Simutenkov, Igor Vitalievich. Attack.
A student of the Moscow Sports School No. 63 “Smena” (first coach - Vladimir Ivanovich Lopandin) and FSM (coach - Vladimir Sergeevich Bobkov).
He played for the clubs Dynamo Moscow (1990–1994), Reggiana Reggio Emilia, Italy (1994–1998), Bologna Bologna, Italy (1998–1999), Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain (1999–2001), Kansas City Wizards Kansas City, USA (2001–2004), Rubin Kazan (2005), Dynamo Voronezh (2006).
Winner of the Russian Cup 1994/95
The best football player in Russia in 1994 (according to the results of a survey by the weekly Football magazine). The best football player in Russia in 1994 (according to the results of a survey in the Sport-Express newspaper).
He played 20 matches for the Russian national team and scored 9 goals.
(Played 9 matches for the USSR/Russian Olympic team, scored 1 goal. * )
Participant of the European Championship 1996
Head coach of the Torpedo-RG club Moscow (2007). Coach of the Russian youth team (2007–2009). Assistant head coach at the Zenit St. Petersburg club (2010–2015, 2017–...). Assistant head coach of the Russian national team (2014–2015). Head coach youth team Zenit St. Petersburg (2015–2017).
« I AM LUCKY!»
Today he will definitely take to the field in Naberezhnye Chelny. Firstly, because the man is turning exactly twenty years old, and secondly, the legendary doctor Savely Evseevich Myshalov managed to heal his heel, which was bruised in the last game with Spartak Vladikavkaz. Will he score? After all, the best scorer of the championship - what other gift can you give yourself?
Although, in fact, he only started scoring consistently this season. What his coach Valery Gazzaev predicted two years ago. Having just accepted Dynamo, he told me what an amazingly promising striker there was. “He’ll start playing for me a little now, at eighteen, and in a couple of seasons, if we survive, we’ll see what comes of him.” Playing a little in the company of Kolyvanov, Kiryakov, Leonenko even then was more a recognition of skill than an advance. And today the Dynamo right region is the legitimate patrimony of Simutenkov. Two years have passed.
Do you have to be born a forward?
Don't know. Look Kasumov or Tishkov - they were definitely born like them. And I, with my build, what kind of goals did I score? No, the coaches made me a forward.
And where?
First - at the Smenovo school, where coach Lopandin worked with me, and then - at the FSM. There, coach Bobkov had a wonderful company - Faizulin, Bavykin, Booth, we learned not only from the coach, but also from each other.
And did you believe that you would break into big football?
Who like. For example, everyone told me that I would play. And I myself looked at the doubles matches, where the guys were playing a little older, but two heads taller and twice as wide in the shoulders as me, and I thought how I could not get lost among all these grenadiers. First, however, it was necessary to get into some kind of double.
And what time did they call you for the first time?
In Lokomotivsky. I had just turned sixteen then. I consulted with Bobkov, and Vladimir Sergeevich said that there was no point in twitching yet - he had other plans for me. He didn’t say which ones specifically, but soon, when the Union youth team played against the Italians at Krasnaya Presnya and I was released for the second half, I looked at the stands, saw Byshovets sitting there next to my coach and understood everything. Immediately after the game I received an invitation to Dynamo - and immediately, with Bobkov’s approval, I agreed,
Who did you root for as a child?
For Spartak...
And now you continue?
Well, now I’m a professional - how can you sympathize with someone else’s team? Although the way she plays, I still like.
And how did you get used to the Dynamo double team?
- With difficulty. Although, in general, thoughts about some kind of inferiority complex only sometimes visited me between games - when I went out onto the field, I completely forgot about them. There was only a ball, a defender to beat, and a goal to shoot into.
I remember how at one time Losev told the very young Kiryakov: “You, Kirya, in order to finish from the penalty line to the goal, you need to hit twice: hit, catch up with the ball and hit again.” Both in build and in the way you play, you are very similar to him...
That's right - we have only one school, the FES school. And we were taught to hit the ball very correctly. But when there is no power, will the blow be strong? So I had to take it with cunning and precision. Now, however, I feel like I’m gaining strength.
And don’t you feel any fear of the defenders? You know that if you go out onto the field, they will start hitting you in the legs.
The costs of the profession - what can you do? There is no fear, but when you feel that you are not very prepared, fears appear - you may not deceive in time, not dodge, and therefore get injured. And pain - who isn’t afraid of it?
Was it easy for you to transition from youth football to adult football?
I tried really hard to get through this stage as quickly as possible. If you stay too long on it, you will end up like a football player, I have already seen many examples of this. And twenty minutes spent in the fall of ninety in a match with Pamir was enough for me to feel how different men’s football is from the one I played before. Completely different tension. Thanks to the coaches for letting me out then - I already knew what to prepare myself for next season.
That season Dynamo received Gazzaev. And in addition to Kolyvanov and Kiryakov, he also invited Leonenko. Weren't you afraid of being the odd one out?
I wasn't afraid. Firstly, since childhood I have been accustomed to playing both forward and right half. Secondly, Valery Georgievich always gave priority to attack, and thirdly, I knew that at Dynamo no one would create greenhouse conditions for me to join the main team, and I was ready for both work and competition. Gazzaev probably felt how I wanted to play, and that’s why he played me quite often.
Wasn’t there a hidden thought that Kolyvanov would leave and, apparently, Kiryakov would follow him and you would inherit a place in the lineup?
I know that there are people who sit and slowly wait for vacancies. But it’s unlikely that they will ever play - there will always be someone to invite to take the place of those who left, and the bidders will again sit out. Last year Kasumov came to us, now here are Tishkov, Gudimenko and Rybakov. I want to play with them, and not wait until they make room for me.
And how many forwards should be on the field in a team?
Arrangements - they are very different. It seems to some that we, for example, are playing one pure forward - Tishkov, and to others - that we are playing three, Cheryshev on the left, and me on the right. Both are right in their own way: when attacking, all three of us are attackers, and even Tedeev, moving from the depths, sometimes turns into a second center, and when the ball is not ours, the edges turn into midfielders. In my opinion, this is a very flexible and mobile scheme.
So what, the best scorer of the championship has no priority, but she is not given any priority?
Yes, I only scored four goals - we'll see how it goes. And I’m not trying to jump out at the goal from my right edge and certainly shoot. If I see that Tishkov is in a better scoring position, I will certainly give it to him, I value an accurate pass no less than a shot.
And what is the most valuable pass and goal for you today?
I don’t know the pass, but the goal is the one I scored against Torino in Turin. I didn’t even see the goalkeeper’s position; it was important for me to shoot before the defender sat on my foot. But I felt the goal and believed: if I have time, I will score. Managed...
