Kazyna Norbayeva: “My Dream Is to Become Kazakhstan’s All-Time Leading Goalscorer”

– What were your first steps in football like?

– I took my first steps in football in the village of Shybarsu, near Shymkent. The person who introduced me to the game and taught me everything I know about football was my older brother. Thanks to him, I grew up playing football with the boys in our village. The fact that I have now reached the national team level is largely down to him. Later, I joined BIIK-Shymkent, where I began my professional career alongside girls born in 2005. My first coach was Alik Amidovich.

– Who were your football idols growing up?

– I grew up watching Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.I was also a huge admirer of Neymar and his incredible skills.

– How did your season with Aktobe go after your time at BIIK-Shymkent?

– Aktobe was my first major step towards Europe. With the club, we competed in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Playing in attack helped me develop as a player and gave me more confidence on the pitch. The experienced players in the team helped me a lot as well.

Most importantly, I know that I played my part in helping the team win the league title. When we became champions, I felt an immense sense of pride because I knew I had contributed to that success. I initially joined the club on trial, but the management and coaching staff believed in me from the very beginning and offered me a contract. It was a fantastic group with great team spirit.

– How did the move to Poland come about?

– To be honest, the beginning was very difficult, both physically and because of the language barrier. Everyone speaks Polish there. Team meetings and training sessions are conducted entirely in Polish, and the intensity of training is extremely high.

Having trained individually in Kazakhstan, it was not easy to adapt immediately to a team of such a high level. I knew I still had work to do physically, but over time I improved my fitness and settled in. Fortunately, I am not alone. An Uzbek footballer plays for our team, and his wife happens to be Kazakh. We live close to each other and spend time together as families.

– What are the biggest challenges of being a foreign player abroad? Did you adapt quickly?

– The mentality here is completely different. For example, if you make a mistake during a match, nobody dwells on it or blames you. Win or lose, once the match is over, everyone immediately moves on and starts preparing for the next game.

Another thing that impressed me is the respect shown to players from our national team. I never feel like a stranger here, and I hardly notice my status as a foreign player.

– What were your feelings when returning to the national team from abroad?

– As I have mentioned before, I was very shy when I first joined the national team. But now, after gaining experience abroad and maturing both as a player and a person, Coming back to the national team always feels special. Since this is my first club abroad and my first year in Europe, I miss home a lot. That is why I always look forward to joining the national team again.

– What do you do in your free time away from football?

– Apart from cooking, I also enjoy singing. To be honest, I do not listen to music very often, but recently I discovered ALEM’s song “Küyim” and now I find myself humming it all the time.

Since moving to Poland, I have missed the national team greatly. Whenever I come back to Kazakhstan and spend time with the girls, that feeling eases a little. In many ways, the song perfectly reflects my state of mind and the atmosphere within our team.

– What goals have you set for the next stage of your career?

– I still have one year remaining on my contract with Górnik Łęczna. During that time, I want to prepare as well as possible for the new season and fully adapt to the team. I believe that will open up new opportunities for me in the future.

My biggest dream is to become the all-time leading goalscorer of the Kazakhstan national team. I want to represent my country with pride, help the national team achieve success and contribute in every way I can.

Our squad currently has a great mix of experienced and young players. I want to set a good example for the next generation. I hope we can become one big family, stay united and help take the Kazakhstan national team to new heights.