For Sporting KC fans, Shapi Suleymanov is a new face on the roster, but in his first season with the team, he’s already made a name for himself on and off the pitch. On the field, he’s an electric player, a relentless competitor who throws himself into every play with intensity and purpose. Off the pitch, he’s a kind person, a teammate you can share a laugh with and a deeply devoted family man. That duality sets him apart, and it’s part of what makes him such a unique figure for Sporting KC.
“Since I was five years old until now, I am training every day,” Suleymanov says. “Since I was a child, this was my dream, just a soccer player.” His journey began at Krasnodar, one of Russia’s top academies. “When I went to the academy, Krasnodar, it’s the best academy in Russia, you feel like I can really be a professional football player.”
That dream has taken him far. From Dagestan, Turkey, Israel, Greece, and now Kansas City, Shapi’s life has been an adventure. With each stop, He has had to adjust not just to new clubs but also to new languages, cultures, and routines.
“When I went to Turkey, I didn’t know English. Just some words like my name, ‘how are you’. I never learned English you know, I just listened.” Still, he takes it all in stride. “It’s not that difficult to be honest, maybe the first three weeks, a month, you need to adapt, getting an apartment, furniture, or something like that, but after that it’s easy.”
Wherever he is, the attitude is the same: give everything. “I give my maximum for the games. I will give my all. Fans will never see me like I don’t want to move, I will try and give my best because we play for the fans. We want them to be happy, when we win, they're happy and we will give the maximum.”
That drive doesn’t go unnoticed. Interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin puts it simply: “He's such a nice guy and has integrated himself with the group. He's got a great personality and a great sense of humor. But when he gets on the field, he's a completely different person. He puts the mask on, if you will, and does embrace that villain role. He doesn't really care what people think or say or do from the fan perspective. I think that actually energizes him. For us, I think that helps us. It helps us from an energy and an emotional level that we can join him. You're always competing in games like this that are rising to the level of just being over the edge. He's our leader in that regard.”
That leadership has already made an impact. “We need to have guys and players like him who are good outside of the field and when you step on the field, they're like fighters,” says teammate Dejan Joveljić. “I'm happy that I have him as a teammate. He's such a good person and an amazing player. Hopefully he's going to help us with goals and with assists. So far he has four assists, so I expect a lot of more from him.”
Outside of soccer, Shapi keeps it simple. He prefers video games over TV or movies, especially Dota 2. “I play with my friends. I relax when I play.” Dota 2 is a way he stays connected to his friends back home. Putting on his headset and playing this strategy game.
Shapi’s also a big fan of black tea, sharing a funny anecdote of his childhood. “When I was young, I’d wake up and the first words would be ‘Mom, please give me the black tea.’”
But music-wise, it’s rap and R&B for Shapi. When asked for his favorite artist or music, the answer was simple. “I like rap, R&B, like Future, Travis Scott, but I like Future more. I like the voice and the music.”
On his days off, Shapi likes to spend it with his family. Whether it’s spending time with his daughter, exploring the city, going to the zoo. Or getting to know the city with his wife, Shapi loves spending time with his family and relaxing. But once in a while adventure calls and Shapi answers the call at amusement parks.
“I went to PortAventura in Spain, it was so fun but also a little bit scary too.”
On game days, Shapi likes to keep things simple and stay focused. “Normally, I listen to the Quran and try to concentrate on the game because for me, I can’t listen to music. I can’t concentrate like that. I try to relax the whole game and just listen to the Quran and concentrate.”
Whether it’s winning a duel on the pitch or going to the zoo with family, there’s no persona here, just a player who knows when to turn on the intensity and when to take a breath. Shapi Suleymanov doesn’t separate who he is from what he does. He lives both roles fully: the fierce competitor and the devoted family man.