Nose return match Do you have perhaps some of the best memories?
When Aguilera spat in my face, I hit him purely mechanically. I couldn’t control myself - some kind of eclipse came over me. And then the referee runs with a red card. And the ten guys still have plenty of time to play. I was so ashamed, hurt and bitter - I can’t express it. Fortunately, everything worked out, and no one said a word to me - they understood my entire condition.
How does a disqualified player feel?
Devastation. I'm ready to play, but they won't let you in. It's a different matter when you're out of shape. I remember in the fall of the year before last, when the return game with the Hungarian “Vac” was coming up, it was necessary to win back, and they wanted to put me in the squad, but I somehow felt insecure. I went and told the coaches about it. This is probably more honest than not living up to expectations on the field later.
It's a pleasure to deal with professionals. But tell me, when does football turn from pleasure into work, at what stage?
Probably with the signing of the contract. After all, school and doubles are all attempts to turn pleasure into a profession, that is, to get a job. But in order to live up to this moment, in your heart, of course, you need to become a professional even earlier. For myself.
How do professionals combine work in several companies?
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Playing in the youth team is such a pleasure! Almost all of our FASH team plays there with the wonderful coach Ignatiev. It's like going back to childhood.
You're lucky to have coaches.
That's for sure - I've been lucky for more than ten years. For some reason everyone believes in me. And with such an attitude, how can you let people down?
Professional code of honor?
Maybe. Since I score goals, it means I don’t let you down,
And how much, according to your calculations, can you score in a season?
Yes, 15–20 balls. But in general, you can’t talk about this out loud - it’s like a bad luck to scare away.
However, you twenty-year-old people are superstitious.
But what about in our business - without signs? Not even serious.
For example, if you score on your twentieth birthday, will you score for the same number of years?
-
But this is pure PROVOCATION. ALTHOUGH, of course, you really want to get out of the arena and score a street goal like that. In a natural clearing you can breathe easier and play. In Rostov there was such a heavy field, and I was just flying across it. And - scored. On an open field, I’ll tell you, it’s even more pleasant to fall - not like scrambling about synthetics covering concrete. However, I scored four goals in the arena - three in the championship and for the Cup.
Are you counting them?
Yes, for now the fingers of one hand are enough. Now, if only I could score how many Gazzas there are. He reveals his gaming tricks to me during training. And I try to add my own to them. Sometimes it even works out - that’s how goals are born.
...When Gazzaev was twenty years old, perhaps fewer people knew him than now this cunning Simutenkov. I don’t know how his football fate will turn out in the future, but on his birthday I wish him to remain himself - a grateful guy from Lyublino who remembers and loves everyone who gave him a start in a great football life and who is now leading him through this life. And just as confidently and beautifully walk along it further.
Sergey MIKULIK. Newspaper "Sport-Express", 04/03/1993
FROM MOSCOW TO KANSAS AND BACK
The best football player in Russia in 1994 was once nicknamed the Russian Columbus, who discovered football America for our country. For three and a half years, Igor Simutenkov delighted the fans of the Kansas City Wizards with his play and goals scored. Before that, his career included the Spanish Tenerife, the Italian Reggiana and Bologna, as well as the Russian Dynamo Moscow. At the request of the weekly "Football" Igor Simutenkov - now head coach second division club Torpedo-RG - recalled the main milestones of his eventful football career.
America. I spent more than three years in the USA, at the Kansas City Wizards club. Of course, in terms of popularity, football, or soccer in American terms, is inferior to many sports in the States. But there are also many football fans in the country, especially among Latin Americans. Somehow final game The championship was scheduled for Independence Day, July 4th. And imagine, the stadium, which seats 80 thousand spectators, was completely sold out!
What is striking in the States is the developed infrastructure of all American clubs. Stadiums, hotels, flights - the whole thing is built at the highest level. Football itself in MLS is at a decent level. In our country, by the way, they somehow treat this tournament with disdain. Although Eric Korchagin, who once tried his hand at one of the American clubs, recently admitted that he was pleasantly surprised by the skill of the teams from MLS.
Bombardier. In 1994, I managed to become the top scorer in the Russian Championship. That season was perhaps the brightest in my career. That year everything came together successfully: Dynamo performed well in the championship, I was lucky enough to work with Konstantin Beskov, I won the scorers race and became best player countries. At that time, I already had 57 goals scored for the Grigory Fedotov Club. It is clear that I hoped to eventually join this honorable Scorers Club. However, goals scored in the States are not taken into account according to the regulations, which is why I was never able to do this. However, I can’t say that I’m very worried about this - it means that it was destined to be so.
Pride is a vice. In general, I don’t really like this word; I have always considered myself a modest person. Of course, I am pleased that over the years in football I managed to earn good name. I am also flattered that in 1994 journalists recognized me as the best player in the country. But I wouldn't call this feeling pride.
Dynamo is my home club. It just so happened that my career in big football I started at Dynamo Moscow and finished it at Dynamo, but in Voronezh. I owe a lot to this club, and I can safely be called a real Dynamo player. What is it? Probably a state of mind.
Having already left Russia, I tried twice to return to my native club. But it so happened (I won’t go into details now) that, despite the wishes of the coaches, I was never able to sign a contract with Dynamo Moscow. But be that as it may, I will always root for this club and worry about it.
Food. Like any other person, I like and want to eat delicious food. Having traveled around different countries and after comparing the cuisines of different nations, I realized that the Italians cook best in the world (see “I” - “Italy”). Pasta, spaghetti, pizza, various sauces - I am ready to eat this several times a day. In principle, this is what happens most often; I can completely do without our traditional soup.
Although in the same States, where “fast food” is very popular - there are various hamburgers and cheeseburgers there - we did not succumb to the American fashion and continued to eat the food that was familiar to us. My wife cooked various soups, fried potatoes and cutlets.
Journalists. My attitude towards journalists covering football has always been positive. Of course, there were some rough edges, but what could we do without it?! It also happened that people attributed to me words that I had not said. To be honest, I don’t even remember their last names now. But it’s like that everywhere - there are good ones and bad football players, exactly the same in any other profession.
Sometimes I myself refused to communicate with the press. But I had good reasons for this. At the same time, I would not compare the level of football coverage in the media in those years when I played in the Russian Championship and the current state of affairs. Back then, interest in football was incomparably lower, and in order to be interviewed, you had to play at least half the season at a stable level. Not like it is now: a person scores one goal in a match, and it’s already on the front pages of sports newspapers. On the one hand, this is not bad: the more they write about football, the more popular it will become. But there is another side to the coin: some football players, especially young ones, may not be able to withstand copper pipes and lower their demands on themselves.
