Denis Aleksandrovich Tumasyan is one of the most underrated football players of his generation. He has Armenian roots, but according to his passport he is Russian.
Childhood and youth
He was born in April, 1985, in Kyiv. As a child, I was not very interested in sports. I just loved to play football in the street. After some time, I decided that I wanted to try myself in this direction. The young man's parents were not against it and fully supported him. In Kyiv, he studied exclusively at the children's level. When I played football a little, I felt all the beauty of this sport. Starts to dream of one day entering the field as a professional.
Denis Tumasyan did not stay long in the capital of Ukraine and already at the age of seventeen he moved to Rostov. The guy performed well at the training camp and signed a contract with the local SKA. This is exactly how his career began, which he so dreamed of a few years ago.
Performances at a professional level
Spends the 2002/2003 season in the Rostov team. Plays quite successfully. Enters the field thirty-one times and scores two goals. Next year he decides to go to Finland. The athlete spent some time at YBK, after which he moved to Yaro. There is information that his move to this country was greatly facilitated by the fact that he will spend only one year outside of Russia and show a simply amazing game. He will take the field forty times and score eight goals. It is noteworthy that he became the most productive defender of the championship.
In 2006, Denis Tumasyan joined the ranks of the capital's Torpedo. Here he will be the main defender for two years. During this time, he played in eighty-one matches and scored nine goals. Rumors began to appear in the press that the giants of Russian football were interested in the centerback, but he moved to Ural, which at that time represented the First League. In the new team he immediately becomes the main one. For five years he was a stable player in the starting lineup. He became one of the main “culprits” for the “bumblebees” entering the Major League. In total, he played one hundred and twelve matches for the club and scored eleven goals.
In 2014, he went to Ufa on loan. He will immediately show confident play and next year he will become a full-time player for the Ufa team, where he plays to this day.
National team career
Denis Tumasyan is a very effective defender. The footballer has scored thirty-eight goals since 2004. Despite his excellent statistics, he never played for the Russian national team. In 2011, the Football Federation of Armenia decided to take advantage of this. This summer he received a call from the Armenian national team. It was planned that the player would make his debut in one of the friendly matches. Unfortunately, it was not possible to enter the field.
The media actively began to disseminate information that the defender had some problems with the documents. Since then, he has never received calls to any national team.
Many experts confidently say that this player is one of the best defenders in Russia. He could be an excellent reinforcement for the national team, but the coaches do not want to use this opportunity.
Achievements and awards
In the 2012/2013 season, together with Ural, Denis Tumasyan became the winner of the Football National League. In 2012 and 2013 added the National League Cup to his collection of awards.
In the 2012/2013 championship he became the best defender of the First League. At the end of the season, he also received the title of the most scoring defensive player.
Unfortunately, the football player has no more awards. There is no doubt that if he had played in stronger clubs, he would have had many more team and personal awards.
Now the Ufa player is only thirty years old. If he continues to perform at the same high level, there is a chance that he will join the ranks of one of the championship leaders. It is believed that this age is the most suitable for defenders. All that remains is to wish good luck and hope that Denis Tumasyan will still be able to loudly declare himself and, perhaps, make his debut in the national team. This defender is one of the few who truly deserves to spend the rest of his career at the highest level.
Denis Tumasyan is a football player who plays for the Russian Premier League club Ufa. The tall defender has been with the team from Bashkortostan for the fourth season, one of which he played for the “citizens” on loan while still a Ural player.
Biography
Denis Tumasyan was born in 1985 in Kyiv. Soon the boy’s family moved permanently to Russia, where he played football in one of the Rostov youth sports schools. Denis’s father worked as a football coach, so it is not surprising that the guy also decided to follow in his footsteps. The young player was best able to prove himself as a defender - in this role he spent most of his playing time. In Rostov, Denis began his professional career as a football player; at that time the guy was barely seventeen years old.
Player career
Having spent his debut season at a high level for SKA Rostov and in professional sports in general, Denis Tumasyan was considered one of the most promising young defenders in Russian football. Nevertheless, with the assistance of coach Alexei Eremenko, in 2004 the Russian player moved to the Finnish championship, where over the next two seasons he defended the colors of the Jaro football club. For the team from Jakobstad, Tumasyan played 40 matches, in which he managed to score goals eight times - a very serious indicator, especially considering the role of a football player.
