SOCCER PLAYERS from Kazakhstan

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Kazakhstani Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Kazakhstani Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Kazakhstani Soccer Players.

1. Serhiy Skachenko (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 54.05, Serhiy Skachenko is the most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 44 different languages on wikipedia.

Serhiy Skachenko (born 18 November 1972) is a former Ukrainian football player.

2. Alexander Merkel (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 48.09, Alexander Merkel is the 2nd most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Alexander Merkel (Kazakh: Александр Меркель; born 22 February 1992) is a Kazakh-German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Persian Gulf Pro League club Nassaji Mazandaran. Born in Kazakhstan to parents of German descent, Merkel initially represented Germany internationally at youth level. He switched allegiance to Kazakhstan in 2015, making his debut in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying game.

3. Aleksandr Tarkhanov (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 45.38, Aleksandr Tarkhanov is the 3rd most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Aleksandr Fyodorovich Tarkhanov (Russian: Александр Фёдорович Тарханов, Kazakh: Александр Федорович Тарханов, romanized: Aleksandr Fedorovïç Tarxanov; born 6 September 1954) is a Russian football coach and a former Soviet player. He is the manager of Ural-2 Yekaterinburg.

4. Ruslan Baltiev (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 43.53, Ruslan Baltiev is the 4th most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Ruslan Takhiruly Baltiyev (Kazakh: Рұслан Тахирұлы Балтиев, Rūslan Tahirūly Baltiev; born 16 September 1978) is a Kazakh professional football coach, official and a former player who played as a midfielder. He is an assistant coach with the Kazakhstan national team and the Russian club Akhmat Grozny.

5. Samat Smakov (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 43.15, Samat Smakov is the 5th most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Samat Qabırūly Smaqov (Kazakh: Самат Қабірұлы Смақов; born 8 December 1978) is a Kazakhstani football manager and a former player who played as a defender. He is the manager of Zhetysu.

6. Evgeny Yarovenko (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 42.78, Evgeny Yarovenko is the 6th most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Evgeny Yarovenko (born 17 August 1963) is a Soviet, Kazakhstani, and Ukrainian retired professional footballer and current manager of Sumy.

7. Viktor Zubarev (1973 - 2004)

With an HPI of 41.70, Viktor Zubarev is the 7th most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Viktor Yegorovich Zubarev (Russian: Виктор Егорович Зубарев) (10 April 1973 – 18 October 2004) was a football forward from Kazakhstan. He was nicknamed Uncle Stepan (дядя Стёпа).

8. Heinrich Schmidtgal (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 39.79, Heinrich Schmidtgal is the 8th most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Heinrich Schmidtgal (Kazakh: Генрих Шмидтгаль, Genrih Şmidtgal; born 20 November 1985) is a Kazakhstani former professional footballer who played as a left-back.

9. Sergei Karimov (1986 - 2019)

With an HPI of 39.28, Sergei Karimov is the 9th most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Sergei Karimov (German: Sergej Karimow, Russian: Сергей Каримов; 21 December 1986 – 24 December 2019) was a Kazakh former professional footballer who played as a left back.

10. Konstantin Engel (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 38.62, Konstantin Engel is the 10th most famous Kazakhstani Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Konstantin Engel (Russian: Константин Энгель; born 27 July 1988) is a Kazakh professional footballer who plays as a defender for SSV Jeddeloh.