The defenders on the football field were my main opponents. But I never considered them my enemies and treated them with respect. And no matter how they beat and bit me, no matter how painful it was for me after rough clashes with the defenders, I cannot say even one bad word about any of them. Moreover, when I accidentally meet people who once opposed me on the field (and not always within the rules), I enjoy communicating with them and remembering our past battles.
The most interesting thing I received mainly from my defenders, who never spared anyone during training. But this is normal - each player has his own functions on the field.
Italy is the first foreign country in which I had the opportunity to play. Perhaps because of this I treat her in a special way. How could it be otherwise, if Italy has such a rich culture and history?
In total, I spent five years in Italy. In 1994, I received an offer from Reggiana from Reggio Emilia. In the first game I managed to score a goal, as well as in the second, when we were opposed by Milan itself. Having received the ball in the center of the field, I played one-two with my partner, moved to the left, slipped past Baresi and Tassoti and shot past Sebastiano Rossi. A lot of pleasant moments are associated with Bologna, where I played for a year. In a word, I remember those days with great pleasure. Perhaps because of this, even when performing in Spain, he tried to come to the Apennines more often. True, I haven’t been able to go there in the last two years, but in the near future I’m going to go to Italy and settle some personal matters.
Kazan. In 2005, I returned to Russia and signed a contract with Rubin Kazan. However, due to injuries, he was unable to make it into the squad and never really played in the Premier League. In any case, I want to thank the management and coaching staff Kazan club, which gave me a chance. Having failed to use it, I decided to finish my performances at this level and spent the last year playing in Dynamo Voronezh.
Legionary. Most of my career has been spent abroad. I never encountered any problems related to the status of a legionnaire. Perhaps I was lucky with the teams and people I worked with. Although I believe that in these matters everything depends on the person himself.
By the way, on the issue of foreigners. In Spain, as well as in other EU member states, when I was a Tenerife player, there were restrictions on the number of players from non-EU countries. And this despite the fact that Valery Karpin, through the court, equated the rights of Russians with citizens of the European Union. At the initiative of the club’s leaders, I filed a lawsuit, but only in 2005, when I was already performing at Rubin, did the European Court issue a positive resolution, according to which Russian football players ceased to be considered legionnaires in Europe.
In general, despite the fact that I myself have been in the shoes of a legionnaire, it seems to me that our football needs a strict limit on foreigners - three, maximum five players. Otherwise, we will soon have to recruit players for the Russian national team from the first and second leagues.
Moscow is my hometown, the most pleasant memories are associated with it - childhood, first steps in football, here I met my beloved girl, who later became my wife (see “Yu” - “Yulia”). The city has changed a lot in recent years. Gray five-story buildings replaced beautiful buildings, he became prettier and historical center. I remember how greatly I was amazed at the transformation of Moscow in those years when I played in Europe and came to Russia once every three or four months. Changes could be noticed even then, even from the airport. I am even more pleased that the standard of living of Muscovites is also growing. In a word, our capital has become a real European metropolis.
Nostalgia is a word familiar to any Russian person in a foreign land. Of course I missed you a lot hometown(see “M” - “Moscow”) and Russia, but I firmly decided that in any case I would return to my homeland. Here are my friends, family, fishing. You may ask: isn’t it possible to go fishing in other countries? It’s possible, but this is no longer the fishing that we all love. In Europe and the States, you come to a specially fenced-off pond, pay for a fishing rod, and in any case you will catch at least some fish. If you want to keep it, you pay money, if not, you release it back into the water. But with us everything is different. You arrive at some abandoned place, set up your fishing rods. I caught a fish - great! No - you can light a fire with friends and barbecue.
Security. I have never complained about life, but at the same time I cannot call myself a wealthy person. Of course, I’m not poor; I’ve earned good money over the years in football. However, like most people, I still need to think about how to provide for my family. In this regard, I do not consider myself an independent person. Although I don't agree that money provides a sense of freedom. A free person is not afraid of losing his freedom. You can always lose money.
Now in our football players are paid big salaries and bonuses. However, I don’t have any envy or feelings of regret that at my age they paid an order of magnitude less. I myself earned more than players of previous generations. I also don’t agree that big money can have a detrimental effect on the motivation of football players: if the club’s management believes that the player is worthy of it, I, as a coach, will never object. Perhaps money can spoil youth. But there are also opposite examples. It all depends on the character of the person himself: if he has set himself serious goals (see “Ts” - “Goal”), he will never stop at intermediate goals.
Victory is the main goal in football. For her sake, in fact, I once took to the field, and now I’m setting up my guys from the Torpedo-RG team to win. In football, as you know, there are two camps: the first believes that the main thing is the result, the second is the beauty of the game. I would ideally like to combine a result and a beautiful game, but if I have to choose, I’ll settle for victory. Without it, by the way, it is impossible to achieve the same aesthetics of the game.
However, I still consider the main victory in my career not to be some titles, but to meet those people who accompanied and are accompanying me in football life(see “T” - “Coaches”). This is my main wealth, I value these people.
Guys. Before becoming a professional football player and joining Dynamo Moscow, I lived in a boarding school at the Moscow FSM for five or six years with other guys from different cities of our country. From Monday to Friday we were together every minute - at school, at training, during rest. My independent life began in boarding school, when I was 11 years old. But we were looked after by wonderful people. Our team was coached by Vladimir Sergeevich Balkov. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us...
Of the guys I spent all these years with, not so many players made it to big-time football. Ilshat Faizulin and Yura Bavykin trained with me. Perhaps that's all. Why didn't the others play? There were different reasons, but most were due to health, early injuries put an end to their football career.
Russian national team - I played 20 matches with it and scored 9 goals. Perhaps I could play more games. But, as they say, it’s not fate. In addition, at one time I was constantly haunted by injuries. Still I'm proud to have defended the colors best team country, played for it at the European Championships in 1996. Probably, those matches can be called the most memorable in my career in the Russian national team. However, I would not single out individual meetings; they are all precious to me. Each match has its own background, its own character and outcome.
The only thing I regret is that, having good players who played in the leading European championships, we, by and large, did not achieve anything. Perhaps this is due to the difficult period that our entire country experienced. Perestroika, the collapse of the USSR, the financial crisis - all this one way or another affected football. Victory traditions Soviet football Then they were lost, and new ones had not yet been built.
Coaches - this is the word I associate with the letter “T”. And I would like to remember all the specialists with whom I was lucky enough to work together, and thank them from the bottom of my heart. First of all, Valery Gazzaev, under whom I made my debut at Dynamo, and Konstantin Beskov, who managed to bring out my scoring qualities. In Italy, fate brought him together with Carlo Ancelotti, and already in Spain - with Rafael Benitez.
