The Russian Premier League came to an end, and Zenit St. Petersburg completed the defending career four rounds in advance. In the past season, Iranian striker Azmoun, who just joined Zenit last year, scored 17 league goals, tied for the top scorer with teammate Yyuba, and won the Golden Boot of the Russian Premier League.
From a fledgling teenage genius to a golden boot-winning superscorer, how did Azmoun evolve?
<H1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > talent grows rapidly and shines in the Asian Cup at the age of 20</h1>
Sadar Azmon was born into a Turkmen family in the northeastern Iranian city of Gombad Kavus, whose father, Harir, was an Iranian men's volleyball player. Before deciding to devote himself to professional football, Azmoun was selected for Iran's U15 men's volleyball national junior team, which is the embodiment of his excellent athletic talent.
Azmoun entered the youth echelon of Iranian giants Sepahan at the age of 15 and attracted the attention of many teams with his outstanding performance in the Iranian national youth team when he was not yet representing the first team. In early 2012, Azmoun scored seven goals in six games in the CIS Cup for Iran U20 and scored the Golden Boot as a jumper in the team, when Azmoun had just turned 17.
At the beginning of 2013, the 18-year-old Azmoun joined the Kazan Rubys of the Russian Premier League and officially established himself in the first team in the 13/14 season, scoring 5 goals and 1 assist in 17 appearances.
Azmoun made his debut for the Iranian national team in a warm-up match against Montenegro before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but unfortunately lost the final world cup roster. In November 2014, Azmoun, who was under the age of 20, scored winning goals in iran's friendly matches against South Korea and Iraq, and his outstanding performances also allowed him to gain a foothold in the national team.
In the second round of the 2015 Asian Cup group stage, Azmoun started for Iran against Qatar. 52nd minute. Azmoun received the ball at the front of the penalty area and completed a Marseille swing past the opposing defender, facing the attacking goalkeeper and shoveling the goal, scoring the only goal of the game to help the team qualify early. It was Azmoun's first official match goal for the national team, showing his talent and strong self-confidence.
In the quarter-finals against Iraq, Azmoun once again opened the scoring for the team, but was later replaced for tactical reasons when the team was sent off. In the end, Iran lost to the opponent on penalties and missed the final four, and Azmoun's first major tournament tour performed well, but it ended in regret.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the point of the teacher to help break out, the Champions League shook Boateng a battle to fame</h1>
After the Asian Cup, Azmun, who could not secure the main position in Kazan, joined Rostov on loan. Then Rostov manager Bairdev led Kazan to two Russian Super League titles and won away to Barcelona in the Champions League, which is a generation of famous coaches in Russian football. As a Turkmen, the coach can communicate with Azmun in Turkmen. With the help of this experienced "fellow", Azmoun ushered in the first peak of his career.
After scoring four goals in the 14/15 season to help Rostov complete the relegation through the play-offs, Azmoun and Rostov completed a qualitative change in the 15/16 season, the team scored 63 points in 30 rounds of the league, only two points behind CSKA to win the second place in the Russian Super League, creating the best record in team history, and almost staged the Russian Premier League version of the "Leicester City Miracle". The 21-year-old Azmoun scored nine goals that season and was named the team's top scorer, with six goals and one assist in the final six rounds.
In the new season's Champions League qualification matches, Rostov eliminated Anderlecht and Ajax successively, reaching the Champions League for the first time in the history of the team, and Azmun scored 1 goal in each of the two rounds. Entering the group stage, Azmoun scored one goal each in direct conversations with the last four finalists, Atletico and Bayern, and the goal of Bayern after shaking Down Boateng became a famous scene for "Iranian Messi" to pay tribute to the genuine Messi.
Although Rostov failed to break through from the death group due to his strength limitations, the young Azmun won the favor of some of the top five league teams with his outstanding performances.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > returned to his old club and fell into a trough, and the transfer to Zenit ushered in a new peak in his career</h1>
In the summer of 2017, Azmon returned to Kazan Ruby with his mentor Baideev, and a small low in his career followed. In the 17/18 season, Azmund scored only five goals in 26 Russian Premier League games, and his performance was not good. In the subsequent World Cup in Russia, Azmoun, as Iran's top player, also scored 1 goal in 3 group games, which was insulted by fans, and he also chose to withdraw from the national team for a while.
