By Alex RobertsDastan Satpaev, a 16-year-old striker from Kazakhstan is every Football Manager player’s dream, he clearly has 200 PA (if you know you know). At the moment, Chelsea’s decision to sign him for a reported fee of €4 million, including add-ons, is looking like a master stroke.Compared to Sergio Agüero, who came close to joining the West London club as a teen before finally landing at Manchester City and becoming a Premier League great, has been with current club Kairat Almaty since the age of eight.It’s not an unfair comparison, physically at least, he still has some way to go if he wants to have the type of career the little Argentinian did. Like Agüero, he has a low centre of gravity and incredible balance, along with that trademark burst of pace that catches defenders completely off-guard.As a result, his link up play is one of his best assets. Not afraid to make a nuisance of himself, he brings teammates into the fold with an impressive touch, playing a one-two, and using his speed to get in the right position and get a shot off on goal.Satpaev is top scorer for the Kazakh league leaders this seasonOf course, given his age, there is still room for improvement. He’s not the best in the air but then again, he’s only 5’5”, he’s due a growth spurt over the next few years, if he keeps eating his Beshbarmak, Satpaev will be a big strong boy in no time.After impressing in the academy, scoring a total of 27 goals and registering 10 assists in 28 matches, during the 2023 and 2024 seasons in the QJ League, Kazakhstan’s premier youth competition, he was promoted to the senior team.He went on to make his debut on 26 May 2024 in their 9–0 Kazakhstan League Cup win against Akzhayik, coming on to replace Élder Santana in the 80th minute. He wasn’t among the scorers, but you could tell he had something special.Despite the minimal number of appearances, the European elite were starting to take notice and in March, it was announced that he would be joining Chelsea for a Kazakhstan league record fee.Since then, he’s arguably been the first name on the team sheet, scoring his first senior goal in the first game of the 2025 season, an equaliser against FC Astana, the biggest side in Kazakhstan.The young man hasn’t looked back since. He’s played a key role in taking Kairat Almaty to the top of the Kazakhstan Premier League, scoring eight goals and providing one assist in his 19 games, as they look well on their way to a second consecutive title.Domestically, Satpaev is already a relatively big fish in a small pond. On the continent, he’s just another kid, looking up at the grown up’s table, hoping to get a bite of the cake while they’re distracted by their phones.Kairat Almaty entered the Champions League at the first qualifying round, where they would face Slovenian champions Olimpija Ljubljana, with the first game held in the historic and scenic city of Ljubljana.After 59 minutes, a record was broken. Running alongside teammate Jorginho, not that one, he was in the right place at the right time to tap the ball home after his fellow forward broke free to go one-on-one with the ‘keeper.And just like that, 16 years, 10 months, and 26 days, Satpaev become the youngest goal scorer in the competition’s history – although technically Ansu Fati is still the record holder for the Champions League proper.Olimpija equalised seven minutes later to end the game 1-1. Kairat Almaty would go on to win their second leg back in Khazakhstan 2-0, although Satpaev didn’t get on the scoresheet this time around.Drawn against Finnish champions KuPS for their next qualifier, it was starting to look like Satpaev’s first foray into Europe’s elite club competition would come to an end after their lost the first leg 2-0.As everyone who follows football knows, 2-0 is a dangerous scoreline, however, and Satpaev was the main man/boy in the game back at the Ortalyq Stadion, bagging a goal and providing an assist.Nine minutes in, he took the iniative to latch on to a pass that didn’t appear to be meant for him, taking a touch, catching his breath, and shooting his shot through a sea of legs. The ‘keeper got a hand to it, but it wasn’t enough, and Kairat Almaty were back in it.Jorginho got the tie level on the 29th minute before Satpaev was involved once again, this time setting up Valeri Gromyko just before the break to make it 3-0 and win the tie outright. We’d like to say it was the best assist we’d ever seen but, in all honesty, Gromyko did most of the work.Next up were Slovan Bratislava, a side that made it to the new-look league phase last season, where they would go on to face the likes of Man City, AC Milan, and Atletico Madrid. They didn’t pick up a single point but sometimes it’s about the friends you make along the way.Kairat Almaty dominated the game but were unable to break their opponents down. Rahim Ibrahim’s red card left Slovan Bratislava more vulnerable, but it would take another 30 minutes for a goal to be scored.Again, it was our boy. Kairat Almaty were awarded a penalty in added time and Satpaev showed bravery beyond his years to absolutely smash it into the back of the net and give his side the advantage going into the second leg.That will be played on Tuesday, with a final qualifier against the mighty Celtic in the balance. Then, should Satpaev and co snatch an unlikely victory against Brendan Rodgers’ lads, they can call themselves a proper Champions League side.Looking to the future, Chelsea will be delighted with the progress he’s already made, and the maturity he’s shown in some of his club’s biggest moments. Perhaps, the next big thing in football, is a kid from Khazakstan.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every Champions League game on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage and player ratings. Download the free app here.