Samira Shikhshabekova: Armenia’s new star from the Manchester City academy

Seventeen-year-old footballer Samira Shikhshabekova has become one of the most interesting new names in the Armenia women’s national team. The player, who came through the academy system of English club Manchester City, received her first call-up to the national team and immediately started the match against Kazakhstan on June 5.

Shikhshabekova can play in several positions — in midfield and defence — although earlier in youth football she also played in the attacking line. Samira decided to represent the Armenia national team thanks to her Armenian roots through her mother.

For Armenian women’s football, the arrival of a player with experience in the academy of one of Europe’s leading clubs is an important event. Despite her young age, Samira already has several years behind her in the Manchester City system, where she progressed up to the U21 team.

In an interview with the official channel of the Football Federation of Armenia, Shikhshabekova said that she started playing football at the age of 10. Her first coach was her father, former MMA fighter Magomed Shikhshabekov.

“My brother also played football. My first coach was my father. When I was 12, I scored 9 goals for one of the smaller teams. Representatives of Manchester City were at that game and invited me to the academy. I spent 6 years there,” Samira said.

According to the footballer, her time at Manchester City became the best stage of her young career. The club paid great attention to the development of the women’s team, built a new training base, and the players regularly travelled for training camps and tournaments.

“I played at Manchester City up to the U21 team. Several times I was included in the first-team squad, but I did not make an appearance. After my contract ended, I no longer saw my future at Manchester City,” Shikhshabekova noted.

Samira is now a free agent after her contract with the English club expired in the summer of 2026.

Her family also holds a special place in the footballer’s story. Samira’s father, Magomed Shikhshabekov, is a former professional MMA fighter with a record of 12 wins and 1 loss. He spent most of his fights in the M-1 Challenge league and ended his career in 2012.

Samira said that her father is from Dagestan, but the family did not live there for long and moved early to Rostov-on-Don. Later, the Shikhshabekov family moved to the United Kingdom, where the children continued their sporting development.

“My mother is Armenian. I have many relatives in Armenia, and they play a very important role for me,” the footballer said.

According to Samira, the initiative to play for the Armenia national team came from her family. They contacted the right people themselves and sent video materials, after which the footballer was invited to the national team.

Before arriving at the national team, Samira and her father carefully studied the team’s recent matches in order to better understand its style of play. She also admitted that she had followed Henrikh Mkhitaryan since childhood and watched many of his matches.

Shikhshabekova’s story had already attracted attention several years ago. In 2021, it was reported that 12-year-old Samira had become the first athlete from Russia to sign a youth contract with a top football club. At the time, English coaches highlighted her goalscoring instinct and her ability to choose the right position.

In 2023, Samira signed a professional contract with Manchester City’s U19 youth team. Her younger brother Murad also trained in the club’s academy.

Now a new stage is beginning in Shikhshabekova’s career — this time with the Armenia national team. For the national side, her arrival could become an important reinforcement not only for the upcoming matches, but also for the years ahead.

“My dream is to play for a professional club at the highest level, in the top leagues of Europe. We will see how my career develops,” Samira said.

Considering her Manchester City education, versatility on the pitch and strong family motivation, Samira Shikhshabekova could become one of the key figures of the new generation of the Armenia women’s national team.

We will also continue to follow Samira’s younger brother, Murad Shikhshabekov, who is still playing in the Manchester City academy.

Murad also has the opportunity to play for the Armenia national team, just like his sister.

By the way, this is a video of the Shikhshabekov family during a morning workout in Yerevan.