Return to Russia
After the Finnish voyage, Denis Tumasyan continued his career in the country that became his second home. The defender signed a contract with the club, whose glorious traditions date back to the dawn of the last century. However, today the Moscow Torpedo plays only in the PFL, but with an eye on the Premier League.
Tumasyan spent two seasons in the capital's team and in 81 matches upset opposing goalkeepers nine times with goals scored. Since 2009, Tumasyan has defended the colors of Ural, where he spent six whole years. The most successful period for the player was the 2012/2013 championship, which the team from Yekaterinburg held in the PFL. The club won the championship and was promoted, and the defender himself, according to the voting results, became the best player of the year in his role, as well as the best scorer among defensive players.
Denis Tumasyan: Ufa and prospects
Throughout the entire period of playing for the Ural team, Tumasyan remained not only a player in the main team, but also the undisputed leader on the field. However, over time, the club’s management “set a course” to rejuvenate the roster. Therefore, the thirty-year-old player was forced to go on loan to Ufa in 2014. And after a season, he signed a full-fledged contract with the team from Bashkortostan.
National team career
Thanks to the presence of Armenian roots in the footballer’s biography, in 2011 he received a call to the Armenian national team, but for unknown reasons he never joined the team.
Denis Tumasyan was born into a purely sports family, in which, in addition to his father, a coach, there is a mother, a master of sports in athletics, and two more brothers, also involved in football.
In his youth, Denis played football well and did just as poorly at school. According to the defender himself, he barely graduated from high school, after which he immediately went into professional sports.
The footballer spent his first earned amount entirely on food from the supermarket. At the age of fifteen, he brought home a huge bag of groceries. Now he is thirty-two, but the game of football and family still come first, and only after that come money and other values.
Tumasyan is completely and completely devoted to sports. He wants to play football as much as he can, and after finishing his career, he wants to move to an administrative position. But Denis does not strive to be a coach, like his father.
"Olympiastadion" (Munich, Germany). Opened in 1972. Accommodates 69,250 spectators.
The final match of the first UEFA Champions League in the 1992/93 season took place at the Munich Olympic Stadium. Marseille and Milan competed for the trophy. The meeting, which took place on May 23, 1993, ended in victory for the French team with a score of 1:0.
The Munich Arena hosted the second final of the main European club tournament in 1997. In that match, Borussia Dortmund beat Juventus 3:1.
Olympic Stadium (Athens, Greece). Opened in 1982, reconstructed in 2002-2004. Accommodates 69,618 spectators.
The Olympic Stadium in the capital of Greece can be called happy for Milan. After losing in the final of the 1992/93 season, the Italian club again reached the decisive stage of the tournament the following year, where they defeated Barcelona with a score of 4:0.
Thirteen years later, the Rossoneri returned to the Athens Olympic Stadium as trophy contenders, and once again they managed to win, this time over Liverpool 2-1.
"Ernst Happel Stadion" (Vienna, Austria). Opened in 1931, reconstructed twice - in 1986 and 2008. Accommodates 55,665 spectators.
The arena in the Austrian capital hosted the final of the Champions League of the 1994/95 season, and Milan participated in it for the third time in a row. Like two years earlier, the Italians lost with a score of 0:1, but this time to Ajax.
Stadio Olimpico (Italy, Rome). Opened in 1937, the last reconstruction was carried out in 1989-1990. Accommodates 72,698 spectators.
In the 1995/96 season, Ajax came to Rome as the reigning Champions League winner, but the Dutch club failed to defend its title. Already in the first half of the match with Juventus, the teams exchanged goals, after which they brought the matter to a penalty shootout. The Bianconeri were more accurate and won the main European club trophy.
The Olympic Stadium in Rome received the right to once again host the Champions League final of the 2008/09 season, but this time the local teams failed to make it to the decisive stage of the tournament. The trophy was won this year by Barcelona, beating Manchester United 2:0.
