2010 AFC U-16 Championship: Where are they now? [Sardar Azmoun]

AFC – KUALA LUMPUR, The Asian Football Confederation’s youth tournaments offer the perfect platform for some of Asia’s finest young talent to showcase their skills from an early age. 

October 24 marks 10 years to the day since the AFC U-16 Championship kicked off in Uzbekistan, where a number of today’s biggest stars turned out for their countries as they took the early steps in what have turned out to be fruitful careers.

A decade on since that tournament, which was won by DPR Korea after they defeated the hosts in the final, the-AFC.com takes a look at how some of those involved have progressed.

Sardar Azmoun (IR Iran)
Caps 51: Goals: 33
Current club: Zenit Saint Petersburg; Former clubs: Sepahan, Rubin Kazan, Rostov

Holders Islamic Republic of Iran also boasted a future star within their ranks as a 15-year-old Sardar Azmoun was part of a squad that ultimately failed to live up to the standards set in the previous campaign.

Azmoun was on the scoresheet in a 5-1 opening-day win over Oman, although the wheels came off in the next two matches as the Iranians exited following a defeat to DPR Korea and a draw with Syria.

By 2013, at the age of just 17, Azmoun was on the move to Russia where he forged his reputation with both Rubin Kazan and Rostov while by 2014 he was a fully fledged international. He has since scored 33 goals in 51 games for his country and is widely considered Team Melli’s star man.

On the club scene, 2019 proved a major breakthrough year as the forward moved to Zenit Saint Petersburg, where he has gone on to win back-to-back Russian Premier League titles and finished as the league’s top scorer in the 2019-20 campaign.