Classmates
Name: Igor Akinfeev
Zodiac sign: Aries
Age: 32 years
Place of birth: Vidnoye, Moscow region, Russia
Height: 186
Activity: football player, goalkeeper of CSKA and the Russian national team, Honored Master of Sports of the Russian Federation
Marital status: married
Star Russian football Igor Akinfeev was born on April 8, 1986 in the city of Vidnoye, Moscow region. His father Vladimir Vasilyevich was a truck driver, and his mother Irina Vladimirovna was a teacher in kindergarten.
The family did not have much wealth, but their parents poured their souls into raising Igor and his brother Evgeniy. At the age of four, his father brought Igor to his first training session at the CSKA youth school. The guy was two years younger than the other students, but immediately asked to be put in place of the goalkeeper. He was able to catch balls on the fly, but when they hit the goal, Igor was very upset. His first coach Desideriy Kovac said after the second training session that the boy would certainly be a wonderful goalkeeper.
At the age of seven, Igor Akinfeev was accepted into the CSKA Youth Sports School. He had to combine training with classes at school; there was no time for yard games and other boyish hobbies. Although the athlete himself considers his childhood happy, albeit with some restrictions.
At the age of 8, Igor and his team went to their first training camp. Their camp was located in Chernogolovka, the conditions were harsh - on a field in the rain day after day. The guy steadfastly endured difficulties, washed his socks every day and sports suit, which surprised my parents and coach a lot.
At the age of 10, his first tournament took place in Yugoslavia. After the game, Akinfeev was invited to the box of the head of the football association, Miljanic. Experienced trainer and the football player then said that he sees in this child a second Lev Yashin.
After receiving his matriculation certificate in 2003, Igor Akinfeev went to enter the Moscow Academy physical culture. He graduated in 2009, successfully defending his thesis. The football player chose for its topic what was closest and clearest to him: “Technical and tactical actions of a goalkeeper during football match».
The youngest goalkeeper of CSKA became a certified specialist.
Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has undeniable advantages: he clearly knocks the ball out with both his hands and feet. At the same time, the athlete has a lightning-fast reaction to the game. He always exudes self-confidence, which is why his sports career has been brilliant.
In 2002, Akinfeev, as part of the team, received the title of Russian champion for the first time. That same year, he began playing for the national youth team. The training camp for the main team took place in Israel. The Russian football player attracted attention already in the first game. The authoritative publication Sport Express expressed a flattering opinion about the new football player. The reviewer wrote that he showed a mature and masterful performance. At the same time, he looked stronger than Veniamin Mandrykin.
At the end of March 2003, the football player played his debut match at the “adult” level, participating in the 1/8 finals against the Zenit team. Igor Akinfeev entered the field in the 2nd half, replacing Viktor Kramarenko. As expected, he showed his “trademark” lightning-fast reaction. As a result, CSKA played a draw.
And in the last days of May of the same year, the young goalkeeper made his debut in a Premier League game. The CSKA team was able to win the game with Krylia Sovetov with a score of 2:0, and Igor Akinfeev himself distinguished himself, because he managed to save a penalty in the last minute of the meeting. He was deservedly recognized as the best player in this game.
2003 was a truly breakthrough year for the promising athlete. Igor Akinfeev made his debut at the Russian Championship. This season he played 13 matches. The number of missed matches was minimal - 11. With this result, the goalkeeper became the champion of Russia. This was his first big achievement in football.
The debut in the Eurocup against the Macedonian club Vardar spoiled the triumph a little. This game, held on July 30, was won by the Macedonians. But the star of the eighties - the famous Rinat Dasaev - said that Igor Akinfeev was not to blame for the missed goals. He did everything in his power.
This one is successful in sports biography Igor Akinfeev’s year was marked by 2 more bright meetings. In early September, the goalkeeper made his debut in the Russian Olympic team. He played in the match against the Irish team. The meeting ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the Irish team. Alas, the domestic team also lost the match with Switzerland with a score of 2:1. Despite this, the footballer, as they say, “gave his best.”
In April 2004, Igor Akinfeev made his first appearance in the main team of the Russian team, becoming the youngest goalkeeper of the team in the entire history of the national team.
The Super Bowl game took place on March 7th. The footballer spent the entire 90 minutes on the field, managing to concede only 1 goal in the 14th minute. The army team defeated Spartak with a score of 3:1. Starting this season, Igor Akinfeev has become a permanent player in the team's main squad. Moreover, in the first 3 meetings he was the constant goalkeeper.
During the game against the Samara team, Igor Akinfeev was given a red card. For a brawl, he was sent off the field for almost last minutes meetings. As it turned out, midfielder Ognjen Koroman started the fight. It was he who, after the goal scored by Denis Kovboy, hit the ball, which bounced off the net and hit the goalkeeper in the face. For the violation, Akinfeev was disqualified for 5 matches. In total, this season he was able to participate in 26 matches, while conceding 15 goals.