I can’t help but remember Nikolai Gontar, who led the blue and white team, the Russian national team coaches Boris Ignatiev and Yuri Semin (see “C” - “Russian national team”). I learned something from all of them in football, I took something from each of them. Now I myself will try to pass on my experience to the players I coach. It is useless to copy the work methods of venerable trainers, but it would be stupid not to learn the main thing from their work.
Last December I completed my coaching courses and now have a category B license. And since in the future I see myself only in football and as a coach, I am going to continue my studies and eventually get an international professional license.
Angular. During my career I have scored goals from a variety of positions, but one goal still stands out for me. In 1999, when I was playing in Spain for Tenerife, Rafa Benitez sent me on as a substitute in a match against Cordoba. Shortly before this, my partners had just won the right to take a corner kick, and the coach told me that I should be the one to play it. Following Benitez’s instructions, I curled the ball towards the far post, and it had to happen that I let it go past the goalkeeper’s collar! Not only did he score a goal with his first touch of the ball, but also from a corner. Neither before nor after this has anything like this happened in my career. And even then it all happened by accident, I’d be lying if I said that I intentionally spun the ball into the goal.
Forward. I spent my entire career at the forefront of attack as a forward, but few people know that I started in football as a full-back. A little later, in the children's and youth school, I was transferred to the middle line, and in this position I was played all the years, right up to Dynamo. In 1990, at the tournament in memory of Granatkin, I was even recognized best midfielder.
Even at Dynamo I started as a right midfielder, but then, I don’t remember how, I was transferred to attack. Things went well in attack, and they didn’t bother returning me to the flank.
Hat-trick. Not every football player manages to score a goal in their debut match. Not to mention scoring a hat-trick in the first game. I am one of those rare lucky ones who managed to do this. In 1991, before a meeting with Spartak Vladikavkaz, Igor Kolyvanov was injured. And then Valery Gazzaev, at that time the head coach of Dynamo (see “D” - “Dynamo”), took the risk of putting me in the main team. Fortunately, I was able to justify the coach’s trust. I scored my first goal after my partner hit the net at the beginning of the game, around the 15th minute. The second time he scored after a pass from Sergei Derkach, and scored the third goal by converting a one-on-one situation. And all this happened in the first half!
Of course, after the game, emotions were overflowing (see “E” - “Emotions”). That game, of course, influenced the attitude of the coaches towards me. They began to actively involve me in the team, and soon I became a full-fledged Dynamo player. However, perhaps even without the hat-trick I would have managed to gain a foothold in the first team. Even in those years, Gazzaev loved to work with young people, trusted them and gave each player a chance to prove themselves.
Target. At each stage of my life, I set myself certain goals that I dreamed of achieving over time. I always set realistic goals, for example, in the youth school I aimed to become a reserve player, and then to be in the main team. And so on, ascending.
Now I have a new life. For now I’m going to learn coaching. And for this you need to analyze, read, and communicate with colleagues a lot. I would like to establish contact with my students and convey my ideas to them. In the first season, the leaders of Torpedo-RG do not set any serious tasks for us, but we will try to play for victory in every match and, if possible, finish in standings in a high position.
Honesty is one of the most valuable qualities in a person. It is impossible to build relationships with fake people, especially in football team. If I'm not honest with my guys, we'll never be able to make any progress. And not only in football. In life, of course, anything can happen, but in relationships between close people it is impossible without frankness and decency.
The bar is a goalkeeper's friend, but not only him. Many attackers, including myself, can count her among their friends. Of course, it happened more than once that the ball flew off the post into the field or beyond. But the bars helped me score even more.
Emotions. Each person has his own character. I can’t call myself outwardly emotional. During matches and training there is no way to avoid emotions, but they are hidden deep inside me, I control myself and try not to splash them out. Even your own goals scored I mostly celebrated without much display of joy.
In my youth, of course, it happened that I could not restrain myself and answer the defender for a flagrant foul or provocation. In Italy I was once even sent off the field. In the match with Torino, my opponent tried to spit at me, for which he immediately received a slap in the face. After that removal, I learned to control myself and no longer let my teams down.
Julia. I met my future wife sixteen years ago. I was 18 then, Yulia was 16. We lived in the same area, Lyublino, and, having met by chance, we have been living happily together for so many years. Yulia always understood and supported me at crucial moments, and trusted me in making decisions that were fateful for our family.
I am who I am. It’s hard for me to judge myself and talk about my positive or negative qualities. Write it like this: Igor Simutenkov is a closed person who prefers to avoid the word “I” in communication.
Samvel Avakyan. Weekly "Football" No. 7, 2007
| FIRST | OLYMPUS | NON OFFICER | DATE | MATCH | FIELD | |||
| And | G | And | G | And | G | |||
| 1 | 24.09.1991 | USSR - HUNGARY - 2:0 | d | |||||
| 2 | 16.10.1991 | USSR - ITALY - 1:1 | d | |||||
| 1 | 07.08.1994 | RUSSIA - WORLD TEAM - 2:1 | d | |||||
| 1 | 1 | 17.08.1994 | AUSTRIA – RUSSIA – 0:3 | G | ||||
| 3 | 11.10.1994 | RUSSIA - SAN MARINO - 3:0 | d | |||||
| 4 | 1 | 15.11.1994 | SCOTLAND - RUSSIA - 2:1 | G | ||||
| 5 | 25.04.1995 | GREECE - RUSSIA - 0:1 | G | |||||
| 6 | 15.08.1995 | FINLAND - RUSSIA - 1:1 | G | |||||
| 7 | 10.10.1995 | RUSSIA - GREECE - 0:1 | d | |||||
| 8 | 14.11.1995 | RUSSIA - FINLAND - 3:0 | d | |||||
| 2 | 09.02.1996 | ICELAND – RUSSIA – 0:3 | n | |||||
| 3 | 3 | 11.02.1996 | SLOVENIA – RUSSIA – 1:3 | n | ||||
| 4 | 27.03.1996 | IRELAND – RUSSIA – 0:2 | G | |||||
| 5 | 24.04.1996 | BELGIUM – RUSSIA – 0:0 |
G | |||||
| 6 | 4 | 29.05.1996 | RUSSIA – UAE – 1:0 | d | ||||
| 7 | 02.06.1996 | RUSSIA – POLAND – 2:0 | d | |||||
| 8 | 16.06.1996 | GERMANY – RUSSIA – 3:0 | n | |||||
| 9 | 19.06.1996 | CZECH REPUBLIC – RUSSIA – 3:3 | n | |||||
| 10 | 07.02.1997 | YUGOSLAVIA – RUSSIA – 1:1 | n | |||||
| 11 | 6 | 10.02.1997 | SWITZERLAND – RUSSIA – 1:2 | n | ||||
| 12 | 12.03.1997 | YUGOSLAVIA – RUSSIA – 0:0 |
G | |||||
| 13 | 7 | 29.03.1997 | CYPRUS – RUSSIA – 1:1 | G | ||||
| 14 | 8 | 30.04.1997 | RUSSIA – LUXEMBOURG – 3:0 | d | ||||
| 2 | 18.08.1997 | RUSSIA – FIFA – 0:2 | d | |||||
| 15 | 20.08.1997 | RUSSIA – YUGOSLAVIA – 0:1 | d | |||||
| 16 | 10.09.1997 | BULGARIA – RUSSIA – 1:0 | G | |||||
| 17 | 11.10.1997 | RUSSIA – BULGARIA – 4:2 | d | |||||
| 18 | 15.11.1997 | ITALY – RUSSIA – 1:0 | G | |||||
| 19 | 27.05.1998 | POLAND – RUSSIA – 3:1 | G | |||||
| 20 | 9 | 30.05.1998 | GEORGIA – RUSSIA – 1:1 | G | ||||
| FIRST | OLYMPUS | NON OFFICER | ||||||
| And | G | And | G | And | G | |||
| 20 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 2 | | |||
Igor Simutenkov is a famous Russian football player who began his career back in the days Soviet Union. He played as a striker. He holds the title of Master of Sports of the USSR.
