The 31-year-old Pakhtakor hitman, who became the all-time leading goalscorer of AFC Champions League since the event was rebranded and launched in 2002-03, remains unfazed by the record.

An unassuming Tadjiyev, however, acknowledged the contribution of his teammates in the success, saying, “This is not my achievement but the success of the entire Pakhtakor team.”

“We do not count individual achievements here as we are like a family. Whatever is achieved is for the entire club,” he told www.the-afc.com in an exclusive interview.

His 79th minute equaliser against Saudi Arabia’s Ettifaq was the Uzbek’s fifth goal this season and took his overall tally to 13 goals. He had scored four goals in the 2002 edition of the continent’s premier club competition before adding two each in 2006 and 2008.

“I am pleased to be among the top AFC Champions League scorers but would like to point out that I would not have been able to achieve this without the contribution of my teammates,” said the former Uzbek international.

“My job is to contribute to the team’s success by scoring goals and I am happy that I have been able to do this regularly.”

Chasing Tadjiyev’s record is Uzbek international Anvar Soliev, who turns out for fellow qualifiers Bunyodkor. Soliev and the Korean duo of Kim Do-hoon and Ahn Jung-hwan have netted 12 goals each.

Tadjiyev will have a chance to add to his tally when the Uzbekistan runners-up play in the quarter-finals.

“I am definitely looking forward to the last eight stage and will be keen to find the back of the net again,” he said indicating that his hunger for goals may keep him on top of the chart for a long time.