Amsterdam Arena (Amsterdam, Netherlands). Opened in 1996. Accommodates 54,990 spectators.
The stadium, which now bears the name of Johan Cruyff, hosted the Champions League final just two years after opening. In May 1998, Real Madrid and Juventus met on the field of the Amsterdam Arena. The match ended with a score of 1:0 in favor of the Madrid club.
Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain). Opened in 1957, it was reconstructed twice - in 1995 and 2008. Accommodates 99,354 spectators.
The Barcelona stadium has seen many memorable matches, but the 1998/99 Champions League final stands apart. Without exaggeration, that meeting between Bayern and Manchester United can be called legendary. The Germans took the lead in the 6th minute and controlled the game until the last minutes, but two goals scored by the Mancunians in stoppage time of the second half brought victory to Manchester United.
"Stade de France" (Saint-Denis, France). Opened in 1998. Accommodates 81,338 spectators.
The arena, built on the outskirts of Paris, hosted the Champions League final for the first time in the 1999/2000 season. The meeting between Real Madrid and Valencia ended with a confident victory for the Madrid club with a score of 3:0. This was the first time in the history of the Champions League that clubs from the same country played in the final.
6 years later, in the 2005/06 season, Barcelona and Arsenal competed for the trophy on the Stade de France field. The Londoners, who played in the minority from the 18th minute after goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off, opened the scoring 10 minutes before the break, but in the second half goals from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti brought victory to the Catalans - 2:1.
"San Siro" (Milan, Italy). Opened in 1926. The last reconstruction was carried out in 1989. Accommodates 80,018 spectators.
The San Siro Stadium was renamed in honor of Giuseppe Meazza in 1979, but the historical name of the arena is still the most popular and recognizable throughout the world. The Champions League final has been held here twice.
In the 2000/01 season, Bayern and Valencia played a dramatic match in Milan in which penalty kicks played a major role. Already in the 2nd minute, Gaizka Mendieta brought the Spaniards ahead from the penalty spot, and 4 minutes later, the Bats goalkeeper Santiago Canizares saved a penalty kick from Mehmet Scholl. At the beginning of the second half, Stefan Effenberg equalized the score from the penalty spot, and the fate of the match was decided in a series of post-match strikes, in which the Bayern players were more accurate.
15 years later, in May 2016, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid almost exactly repeated the scenario of the game between Bayern and Valencia in the same arena. Regular time also ended with the score 1:1, in extra time the teams failed to score, and the Royal Club won in the penalty shootout.
Hampden Park (Glasgow, Scotland). Opened in 1903. Reconstructed in 1999. Accommodates 51,866 spectators.
Real Madrid and Bayer 04 took to the Hampden Park pitch in the Champions League final in May 2002, and six months later the arena celebrated its 99th anniversary. The match itself ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of Real Madrid and was remembered for Zinedine Zidane's beautiful goal from the line of the penalty area.
Old Trafford (Manchester, England). Opened in 1910. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2006. Accommodates 74,879 spectators.
The second final in the modern history of the Champions League involving teams representing one country took place in the 2002/2003 season. In the decisive match of the tournament, which took place in Manchester, Milan and Juventus met. The main and extra time ended with the score 0:0, and in the penalty shootout the victory for Milan was brought by a precise strike from Andrei Shevchenko.
Veltins Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany). Opened in 2001. The stadium's capacity was last increased in 2015; today it is 62,271 people.
The arena has had its current name since the summer of 2005; previously it was called Arena AufSchalke. The stadium hosted matches of the World Football and Hockey Championships. Since 2002, the annual Christmas Biathlon Star Race has been held here.
The 2004 Champions League final, held in Gelsenkirchin, is one of the most memorable for Russian fans, as one of the goals was scored by Dmitry Alenichev. The Porto midfielder set the final score of the match against Monaco (3:0). The Portuguese team at that time was led by Jose Mourinho, who became the youngest head coach in history to win the main European club trophy.
Olympic Stadium (Istanbul, Türkiye). Opened in 2002. Accommodates 80,500 spectators.
The stadium in Istanbul was built to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, but Turkey's bid did not receive the required number of votes, and the Olympics took place in Beijing. Currently, the arena in Istanbul bears the name of the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and is the largest in the country.