In big football
Igor Simutenkov made his debut in big-time football in 1981, at the age of 8, at a Moscow children's and youth school Olympic reserve"Change". In adult team got there in 1990. His first club was Dynamo Moscow. In the USSR Championship, 18-year-old Simutenkov played 17 matches for the blue-white team, scoring one goal.
In the first team of the team he first appeared on the field on September 25, 1990 against the Pamir team from Dushanbe. With Dynamo that season, Igor Vitalievich Simutenkov finished in 6th place.
The next year the tournament was reformatted into the Russian Championship. Simutenkov has already become a player in the main team. In 1992 he won with the “blue and white” bronze medals. Two seasons with Dynamo were extremely productive: 41 goals in 85 meetings.
Such a brilliant game could not go unnoticed by European football scouts. So Igor Simutenkov set off to conquer the Italian Championship.
Career in Europe
Simutenkov left to play in Serie A for Regina, but was unable to help them maintain their place in the elite of Italian football. The team was relegated to the second division. Igor signed a long-term contract with the club, so he was forced to continue playing in Serie B.
In 1996, Regina returned to the elite. Igor Simutenkov made a significant contribution to the overall success. He played 33 matches in which he scored 8 goals. However, the club failed to stay in Serie A for long; in the first year it was relegated to the lower division again.
Only in 1998, Simutenkov was able to move to Bologna, where he began to play in conjunction with another Russian - However, he was soon injured and did not fully reveal himself in this club.
The next year the player moved to another championship. Igor Simutenkov, whose biography was now connected with Spain, began playing for Tenerife. True, in the second division. At the end of 2001, the team led the way. However, Simutenkov, having played only 9 matches in the Spanish top division, left to play in the USA. In total, he played 55 matches for Tenerife, in which he scored 4 goals.
In the USA, Igor played for the Kansas City Wizards. For three seasons, the team regularly qualified for the playoffs of the US Major League Championship, but failed to win medals. In 49 matches in America, Simutenkov scored 12 goals.
Return to Russia
Igor returned to the Russian championship in 2005. Played 1 match for Rubin Kazan. The team was already coached by V Major League she managed to take 4th place without losing a single match on her field. At the end of the season, Rubin qualified for the UEFA Cup. However, Simutenkov could not gain a foothold in the team.
In 2006, the already 33-year-old Simutenkov moved to Dynamo Voronezh. The team at that time played in amateur league. Igor spent his last season here - he played 17 matches in which he scored 4 goals. A few years later the team was disbanded, and “Fakel” took its place.
As part of the national teams, Simutenkov managed to play for Olympic team USSR, having played 2 matches for it. Igor played in the Russian national team from 1994 to 1998, while he played for the Italian Regina. He scored 9 goals for the national team, appearing on the field only 20 times.
He took part in the European Championship in England in 1996, when the Russians failed to qualify from the group, losing to the Italians, Germans and Czechs.
On the coaching bridge
In 2006 he announced the end professional career Igor Simutenkov. He turned out to be a promising coach.
Already in 2007, he took the helm of the Moscow Torpedo-RG (later to become FC Moscow). Spent a season with the team in the West zone of the second division. In 30 matches, Simutenkov won 10 victories and led the team to 9th place in the final standings. At the end of the season, he received an invitation to lead the Russian youth team.
Today he is the head coach of the youth team of St. Petersburg Zenit, which plays in the championship of reserve teams. In 2016, the team took only 10th place. Zenit's youth team managed to win only 12 games out of 30, demonstrating uncompromising football, only 6 draws and a good defensive game (36 goals conceded, this is the 5th result in the league).
07.05.2008
Igor SIMUTENKOV
Simutenkov Igor Vitalievich. Attack. Master of sports.
Pupil of the Sports School "Smena".
He played for the clubs Dynamo Moscow (1990 - 1994), Reggiana, Italy (1994 - 1998), Bologna, Italy (1998 - 1999), Tenerife, Spain (1999 - 2001), Kansas City Wizards", USA (2001 - 2004), "Rubin" Kazan (2005), "Dynamo" Voronezh (2006).
Winner of the Russian Cup 1995
The best football player in Russia in 1994 (according to the results of a survey by the weekly Football magazine). The best football player in Russia in 1994 (according to the results of a survey in the Sport-Express newspaper).
He played 20 matches for the Russian national team and scored 9 goals. He played 9 matches for the USSR/Russia Olympic team and scored 1 goal. He also played for the Russian national team in 2 unofficial matches.
Participant of the European Championship 1996
Head coach of the Torpedo-RG club Moscow (2007). Senior coach of the Russian youth team (since 2007).
FROM MOSCOW TO KANSAS AND BACK
The best football player in Russia in 1994 was once nicknamed the Russian Columbus, who discovered football America for our country. For three and a half years, Igor Simutenkov delighted the fans of the Kansas City Wizards with his play and goals scored. Before that, his career included the Spanish Tenerife, the Italian Reggiana and Bologna, as well as the Russian Dynamo Moscow. At the request of the weekly Football, Igor Simutenkov, now the head coach of the second division club Torpedo-RG, recalled the main milestones of his eventful football career.
America. I spent more than three years in the USA, at the Kansas City Wizards club. Of course, in terms of popularity, football, or in American terms, soccer, is inferior to many sports in the States. But there are also many football fans in the country, especially among Latin Americans. Once the final game of the championship was scheduled for Independence Day, July 4th. And imagine, the stadium, which seats 80 thousand spectators, was completely sold out!
