Rome: Shomurodov the unexpected protagonist, from surplus to team man

Rome 1 March 2025 – If in August someone had hypothesized a season as a protagonist in yellow and red for Eldor Shomurodov, probably would have been considered by most as a fervent dreamer. Yet it is impossible to speak of the Rome today without mentioning the incredible contribution given so far by the Asian player. Arriving in the summer of 2021, there were great expectations regarding his move to the Giallorossi. After all, there are not many players capable of doing so in their first year Serie A to score eight goals in a mid-table season experienced at Genoa. To make a current parallel, last year Mateo Retegui with the same shirt he scored 9 goals, before dominating the top scorers charts of this championship this year.

His arrival in the summer of 4 years ago was part of the yellow-red revolution of the presidency Friedkin, Led by Tiago pinto placeholder image as a manager and Jose Mourinho as a coach. He and Tammy Abraham It was supposed to be the two men who revolutionised the Giallorossi attack, in a transfer session where the redemption of Ibanez, in addition to players like Plums, Vineyard, Rui Patricio e Reynolds. Arriving for just under 20 million, his was the third most expensive signing in terms of price tag of the session, putting a fair amount of pressure on the player's shoulders. Perhaps crushed by this pressure, he was part of the winning team in Conference League, but across all competitions, he played 40 games with 5 goals and 6 assists, but with just over 1000 minutes played, for an average of just 25 minutes played per game.

Unsatisfactory numbers, which saw him disappear from the Giallorossi rotations the following year, thus opening up a career on loan in the last two seasons. The first experience at Spezia it was complicated, where he failed to prevent the Ligurians from being relegated to Serie B. Better than last year, where right under the orders of Claudio Ranieri was part of a Cagliari worker, good at saving himself with a couple of days to spare. However, his performances had not been brilliant and all the signs pointed to an imminent transfer. However, the Giallorossi were unable to find either a place for the player, nor a real deputy dovbyk, thus choosing to stay, perhaps hunting for opportunities during the winter transfer market.

However, the situation has improved for the Uzbek player. The arrival of Ranieri on the Capitoline bench and the physical problems of the Ukrainian striker have given him some space and he has made the most of every single opportunity. After regaining confidence on the pitch, the player in recent weeks is proving to be a very valuable element. The loot in terms of goals and assists is still limited: 4 goals and 3 assists in 23 appearances (742 minutes played). The positive thing, however, is how many of these goals and assists have come in recent weeks, where the absence of dovbyk made him a forced starter, without making him feel the lack, on the contrary becoming the protagonist of this moment of great Giallorossi form.

This season the Uzbek is demonstrating an excellent spirit of sacrifice, as well as a fine football sense, where he knows how to be the perfect complement to both Dybala, Both Soulé. A continuous crescendo, which is proving to be the great revenge of the Asian striker, trying today to justify a valuation that was probably excessive four years ago. His contract with the Capitoline team will expire in 2026 and if until the beginning of the year, his farewell to the Giallorossi club seemed only a question of timing, today more than ever he seems to have become a perfect complement for the squad. The symbol of competitive spirit and the spirit of sacrifice that Claudio Ranieri he asked this Rome, at the exact moment of his return to the bench.