The 2005 Istanbul Champions League final is arguably the greatest in the tournament's history. In the decisive match, Milan crushed Liverpool with a score of 3:0 after the first half, but in the second half of the meeting, goals from Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso turned everything upside down. There were no goals scored in extra time, and the British club was stronger in the penalty shootout.
"Luzhniki" (Moscow, Russia). Opened in 1956. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2017. Accommodates 81,000 spectators.
For the first time, Russia received the right to host the 2007/08 Champions League final, and this honorable mission was entrusted to the Luzhniki Grand Sports Arena. Chelsea and Manchester United competed for the trophy, marking the first time two English teams met in a Champions League decider.
The game caused a great stir among fans in both England and Russia, with more than 67 thousand spectators present in the stands. Midway through the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo put Manchester United ahead, but Frank Lampard equalized just before the break. The second half and extra time passed without any goals scored, and in the penalty shootout the Mancunians were more accurate.
Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1947. The last reconstruction was carried out in 2001. Accommodates 81,044 spectators.
The home arena of one of the most successful clubs in modern football has hosted the Champions League final only once - in the 2009/10 season, but this so far only match has gone down in history.
Inter and Bayern met in the Madrid final. The match ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the Italian club, and Jose Mourinho, who was working with the Nerazzurri at that moment, became the third coach in history who managed to win the Champions Cup with two different teams (there are now five of them: in addition to the Portuguese, this Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti).
An interesting fact is that in the Milanese squad in the 2010 final there was only one Italian - Marco Materazzi, and even he appeared on the field in the 90th minute of the match.
Wembley (London, England). Opened in 2007. Accommodates 90,000 spectators.
The new Wembley is built on the site of the legendary arena, which hosted matches of the World and European Championships, the Olympic Games and many European Cup finals.
The final match of the 2010/11 Champions League, which took place at the new Wembley, in a sense turned out to be a home match for Manchester United, but this did not help the Mancunians win the trophy. Barcelona, led by the trio Xavi - Iniesta - Messi, won with a score of 3:1.
In 2013, Wembley hosted the first “German” Champions League final, in which Bayern and Borussia Dortmund met. The victory and the cup were brought to the Bavarians by a precise shot from Arjen Robben, who set the final score at 2:1 in the 89th minute.
Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany). Opened in 2005. Accommodates 67,812 spectators.
The decisive match of the 2011/12 Champions League season was the first final of the tournament, which was held at the home stadium of one of the participants in the meeting - Bayern hosted Chelsea in Munich. The scoring was opened only in the 83rd minute after a shot by the hosts' forward Thomas Muller, but five minutes later the leader of the Londoners' attack, Didier Drogba, restored the balance.
The fate of the trophy was decided in a penalty shootout. Bayern again took the lead after Philipp Lahm's accurate shot and Juan Mata's miss, but then the visiting players converted all their attempts, while the German team's players made two misfires. Thus, Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time in their history.
"Millennium" (Cardiff, Wales). Opened in 1999. Accommodates 73,930 spectators.
The home arena of the Wales national team was opened at the turn of the millennium, having received the appropriate name, but in 2016 the stadium received a new name - Principality Stadium, which, with a certain amount of imagination, can be translated simply as "Princely Stadium", since Wales is part of the United Kingdom, and the Queen's son Elizabeth II Charles bears the title Prince of Wales.
But let's return to the Champions League. The final of the main European club tournament took place here in 2017, and the participants in that match were Real Madrid and Juventus. The Madrid team won with a score of 4:1 and won their second Champions League title in a row, and football fans remembered that meeting for the super goal of Turin striker Mario Mandzukic.
"Metropolitano" (Madrid, Spain). Opened in 1994. Reconstructed in 2017. Accommodates 67,700 spectators.
Liverpool and Tottenham met in the 2019 Champions League final. The final was the first in Tottenham's history, and the first since the 2013 final, where at least one Spanish club did not play. Liverpool, reaching the final for the second time in a row, won the match 2-0. In his third Champions League final as head coach, Jurgen Klopp won the trophy.