What is striking in the States is the developed infrastructure of all American clubs. Stadiums, hotels, flights - the whole thing is built on the very high level. Football itself in MLS is at a decent level. In our country, by the way, they somehow treat this tournament with disdain. Although Eric Korchagin, who once tried his hand at one of the American clubs, recently admitted that he was pleasantly surprised by the skill of the teams from MLS.
Bombardier. In 1994, I managed to become the top scorer in the Russian Championship. That season was perhaps the brightest in my career. That year everything came together successfully: Dynamo performed well in the championship, I was lucky enough to work with Konstantin Beskov, I won the scorer race and became the best player in the country. At that time, I already had 57 goals scored for the Grigory Fedotov Club. It is clear that I hoped to eventually join this honorable Scorers Club. However, goals scored in the States are not taken into account according to the regulations, which is why I was never able to do this. However, I can’t say that I’m very worried about this - it means that it was destined to be so.
Pride is a vice. In general, I don’t really like this word; I have always considered myself a modest person. Of course, I am pleased that over the years in football I managed to earn a good name. I am also flattered that in 1994 journalists recognized me as the best player in the country. But I wouldn't call this feeling pride.
Dynamo is my home club. It just so happened that I started my career in big-time football at Dynamo Moscow and finished it at Dynamo, but in Voronezh. I owe a lot to this club, and I can safely be called a real Dynamo player. What is it? Probably a state of mind.
Having already left Russia, I tried twice to return to my native club. But it so happened (I won’t go into details now) that, despite the wishes of the coaches, I was never able to sign a contract with Dynamo Moscow. But be that as it may, I will always root for this club and worry about it.
Food. Like any other person, I like and want to eat delicious food. Having traveled to different countries and compared the cuisines of different nations, I realized that the Italians cook best in the world (see “I” - “Italy”). Pasta, spaghetti, pizza, various sauces - I am ready to eat this several times a day. In principle, this is what happens most often; I can completely do without our traditional soup.
Although in the same States, where “fast food” is very popular - there are various hamburgers and cheeseburgers there - we did not succumb to the American fashion and continued to eat the food that is familiar to us. My wife cooked various soups, fried potatoes and cutlets.
Journalists. My attitude towards journalists covering football has always been positive. Of course, there were some rough edges, but what could we do without it?! It also happened that people attributed to me words that I had not said. To be honest, I don’t even remember their last names now. But it’s like that everywhere - there are good and bad football players, just like in any other profession.
Sometimes I myself refused to communicate with the press. But I had good reasons for this. At the same time, I would not compare the level of football coverage in the media in those years when I played in the Russian Championship and the current state of affairs. Back then, interest in football was incomparably lower, and in order to be interviewed, you had to play at least half the season at a stable level. Not like it is now: a person scores one goal in a match, and it’s already on the front pages of sports newspapers. On the one hand, this is not bad: the more they write about football, the more popular it will become. But there is another side to the coin: some football players, especially young ones, may not be able to withstand copper pipes and lower their demands on themselves.
The defenders on the football field were my main opponents. But I never considered them my enemies and treated them with respect. And no matter how they beat and bit me, no matter how painful it was after rough clashes with the defenders, I cannot say even one bad word about any of them. Moreover, when I accidentally meet people who once opposed me on the field (and not always within the rules), I enjoy communicating with them and remembering our past battles.
The most interesting thing I received mainly from my defenders, who never spared anyone during training. But this is normal - each player has his own functions on the field.
Italy is the first foreign country in which I had the opportunity to play. Perhaps because of this I treat her in a special way. How could it be otherwise, if Italy has such a rich culture and history?
In total, I spent five years in Italy. In 1994, I received an offer from Reggiana from Reggio Emilia. In the first game I managed to score a goal, as well as in the second, when we were opposed by Milan itself. Having received the ball in the center of the field, I played one-two with my partner, moved to the left, slipped past Baresi and Tassoti and shot past Sebastiano Rossi. A lot of pleasant moments are associated with Bologna, where I played for a year. In a word, I remember those days with great pleasure. Perhaps because of this, even when performing in Spain, he tried to come to the Apennines more often. True, I haven’t been able to go there in the last two years, but in the near future I’m going to go to Italy and settle some personal matters.
Kazan. In 2005, I returned to Russia and signed a contract with Rubin Kazan. However, due to injuries, he was unable to make it into the squad and never really played in the Premier League. In any case, I want to thank the management and coaching staff of the Kazan club, which gave me a chance. Having failed to use it, I decided to finish my performances at this level and spent the last year playing in Dynamo Voronezh.
Legionary. Most of my career has been spent abroad. I never encountered any problems related to the status of a legionnaire. Perhaps I was lucky with the teams and people I worked with. Although I believe that in these matters everything depends on the person himself.
By the way, on the issue of foreigners. In Spain, as well as in other EU member states, when I was a Tenerife player, there were restrictions on the number of players from non-EU countries. And this despite the fact that Valery Karpin, through the court, equalized the rights of Russians with citizens of European Union countries. At the initiative of the club's leaders, I filed a lawsuit, but only in 2005, when I was already playing at Rubin, did the European Court issue a positive resolution, according to which Russian football players ceased to be considered foreign players in Europe.
In general, despite the fact that I myself have been in the shoes of a legionnaire, it seems to me that our football needs a strict limit on foreigners - three, maximum five players. Otherwise, we will soon have to recruit players for the Russian national team from the first and second leagues.
Moscow is my hometown, the most pleasant memories are associated with it - childhood, first steps in football, here I met my beloved girl, who later became my wife (see “Yu” - “Yulia”). The city has changed a lot in recent years. Gray five-story buildings have replaced beautiful buildings, and the historical center has become prettier. I remember how greatly I was amazed at the transformation of Moscow in those years when I played in Europe and came to Russia once every three or four months. Changes could be noticed even then, even from the airport. I am even more pleased that the standard of living of Muscovites is also growing. In a word, our capital has become a real European metropolis.
Nostalgia is a word familiar to any Russian person in a foreign land. Of course, I missed my hometown a lot (see “M” - “Moscow”) and Russia, but I firmly decided that in any case I would return to my homeland. Here are my friends, family, fishing. You may ask: isn’t it possible to go fishing in other countries? It’s possible, but this is no longer the fishing that we all love. In Europe and the States, you come to a specially fenced-off pond, pay for a fishing rod, and in any case you will catch at least some fish. If you want to keep it, you pay money, if not, you release it back into the water. But with us everything is different. You arrive at some abandoned place, set up your fishing rods. I caught a fish - great! No - you can light a fire with friends and barbecue.
