ASTANA – Kazakh football player Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov, 25, has signed a four-year contract with Türkiye’s Besiktas FC, reported Sports.kz on Aug. 21.
Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov. Photo credit: sports.kz.
Zaynutdinov received a warm welcome from Beşiktaş fans at the team’s home stadium in Istanbul.
“Zaynutdinov has managed to avoid any scandals, speaks warmly about others and says the right things. Athletes like Bakhtiyar are the best ambassadors for our country – polite, well-mannered, and down-to-earth. Kazakhstan will be tuning in on Sunday evenings to cheer for Besiktas in the matches of the Turkish Süper Lig,” Kazakh sportswriter Evgeniy Akmanov wrote on Telegram on Aug. 22.
Born in Taraz, Zaynutdinov began his football career with his local club, where he played from 2014 to 2017. He moved to Astana in 2018 and has played for Russian football teams from 2019 to 2023.
He is among the top three scorers and is the most expensive football player in the national team of Kazakhstan. The Transfermarkt estimates that the deal cost Besiktas 4.5 million euros ($4.9 million).
