An 18-year-old footballer with possible Azerbaijani roots is making headlines in Russian women's football. Violetta Kahramanzade, who plays for Spartak Moscow's youth team, has emerged as one of the most prolific young strikers in the country.
As reported by İdman.Biz, her remarkable goalscoring form has attracted widespread attention, with her latest performance allowing her to match an extraordinary achievement by one of Spartak's most celebrated former players, Andrey Tikhonov.
In a recent Matchday 25 encounter against Krasnoyarsk's Yenisey in the Russian Women's Youth League, Kahramanzade scored an astonishing eight goals as Spartak cruised to a 13-0 victory. The young forward accounted for more than half of her team's goals.
Her performance matched a remarkable feat achieved by Tikhonov on October 2, 1993. Playing for Spartak's reserve team against Rekord Alexandrov, the legendary midfielder scored all eight goals in an 8-0 victory.
Interestingly, 33 years later, the two footballers crossed paths in an unexpected encounter. Following the match against Yenisey, Kahramanzade met Tikhonov aboard an airplane. The players, who had achieved the same eight-goal milestone, posed for a photograph together, which was subsequently published by the Russian Football Union.
However, scoring eight times in a single match was only the most spectacular episode of an outstanding season for the young striker.
According to Russian sports media, Kahramanzade has scored 32 goals in 21 league appearances this season, setting a new goalscoring record in the Russian Women's Youth League.
Remarkably, Yenisey have already suffered heavily at her hands twice this season. In July, Spartak demolished the Krasnoyarsk side 15-0, with Kahramanzade scoring six goals.
This means the striker has netted an extraordinary 14 goals in just two matches against the same opponents.
But who is Violetta Kahramanzade, whose surname has also attracted attention in Azerbaijan?
Born on May 29, 2008, the footballer is listed as a Russian citizen in official sporting records. Much of her childhood and early football development was closely connected with Volgograd.
She began playing football at the Dina school sports club, based at School No. 104 in Volgograd. One of her first coaches was physical education teacher Ruslan Arstanov, under whose guidance she represented Dina-Volgograd in various competitions.
In May 2023, Kahramanzade helped her team finish second in the Victory Cup, earning the tournament's top scorer award.
That same year, she scored 18 goals in the Volgograd futsal championship, where her girls' team competed against boys.
The promising footballer subsequently continued her development within the system of Volgograd's Rotor.
During the 2024 season, she scored nine goals in eight Russian First League matches and helped Rotor's U-19 team secure bronze medals in a national competition. Notably, it was her winning goal in the third-place match that secured the team's podium finish.
In November 2024, Kahramanzade joined Spartak Moscow.
The following season, she became the youth team's leading goalscorer, finding the net eight times in 19 appearances. Her productivity increased dramatically in 2026, establishing her as one of the competition's standout performers.
Her success at club level also attracted the attention of Russia's national team coaches.
Kahramanzade previously received call-ups to the Russian U-17 national team before progressing to the U-19 side.
In addition, she has already gained experience with Spartak's senior team, making three appearances in the Russian Women's Super League this season.
Another interesting aspect of the young striker's background is her possible Azerbaijani heritage.
Although publicly available official sources do not directly confirm her ethnic origins, her surname, Kahramanzade, is characteristic of Azerbaijan. Her patronymic, Farhadovna, also suggests a possible family connection.
Documents published by the Moscow Football Federation identify the player by her full name, Violetta Farhadovna Kahramanzade.
Further examination of publicly accessible Russian business records revealed another potentially relevant detail.
An individual entrepreneur named Farhad Kamal oglu Kahramanzade, an Azerbaijani citizen, is registered in Volgograd, the city where Violetta grew up and began her football career. His registered business activity involves the retail sale of fruit and vegetables.
The combination of the surname, the name corresponding to the footballer's patronymic, and the geographical connection to Volgograd raises the possibility of a family relationship. However, no documentary evidence confirming that the entrepreneur is the player's father has been established.
Consequently, Kahramanzade's Azerbaijani heritage remains a possibility rather than a confirmed fact.
Meanwhile, the young striker continues to set new standards in her football career.
With just one round remaining in the Russian Women's Youth League season, Spartak are scheduled to face Ryazan-VDV on November 15.
Kahramanzade will have another opportunity to extend her impressive goalscoring record and conclude an outstanding campaign on a high note.
