting was not only his Champions League debut but also his first-ever senior-level start.

At the time of the match, Kalmurza was 18 years and 96 days old, placing him in the top three youngest goalkeepers in Champions League history.

The Kazakhstani played in Europe’s main tournament at a younger age than the legendary Iker Casillas (18 years 118 days) and David de Gea (18 years 327 days).

Only two goalkeepers were younger than Sherkhan when they debuted in the Champions League: Mile Svilar of Benfica (18 years 52 days) in 2017 and Maarten Vandevoordt of Genk (Belgium), who played in 2019 at 17 years 287 days.

In addition to his in-game saves, Sherkhan Kalmurza also stopped a penalty, allowing Kairat to keep a clean sheet for most of the first half.

The match ended with a score of 4:1.