What made this club part of the headlines wasn't the fact that they changed their name to Bunyodkor, but they announced they had "signed" Samuel Eto'o on a six-month deal from Barcelona. At the time it seemed legit as newly installed Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola didn't quiet fancy Eto'o in his side and was available to sign. However as it turned out the Eto'o "signing" was false but it did have the club in the headlines.
With this fame they did sign big in August 2008. They had lured 2002 World cup winner Rivaldo to the club along with Zico as manager. This seemed to be the start of something big with the club aiming to dominate at home and abroad.
The club did end up winning their first ever Uzbek league title that November. Zico however didn't stay around long and by January 2009 he was in Moscow in charge of CSKA. Rivaldo however extended his contract with the club.
In 2009 Bunyodkor ran away with the title, finishing 22 points ahead of Pakhtakor. Rivaldo was the top scorer in that campaign with 20 goals and the club reached the quarter-finals of the AFC champions league, going out to Pohang Steelers.
2010 under Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari saw the club exit the AFC champions league at the last 16 stage but did retain the league title as well as winning the cup.
However 2010 was to be the turning point for the club. The major financial force behind the club was folded. Luiz Felipe Scolari resigned as manager and Rivaldo terminated his contract in August 2010.
The following season did see the club win it's 4th straight league title but they fell again at the last 16 stage in the AFC champions league to Sepahan from Iran. The big stars were gone at this stage and the club was preparing a move into a brand new stadium which would happen in 2012.
Traditional Uzbek powerhouse Pakhtakor won back the league title in 2012 by two points from Bunyodkor. Abroad the club did have a better season. The reached the semi-finals of the AFC champions league falling to Korean's Ulsan Hyundai in a fairly one-sided tie.
By 2013 the club was forgotten about in the greater world media. Long gone were the days of Rivaldo, Zico, Scolari and of course Eto'o. The league title returned in 2013 edging out Lokomotiv Tashkent by a point. Their AFC champions league campaign was a disappointment as they bowed out at the last 16 stage being beaten by Thai side Buriram United.
The club are now operating on a more sound footing but without the riches to attract the big stars. They are also no longer a dominant force at home as 2014 showed with them finishing 4th and another last 16 exit in the champions league.
This season they exited the champions league at the group stage with just a single point won and are currently lying in 4th in the league. The glow from their fame well and truly faded.
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