Based on the results of these meetings, the CSKA team was able to win silver, and Igor Akinfeev was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the country. According to the Fox Sports TV channel, the athlete was named the strongest young goalkeeper. At number 3, he entered the "Top 33" list.
The fight for the Russian Cup for Igor Akinfeev began with one eighth of the finals. CSKA were able to beat Khimki with a score of 1:0. After this successful meeting they received their second Cup. In 7 matches, the goalkeeper missed only 3 goals.
The summer of 2004 was hot for CSKA and Igor Akinfeev. At training on July 27, the goalkeeper made his Champions League debut. The team’s opponent was the Azerbaijani club “Neftchi”. The game ended in a draw. But in the return match the army team was able to win, beating the Azerbaijanis with a score of 2:0. CSKA was able to beat the Scots and advanced to the group stage. Akinfeev spent all 6 meetings on the field, conceding only 5 goals. As a result Russian team took 3rd place and got the opportunity to continue playing in the UEFA Cup.
The 2005 season brought successful football player a pleasant surprise: Igor Akinfeev wins the UEFA Cup.
No less happy in professional career became a football player for the next 2 years. In 2006, the goalkeeper was able to keep the goal for 362 minutes. Many football fans and critics during these hours compared him with the famous Lev Yashin. Akinfeev's authority grew to such an extent that he was named the most promising Russian goalkeeper.
In the spring of 2007, there were rumors in the football community that Arsenal of London had shown interest in Igor Akinfeev. It seems that the British have plans for the best goalkeeper of the Russian team. However, in one of his interviews, the footballer dispelled these rumors. He said that he will remain in the CSKA team for the next 4 years.
On May 6, 2007, Igor Akinfeev was injured in a match against Rostov. This happened in the 8th round. While deflecting a penalty ball, the athlete fell unsuccessfully and tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee. After examining his injured knee, doctors promised that he would not be able to take the field until the end of the season. But they were wrong: the player was able to recover very quickly, and after intensive treatment he returned to the national team before the end of the championship.
In November, as part of the 29th round of the CSKA championship against the Kuban team, Igor Akinfeev played his first match after the injury. The army team won with a score of 1:0. And in January, the athlete extended his contract with the CSKA team until 2011.
The 16th round of the Russian Premier League, held between the CSKA team and the Krylya Sovetov team, was the driest for the Muscovite and ended in a draw. Akinfeev became the youngest goalkeeper who managed to achieve such a brilliant result. In 30 games of the season, he allowed only 24 goals. According to the results of the championship, Russia received bronze.
In the 2009 season at the Russian Championship on April 12, Igor Akinfeev missed his hundredth goal. In the same year, his name appeared in the 5th best goalkeepers peace. This is what the International Federation of Football History and Statistics decided.
The 2010 season passed with varying degrees of success. But the next season - 2011 - the CSKA team was able to receive the 5th national cup. Alas, in August of this year Igor Akinfeev suffered a second injury. He had surgery in September. But in February he managed to move to individual training.
In April, at a match with Zenit, Igor Akinfeev appeared on the field for the first time after being injured. The match ended with the score 0:2. But in August, at the 50th match, the CSKA team defeated the Serbian team with a score of 1:0. For the goalkeeper this was a significant meeting, since after it he joined the symbolic “Igor Netto Club”.
And in mid-May 2014, the football player triumphantly broke Yashin’s record, playing his 204th match “dry”. Thus, he was recognized as a 5-time champion of the Russian Federation. In addition, 2014 was marked for the athlete by the fact that he was able to break the record for playing time without conceding goals. For 761 minutes, Akinfeev did not miss a single goal. This is the longest dry streak in the history of the Russian team.
Alas, success was followed by unfortunate failure. It happened at a match with the Belgian national team. But Fabio Capello then stood up for Akinfeev, saying that within 10 minutes someone had blinded the footballer’s eyes with a laser pointer. Despite this, Belgium won.
The game with the Algerian team also did not please domestic football fans. According to its results, Russia was defeated, and Igor Akinfeev, according to the Italian sports tabloid La Gazette dello Sport, even ended up in the symbolic team of “football players who failed the World Cup.” After this high-profile failure, Akinfeev apologized to football fans for his poor performance.
In 2015, the goalkeeper had a new problem. Despite the fact that Igor Akinfeev was able to break Sergei Ovchinnikov’s record for the number of clean sheets at the Russian Championship, at the army team’s game with the Montenegro team, a fan from the opponents threw a fireball at the Russian goalkeeper. He received severe burns and a concussion. This happened 40 seconds into the meeting. The game was interrupted. The judges gave the Montenegrin team a technical defeat with a score of 0:3.
As it turned out later, fan Luka Lazarevich deliberately threw a fireball at Akinfeev. As video footage showed, he was throwing away a firecracker that an unknown person had thrown at his feet. Despite this, Lazarevich was sent to prison for 3.5 months. Igor Akinfeev did not make any claims to the fan.