Security. I have never complained about life, but at the same time I cannot call myself a wealthy person. Of course, I’m not poor; I’ve earned good money over the years in football. However, like most people, I still need to think about how to provide for my family. In this regard, I do not consider myself an independent person. Although I don't agree that money provides a sense of freedom. A free person is not afraid of losing his freedom. You can always lose money.
Now in our football players are paid large salaries and bonuses. However, I don’t have any envy or feelings of regret that at my age they paid an order of magnitude less. I myself earned more than players of previous generations. I also don’t agree that big money can have a detrimental effect on the motivation of football players: if the club’s management believes that the player is worthy of it, I, as a coach, will never object. Perhaps money can spoil youth. But there are also opposite examples. It all depends on the character of the person himself: if he has set himself serious goals (see “Ts” - “Goal”), he will never stop at intermediate goals.
Victory is the main goal in football. For her sake, in fact, I once took to the field, and now I’m setting up my guys from the Torpedo-RG team to win. In football, as you know, there are two camps: the first believes that the main thing is the result, the second is the beauty of the game. I would ideally like to combine a result and a beautiful game, but if I have to choose, I’ll settle for victory. Without it, by the way, it is impossible to achieve the same aesthetics of the game.
However, I still consider the main victory in my career not to be some titles, but to meet those people who accompanied and continue to accompany me in my football life (see “T” - “Coaches”). This is my main wealth, I value these people.
Guys. Before becoming a professional football player and joining Dynamo Moscow, I lived in a boarding school at the Moscow FSM for five or six years with other guys from different cities of our country. From Monday to Friday we were together every minute - at school, during training, during rest. My independent life began in boarding school, when I was 11 years old. But we were looked after by wonderful people. Our team was coached by Vladimir Sergeevich Balkov. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us...
Of the guys I spent all these years with, not so many players made it to big-time football. Ilshat Faizulin and Yura Bavykin trained with me. Perhaps that's all. Why didn't the others play? There were different reasons, but most were due to health; early injuries put an end to their football career.
Russian national team - I played 20 matches with it and scored 9 goals. Perhaps he could have played more games. But, as they say, it’s not fate. In addition, at one time I was constantly haunted by injuries. Nevertheless, I am proud that I defended the colors of the best team in the country and played for them at the European Championships in 1996. Probably, those matches can be called the most memorable in my career in the Russian national team. However, I would not single out individual meetings; they are all precious to me. Each match has its own background, its own character and outcome.
The only thing I regret is that, having good players who played in the leading European championships, we, by and large, did not achieve anything. Perhaps this is due to the difficult period that our entire country experienced. Perestroika, the collapse of the USSR, the financial crisis - all this one way or another affected football. The victorious traditions of Soviet football were lost then, and new ones had not yet been built.
Coaches - this is the word I associate with the letter “T”. And I would like to remember all the specialists with whom I was lucky enough to work together, and thank them from the bottom of my heart. First of all, Valery Gazzaev, under whom I made my debut at Dynamo, and Konstantin Beskov, who managed to bring out my scoring qualities. In Italy, fate brought him together with Carlo Ancelotti, and already in Spain - with Rafael Benitez.
I can’t help but remember Nikolai Gontar, who led the blue and white team, the Russian national team coaches Boris Ignatiev and Yuri Semin (see “C” - “Russian national team”). I learned something from all of them in football, I took something from each of them. Now I myself will try to pass on my experience to the players I coach. It is useless to copy the work methods of venerable trainers, but it would be stupid not to learn the main thing from their work.
Last December I completed my coaching courses and now have a category B license. And since in the future I see myself only in football and as a coach, I am going to continue my studies and eventually get an international professional license.
Angular. During my career I have scored goals from a variety of positions, but one goal still stands out for me. In 1999, when I was playing in Spain for Tenerife, Rafa Benitez sent me on as a substitute in a match against Cordoba. Shortly before this, my partners had just won the right to take a corner kick, and the coach told me that I should be the one to play it. Following Benitez’s instructions, I curled the ball towards the far post, and it had to happen that I let it go past the goalkeeper’s collar! Not only did he score a goal with his first touch of the ball, but also from a corner. Neither before nor after this has anything like this happened in my career. And even then it all happened by accident, I’d be lying if I said that I intentionally spun the ball into the goal.
Forward. I spent my entire career at the forefront of attack as a forward, but few people know that I started in football as a full-back. A little later, in the children's and youth school, I was transferred to the middle line, and in this position I was played all the years, right up to Dynamo. In 1990, at the Granatkin memorial tournament, I was even recognized as the best midfielder.
Even at Dynamo I started as a right midfielder, but then, I don’t remember how, I was transferred to attack. Things went well in attack, and they didn’t bother returning me to the flank.
Hat-trick. Not every football player manages to score a goal in their debut match. Not to mention scoring a hat-trick in the first game. I am one of those rare lucky ones who managed to do this. In 1991, before a meeting with Spartak Vladikavkaz, Igor Kolyvanov was injured. And then Valery Gazzaev, at that time the head coach of Dynamo (see “D” - “Dynamo”), took the risk of putting me in the main team. Fortunately, I was able to justify the coach’s trust. I scored my first goal after my partner hit the net at the beginning of the game, around the 15th minute. The second time he scored after a pass from Sergei Derkach, and scored the third goal by converting a one-on-one situation. And all this happened in the first half!
Of course, after the game, emotions were overflowing (see “E” - “Emotions”). That game, of course, influenced the attitude of the coaches towards me. They began to actively involve me in the team, and soon I became a full-fledged Dynamo player. However, perhaps even without the hat-trick I would have managed to gain a foothold in the first team. Even in those years, Gazzaev loved to work with young people, trusted them and gave each player a chance to prove themselves.
Target. At each stage of my life, I set myself certain goals that I dreamed of achieving over time. I always set realistic goals, for example, in a children’s and youth school I aimed to become a reserve player, and then to be in the main team. And so on, ascending.
Now I have a new life. For now I’m going to learn coaching. And for this you need to analyze, read, and communicate with colleagues a lot. I would like to establish contact with my students and convey my ideas to them. In the first season, the leaders of Torpedo-RG do not set any serious tasks for us, but we will try to win in every match and, if possible, finish in a high position in the standings.
Honesty is one of the most valuable qualities in a person. It is impossible to build relationships with fake people, especially on a football team. If I'm not honest with my guys, we'll never be able to make any progress. And not only in football. In life, of course, anything can happen, but in relationships between close people it is impossible without frankness and decency.
The bar is a goalkeeper's friend, but not only him. Many attackers, including myself, can count her among their friends. Of course, it happened more than once that the ball flew off the post into the field or beyond. But the bars helped me score even more.