After folding the Asian Cup again in early 2019, the 24-year-old Azmoun joined Zenit for 12 million euros, opening a new chapter in his career. Unlike Rostov and Kazan Rubies, who played more conservatively, The talented Zenit preferred to be self-centered and take the initiative, which gave Azmoun more opportunities to display his offensive talents.
After one and a half seasons with Zenit, Azmund played a total of 40 games in the Russian Premier League, scored 26 goals and assisted 9 times, and won the Russian Premier League Silver Boot and the Russian Premier League Golden Boot while helping the team win two consecutive league titles, reaching a new career high in terms of personal data and collective honor. In European competitions, he was first selected as the player of the week by shooting 2 goals and 1 pass in the Europa League knockout match with Fenerbahce last season, and then scored 2 goals in the Champions League this season, surpassing Dei to become the Iranian player with the most goals in the Champions League.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > has a keen sense of smell and two strikers to achieve a super attack line</h1>
Unlike the early days of his unstable career, Azmoun has grown into an all-round modern center forward, and his scoring ability has improved significantly while the breakthrough is still sharp. Azmoun's 16 non-penalty goals in the Russian Premier League this season, including 10 right-footed goals, 3 left-foot goals and two headers, did not rely too much on the main foot to complete the scoring. In addition, he scored a goal on his chest and showed a keen sense of smell in front of the goal.
In addition to the various points of the master, Azmoun's performance in the counterattack has also made great progress. When he first debuted, Azmoun always tended to solve problems with his own personal ability, and although he had the magic stroke of shaking Boateng's goal, he often missed opportunities because of unnecessary showmanship. After years of experience, his choice on the pitch is more mature, as exemplified by the assist Ofuba's easy goal after the next time.
As another center in Zenit's 4-4-2 system, high school striker Djuba, who shared the Russian Super League Golden Boot with Azmon, was also a key figure in his outbreak. In addition to 6 direct assists, Djoba, who has excellent point-grabbing ability, is also the focus of the opposing defense, which gives Azmoun the opportunity to avoid the real shot to complete the score. On the other hand, Azmoun's outstanding ability to break through also allows him to often encounter clips in counter-attacks, at which point he can create opportunities for Djoba to score. This season, Azmoun and Yyuba have both scored career-high goals, which is also a manifestation of the "1+1>2" effect of the striker duo.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > land in the top five leagues? The time is ripe but the selection of the team needs to be cautious</h1>
In an interview with Iranian domestic media, Azmoun made it clear that he was "embracing the new challenge." At present, the 25-year-old Russian Premier League Golden Boot has been with a number of potential reinforcement targets, leaving the Russian Premier League for many years to move to the five major leagues is the right time, but given that Iranian players have rarely succeeded in the five major leagues in recent years, Azmoun needs to be extra cautious when choosing the team he joins.
In the summer of 2018, Jahanbash, who had previously delivered 21 goals and 12 assists in Alkmaar and won the Dutch Golden Boot, switched to the Premier League Brighton team for 19 million euros, breaking the record for the value of Iranian players and Brighton transfer players. However, in his two seasons, Jahanbakhsh has only played in 29 Premier League games and scored two goals without providing assists, and his performance has not met expectations.
Unlike Dutch League powerhouse Alkmaar, Brighton, who have averaged less than one goal per game for three seasons in the Premier League, does not invest too much in the attack on the wing, and Jahanbachsh is difficult to create a threat in isolation, but is criticized for repeatedly losing the ball. After moving from right winger to right midfielder, it is not surprising that he has completely become a marginal man of the team.
Compared to Jahanbakhsh, who has evolved into an all-around center, Azmoun, who has evolved into an all-round center, can adapt to more tactical systems. However, considering that Zenit's 4-4-2 double center system is not the mainstream of today's football, it is not easy to choose a new team that is more in line with its current characteristics.
At the age of 25, he won the Golden Boot of the Russian Premier League, and Azmoun's performance has exceeded the expectations of many people. As one of the most outstanding centre-forwards in Iranian and even Asian football after Ali Dei, his brilliant career may have just begun.
(Dream back to Donbas)