This week, I’ve had to look up Kairat Almaty more than I ever have in my 33 years of existence and it’s because the club, located in Central Asia, closer to Tokyo than to Paris, where the Champions League was first conceived, has arrived in the big time.
They have arrived at the Shangri-La of European football through sheer hard work, defying the odds and travelling thousands of miles to beat the mighty Celtic and earn their place among the big boys of Europe.
My first point of contact in researching them was Guillermo Rai, Real Madrid’s reporter for The Athletic, who admits he’s been thinking about the journey and is looking forward to visiting Kazakhstan for the first time next week.
It’s an interesting story, isn’t it? This is what makes the Champions League such a unique competition. I’ve been almost everywhere in Europe, so for me, it’s teams like Kairat that excite me. It’s a unique story because we don’t get to see teams like that often, and they can give Madrid something different to think about. I think, for example, if Madrid are playing a team like Newcastle or Arsenal, it’s easier- they know each other and what to expect. But with Kairat, it’s hard to predict anything. They have the surprise factor.
I live in the northern part of London, which is very diverse and home to many immigrants. There are a lot of Spanish residents in Seven Sisters, and plenty of pubs that will be showing the match between Kairat and Real Madrid.
I’m in a small cafe called Lemon on West Green Road, where the manager, Raul Montana - a Spaniard who grew up in Madrid and moved to London 15 years ago, shared his thoughts.
He told me he’s never missed a Madrid game in the last 10 years and is looking forward to watching the Kairat match with friends next week.
I looked them up and saw they’re from Kazakhstan, but they play on the European side, so fair play, they deserve to be in the Champions League. I’d never really heard about them until the draw was made, but we watch all Madrid games together with a group of Spanish friends here, and I think they’ll be very popular after the game.
A few years ago, when Astana became the first Kazakhstani side to play in the Champions League group stage, it brought a massive feel-good factor to the competition.
Europeans can sometimes exist in a bubble, but Astana’s success was fresh and inspiring and I’m getting that same feeling from Kairat.
There is already a certain level of anticipation for their game against Madrid across Europe. Football editors are asking writers to create SEO-friendly pieces answering questions like: Who are they? Where are they from? How did they get here? Who is their star player? Who is their manager? What are their recent results?
In The Sun newsroom, one of the busiest sports desks in the world, we’ve already written several stories about Kairat, more than we did when Astana qualified.
Their location, close to the Chinese border, is certainly intriguing. People want to understand why a team nearly 7,000 miles from mainland Europe is playing in the Champions League.
Only God knows what will happen, the fortunes of the club, the players, and Kazakhstani football could all change if they manage to get a result against mighty Madrid.
Aside from my role at The Sun, where I cover a wide range of topics, I’m also a Chelsea correspondent. That’s how I got to speak to Christ Darko, a fan who travelled with the Chelsea team last season when they played in Almaty against Astana in the UEFA Conference League.
Christ made the nearly 12-hour journey via a three-hour layover in Istanbul and said it’s one of those trips everyone should make at least once in their lifetime.
I have to admit, when we were travelling there, I was wondering why we had to go. But when we got there, it was really nice. It’s not your usual European city, but it’s a very nice place. When we got to Istanbul, that’s when the real journey started. We took an onward flight that threaded through Russia and Iran, passed over Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea, before flying over the barren deserts of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, finally returning to UEFA territory nearly two hours further northeast. So yeah, it’s the journey of a lifetime. I wish Real Madrid fans the best of luck.
This week, we’ll be writing more about Kairat, and most Real Madrid fans will be flying to a place they’ve never been before. But that’s the beauty of football.
Even if it's still early days, the feeling this week is that Kairat have already overtaken Astana as the most famous Kazakhstani side, at least judging by the level of interest and the number of stories we’re putting out about them so far.
Expectations for Kairat in tricky group
This is a very difficult group, with games against Real Madrid and Inter Milan, but if their past is anything to go by, then expect them to pull off some surprises. The home game against Pafos will be one to keep an eye on, as they can certainly get all three points.
Expectations for the Madrid game
I'm told Madrid would have preferred not to travel such a long distance right after a game against Atletico, so they could arrive tired. That could be a real opportunity for Kairat — but Madrid is still Madrid, the club with the most Champions League trophies. Kairat have nothing to lose, and that should give them the freedom to play and enjoy themselves, and when teams play with that kind of freedom, they can be very dangerous.
Expectations for Dastan Satpayev
Satpayev has become very popular with Chelsea fans after his photo with Cole Palmer during his time at Cobham. A lot of Chelsea fans are very excited about his potential, and I’ve heard a few people at Chelsea say he plays like former Argentine striker Sergio Agüero. My feeling is that many Chelsea fans will be watching him against Madrid for the first time, and expect his popularity to skyrocket if he can find the back of the net. His talent is on the same level as Estevao, who arrived from Brazil this season and is already part of the first team. If Satpayev puts in a strong performance, expect calls for him to stay with the Chelsea first team when he joins for pre-season next summer.