Emotions. Each person has his own character. I can’t call myself outwardly emotional. During matches and training there is no way to avoid emotions, but they are hidden deep inside me, I control myself and try not to splash them out. I mostly celebrated even my goals scored without any special manifestations of joy.
In my youth, of course, it happened that I could not restrain myself and answer the defender for a flagrant foul or provocation. In Italy I was once even sent off the field. In the match with Torino, my opponent tried to spit at me, for which he immediately received a slap in the face. After that removal, I learned to control myself and no longer let my teams down.
Julia. I met my future wife sixteen years ago. I was 18 then, Yulia was 16. We lived in the same area, Lyublino, and, having met by chance, we have been living happily together for so many years. Yulia always understood and supported me at crucial moments, and trusted me in making decisions that were fateful for our family.
I am who I am. It’s hard for me to judge myself and talk about my positive or negative qualities. Write it like this: Igor Simutenkov is a closed person who prefers to avoid the word “I” in communication.
Based on materials from the site RusTeam.ru.
Former Soviet and Russian football striker, now Russian coach. Master of sports.
He played as a striker and midfielder. He started playing in 1981 at the Smena Sports and Youth Sports School. Then he played in ESHVSM - 1985-89.
At Dynamo Moscow since 1990. He played 17 games for the reserve team and scored 1 goal. Dynamo made his debut in the main squad on September 25, 1990 in a home match against Pamir (Dushanbe), which Dynamo won 2:1. For Dynamo Moscow he played 132 official matches (104 in the USSR and Russian championships, 14 in the USSR and Russian Cup and 14 in European competitions) and scored 68 goals (44, 7 and 5, respectively).
After Dynamo, he played for the following teams: Reggiana, Italy (1994-1998), Bologna, Italy (1998-1999), Tenerife, Spain (1999-2001), Kansas City Wizards, USA ( 2001-2004), Rubin Kazan (2005), Dynamo Voronezh (2006).
He played 20 matches for the Russian national team and scored 9 goals. He played 9 matches for the USSR/Russia Olympic team and scored 1 goal. He also played for the Russian national team in 2 unofficial matches.
Participant of the European Championship 1996
Since January 2007, he was the head coach of the Torpedo-RG team (Moscow), which played in the West zone of the Second Division. Since August 10, 2007 - head coach of the Russian youth team, made up of football players born in 1993.
Achievements
Top scorer Russian Championship 1994 (21 goals in 28 matches).
Winner of the Russian Cup 1994/95
The best football player in Russia in 1994 (according to the results of a survey by the weekly Football magazine).
The best football player in Russia in 1994 (according to the results of a survey in the Sport-Express newspaper).
In the lists "33 the best football players countries" 3 times: in 1992, 1993 - No. 2, in 1994 - No. 1.
Igor Vitalievich Simutenkov(April 3, 1973, Moscow, RSFSR, USSR) - Soviet and Russian football player, forward. Currently the head coach of the youth team of St. Petersburg Zenit. Master of Sports of the USSR.
Career
Club
He played as a striker and midfielder. He began playing in 1981 at the Moscow Sports School “Smena” (the first coach was V.I. Lopandin). Then he played in ESHVSM - 1985-89.
At Dynamo Moscow since 1990. He played 17 games for the reserve team and scored 1 goal. He made his debut in the main lineup of Dynamo on September 25, 1990 in a home match against Pamir (Dushanbe) - 2:1. For Dynamo Moscow he played 132 official matches (104 in the USSR and Russian championships, 14 in the USSR and Russian Cup and 14 in European competitions) and scored 68 goals (44, 7 and 5, respectively).
At the end of the 1994 season, he left to play for the Serie A club Reggiana. However, within six months the club was relegated to the 2nd division, and Simutenkov, having a long-term contract, was forced to remain in the team.
Reggiana spent the 1995/96 season successfully and, following its results, returned to Serie A. Simutenkov’s contribution to the team’s success was also significant - 33 games, 8 goals. In the 1996/97 season, he also regularly appeared on the field as a starter, but this did not help the club maintain its place in the elite division.
In the 1997/98 season, the club played unsuccessfully, and Simutenkov appeared on the field in only half of the matches of the season. In the summer of 1998, he moved to Serie A club Bologna, where he became Igor Kolyvanov’s partner in the attacking line. However, due to injuries, he was unable to prove himself - only 14 games, 3 goals.
In 1999 he moved to the Spanish 2nd division club Tenerife. Together with him, the team rose to Primera at the end of the 2000/01 season. Having played only 9 matches in Primera, Simutenkov left to play in MLS for the Kansas City Wizards club. He spent 3 seasons in the USA, with the team reaching the MLS playoffs each time.
In 2005 he returned to Russia, played for Rubin (Kazan). In 2006 he played for Dynamo (Voronezh). At the end of the 2006 season, he retired from big-time football.
In the national team
Played 9 matches for the USSR/Russian Olympic team, scored 1 goal, participant qualifying tournaments to XXV and XXVI Olympic Games. He played 20 matches for the Russian national team and scored 9 goals. He also played for the Russian national team in 2 unofficial matches. Participant in the 1996 European Championship.
Coaching
Since January 2007, he was the head coach of the Torpedo-RG team, which played in the West zone of the Second Division. From 2007 to 2009 - head coach of the Russian youth team, made up of football players born in 1993. Since January 1, 2010 - coach of Zenit (St. Petersburg). Since August 31, 2014 - coach of the Russian national team.
Achievements
Team
- Winner of the Russian Cup 1994/95
- Silver medalist Russian Championship 1994
- Bronze medalist of the Russian Championship in 1992 and 1993
Personal
- The best football player in Russia in 1994 (according to the results of a survey by the weekly Football magazine).
- The best football player in Russia in 1994 (according to the results of a survey in the Sport-Express newspaper).
- Top scorer of the 1994 Russian Championship (21 goals in 28 matches).
- In the list of “33 best football players in the country” 3 times: in 1992, 1993 - No. 2, in 1994 - No. 1.
Simutenkov case
In 2001, Igor Simutenkov, who at that time played for the Spanish club Tenerife, demanded that the Royal Spanish Football Federation stop discriminating against his labor rights. The fact is that in Spanish football at that time there was a “limit on foreign players” - citizens of countries outside the European Union. Because of this limit, Igor did not appear on the field so often. Simutenkov considered that this contradicts the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between Russian Federation and the European Union, according to which Russian citizens cannot be subjected to any labor discrimination in the EU. The Federation rejected this request, and Simutenkov decided to go to court. It took several instances and years for the European Court to recognize in 2005 that Simutenkov was right, and Russian football players cannot be considered “legionnaires”. Thus, the “Simutenkov case” can be considered a continuation of the Bosman case, especially taking into account the fact that similar bilateral agreements were signed by the European Union with many countries.
