Amir's card: what is the potential debutant of the Russian national team known for

The appearance of Manchester United youth football player Amir Ibragimov in the expanded list of the Russian national team was the most unusual personnel decision of the head coach of the team Valery Karpin. The 18-year-old midfielder could make his debut for the national team during the next three matches against Egypt, Burkina Faso and Trinidad and Tobago.

Who is Amir Ibragimov?

Amir Ibragimov was born on April 2, 2008 in Buinaksk, Dagestan. When he was 11 years old, the family moved to England. There he started studying at the Sheffield United Academy, and at the age of 13 he joined the Manchester United system. He has British citizenship, but according to FIFA rules, Ibragimov is eligible to play for both the England and Russian national teams.

Amir acts as a striker and attacking midfielder. He has already played for England's youth national teams and has been considered one of the most talented students of the MU Academy for several years. He was the captain of the junior teams, and then began to receive regular playing time in the older categories.

In the 2024/25 season, Ibrahimov constantly played for the Manchester United U18 (under 18) team, and was also involved in the matches of the U21 youth team. Even at the age of 17, a football player was invited to train with the main team of the club.

The midfielder partially missed last year due to a broken foot. Perhaps it was the injury that prevented him from making his debut for the main team in official matches.

At the same time, Ibragimov became widely known back in 2022. Then a video of the episode from the match against Tottenham's peers began to appear on the Internet. The player fell in the opponent's penalty area and, after the penalty was awarded, tried to explain to the referee that there had been no violation. When the referee refused to change the decision, Ibragimov approached the ball and deliberately rolled it directly into the goalkeeper's hands.

Amir's father once stated that his son would like to play for the Russian national team. Now it will be possible if Valery Karpin leaves him on the final list for the upcoming matches.

— It is logical that the head coach of the national team wants to test a young player who has already established himself in one of the strongest academies on the planet, — Dmitry Bulykin, a former striker of the Russian national team, shared his opinion with Izvestia. — In any case, you can't waste such talents, and you need to actually see how ready he is to play for the national team, talk to him, understand how motivated he is, how able he is to adapt within the existing team.

"Not everyone will make it to the national team. Life is ruthless, and guys realize it."

Ivan Shabarov, senior coach of the youth team, talks about the main talents of the Russian Premier League, our Manchester United and Betis teams, and our readiness to lift sanctions.

The rest of the team

In addition to Ibragimov, Karpin added 35 more players to the expanded list. The absence of the French PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov is noteworthy. This is understandable: on May 30, the goalkeeper will play with the club in the Champions League final against Arsenal in London.

Otherwise, the squad turned out to be familiar for the last training camps of the national team. After a long break, Zenit St. Petersburg striker Alexander Sobolev returned to the list. The forward received his first call-up after transferring from Spartak Moscow to Zenit in 2024.

Artem Karpukas, a midfielder from Moscow's Lokomotiv, was also included in the list of players who had not been called up for a long time. His club has the largest representation in the expanded application — nine people. Eight players got there from CSKA. Apart from Ibragimov, midfielders Alexander Golovin (Monaco) and Alexey Miranchuk (Atlanta United, USA) may be called up from the foreign players.

"Apart from Ibragimov, the squad is quite predictable," Sergei Kiryakov, a former striker for the Russian national team, said in a conversation with Izvestia. — Karpin's familiar players gathered there, and Sobolev's challenge is logical, since Alexander is very effective this spring: in addition to scoring goals, he imposes a lot of struggle on his rivals. And in many ways, thanks to him, Peter is one step away from regaining the gold of the Russian championship.

The national team will play the match against Egypt on May 28 in Cairo. Burkina Faso will play on June 5 in Volgograd, and Trinidad and Tobago on June 9 in Kaliningrad.