In July 2022, Spanish footballer Ruben Sanchez began a new phase of his career in Uzbekistan, the host nation of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024™. Keen to learn more about the central Asian country, FIFA turned to the Toledo native, who was happy to play the role of guide and offer advice to fans planning to go there for the tournament.

With spells at Toledo, Sporting Gijon, Recreativo Granada and Rayo Majadahonda already to his name, the 29-year-old forward is now with his second Uzbek club, having moved to AGMK Olmaliq in January 2023 after six months with Surkhon Termez. Sanchez is the only Spaniard – or person from a Hispanic country – playing in the Uzbekistan Super League. Who better then to tell us what to expect from 14 September to 6 October in host cities Tashkent, Bukhara and Andijan.

Having played your football in Uzbekistan since July 2022, you must already know the country pretty well?
Ruben Sanchez: The capital Tashkent is very nice, as it combines traditional and modern culture. The city has some very cool areas with nice buildings and parks. One example is Tashkent City Park, which is very large and has buildings that are lit up at night. They have also built a shopping mall that is the largest in Central Asia.

I’ve travelled around the country less than I would have liked, because my football commitments don’t leave me much spare time, but I have to mention Samarkand. It’s a must-see if you visit Uzbekistan, as it’s one of the most historic cities in the country, with it being an important stop on the old Silk Road. Outside the capital, you can find more ‘authentic’ cities. People are very polite and always willing to help you.

Samarkand is the venue for this Sunday’s group-stage draw, which will take place in the unbeatable setting that is the historic Registan Square…
Registan Square is one of the most beautiful plazas in the world and not to be missed. Samarkand has many mosques that are steeped in history, and you can see a lot of sights if you’re able to spend two days in the city.

What can we expect from a city of more than three million inhabitants like Tashkent?
The capital will really surprise you! It is a very touristic city and the centre has people from many countries like Japan, China, Russia, Ukraine and Serbia. Outside the centre, you can find numerous traditional food markets, such as the Chorsu Bazaar, which I highly recommend. You’ll also find every kind of restaurant. People here drink a lot of tea, at any time really, even on very hot days, but they drink less coffee.

Could you recommend a typical local dish?
Their signature dish is plov, a sweet rice containing raisins, grapes, carrots, lamb, onions and spices. Somsas are a bit like our empanadas (savoury pastries) and are filled with minced lamb or chicken, as well as potato, cheese and onions. There’s also shashlik, which is diced meat on skewers, usually of grilled lamb, although there are variants of beef and chicken. Soups are also very common, and the typical bread is very interesting. But when it comes to everyday life, I do the same supermarket shopping as I did in Spain.

Can you tell us a bit about the Uzbek people, who will be passionately engaged with the FIFA Futsal World Cup?
Andijan, one of the venues for the futsal tournament, has a great love for football. But when the national football team plays, which it does at the Milliy Stadium used by capital side FC Bunyodkor, the club where Rivaldo once played and Luiz Felipe Scolari coached, the venue is packed with passionate supporters. Whenever the national team plays, the fans turn out en masse to support them.

We understand there will be special affection from the locals for Spain because they have another Spaniard as their coach in Venancio Lopez. He is someone steeped in the sport’s history…
I recently had dinner with him at one of the gatherings the Spanish consul in Uzbekistan organise from time to time. He sat next to me and told me about Uzbekistan’s goals for the World Cup. He also told me about their adventure at the Asian Cup, where they finished third, and it’s clear that they have what it takes to perform very well. Venancio said that reaching the last 16, or even surpassing it to have Uzbekistan’s best-ever result at a World Cup, would be great.

When you moved to Uzbekistan in 2022, we imagine you didn’t know much about the country. What was the move like and how has your time there been?
I was about to sign for a club in Spain when I got the offer from FC Surkhon through the Spanish coach who was there. At first, it came as a shock, as I couldn’t even place Uzbekistan on the map. Luckily there were Spaniards playing there already, so I got in touch with them. They told me about Tashkent, the city I was going to be living in, and so I came. I wanted to experience playing outside of Spain, and in truth it was the correct decision. Today I’m happy, as is my partner, who works at an international university here in Tashkent. We’ve adapted very well to the culture of the country. Uzbek people treat tourists very well. When the Surkhon project was finished, the other Spanish left but I received a proposal from another club, which I accepted. We were content and happy here, so we decided to stay on. We feel good here and are suited to life in Uzbekistan.