The year before last, Igor Akinfeev concentrated his efforts on preparing for the European Championship. At Euro 2016, the goalkeeper played 3 matches, in which he missed 6 goals. But in the new season the goalkeeper was able to set new record by number of clean sheets: friendly match with the Romanian national team was his 45th, in which he played to zero.
The promising, attractive and financially independent goalkeeper always had enough fans. One day, a football fan in love cut her wrists. As it turned out, on one of the fake blogs, someone on behalf of a football player insulted a girl in love. Igor Akinfeev, having learned about what happened, was very worried. Since that time, he talks little about his personal life and is afraid of hurting his fans and especially female fans.
For a long time, the tall handsome man (Igor Akinfeev’s height is 1.86 meters) had a relationship with young Valeria Yakunchikova, the 15-year-old daughter of the CSKA administrator. The girl was present at all the games and was part of the backstage football community.
Akinfeev and Yakunchikova are professional athletes; their common interests brought them together. Valeria turned out to be not only beautiful girl, but also an excellent conversationalist, an interesting and bright personality.
The girl literally charmed the athlete. She not only loved football very much, but also turned out to be a professional dancer. The young charmer has starred in commercials many times and participated in Timati’s video. The girl also received a higher education at RUDN University.
Fans had no doubt that this relationship would end in a gorgeous wedding, but unexpectedly the couple ended the relationship. There was information in the media that Igor cheated on his girlfriend, and she could not forgive him. The betrayal was followed by a painful separation.
But soon Igor Akinfeev’s personal life improved. His fans learned the name of his new chosen one - Ekaterina Gerun, from Kiev.
The beautiful Katya Gerun lived in the Ukrainian capital, was engaged in modeling, and starred in several videos. Apparently, the girl was able to captivate the football player.
Fans about their wedding football star They found out only on May 17, 2014, when the couple had a son, Daniel. And a year later, on September 4, Catherine gave her happy husband a daughter, whom they named Evangelina. The national football star states that he and his wife adhere to the Orthodox faith, but will not impose their beliefs and their religion on their children. They must become adults and choose for themselves what they see fit.
Igor Akinfeev and Ekaterina Garun are happy together. The footballer believes that anyone can be happy. The main thing is to wait for your half.
It is known that one of the goalkeeper’s best friends for a long time has been the famous singer and leader of the group “Hands Up!” Sergey Zhukov. They have maintained friendly relations since 2004. Igor Akinfeev is the godfather of Sergei's daughter Ninochka.
Exactly 15 years ago, Igor Akinfeev, then a 16-year-old boy, made his debut for CSKA - a club for which, as we learned later, he was ready to break. Below are the main milestones of perhaps the best Russian goalkeeper in recent history.
DEBUT IN THE MATCH WITH ZENIT, FIRST GOLD OF THE RFPL
Before the start of the 2003 season, the goalkeeper, who had recently graduated from the CSKA football academy, looked even better than Veniamin Mandrykin in training. Igor played his first match for the adult team, as often happens with youth, in the cup. But not Russia, but the Russian Premier League. Then, at the stage of the 1/8 finals, the army team met with Zenit (0:2) at Petrovsky. Akinfeev played the second half instead of Dmitry Kramarenko, kept a clean sheet and, in principle, left a good impression. CSKA lost then, but Zenit won not only this match, but also the tournament and received the right to play in the UEFA Cup.
With the greatest responsibility, in the Russian Championship, Akinfeev made his debut in May of the same year in a game against Krylya Sovetov (2:0). Moreover, the coolness of the debut was due not only to the fact that “Wings” was in perfect order at that time. To add to the status of the meeting, Igor also saved a penalty kick from Andrei Karyaka at the end of the match. Well, in general, from that very moment Akinfeev’s slow ascent to the top began, because that year the army team became Russian champions for the first time in history, and Igor held 13 meetings in the RFPL.
VICTORY IN THE UEFA CUP, TREBLE 2005
That year turned out to be cosmically fantastic for CSKA. George Lucas could easily dash off another part " Star Wars", where on the way to victory in the UEFA Cup, the army team eliminated good European clubs, where CSKA became the national champion and conceded the fewest goals in the league (20) after Lokomotiv, where they won the Russian Cup. And all this with a 19-year-old guy in a frame!
By the way, that year Akinfeev took another piece of the pie - this time for the Russian national team. Igor slowly became the first, pushing into the background the mastodons of the era - Sergei Ovchinnikov and Vyacheslav Malafeev. Seven matches for the national team as a freshman: are you weak?
"CROSSES" AND BRONZE EURO 2008
In 2007, Igor tore his cruciate ligaments. Then for the first time. The damage devastated him from May to November and, as it turns out later, only made him stronger. The following year, Akinfeev played all 30 matches in the RFPL and established himself as one of the leaders of the national team. Even then, European giants were interested in him, and magazines with stickers widely circulated his photograph in the “Stars of the Coming Euro” section.
Due to another injury, Akinfeev, although he missed part of the qualifying campaign for the European Championship, still went there as one of the headliners. Well, you know very well what happened in Austria and Switzerland: Sergei Semak’s goal through himself, Denis Kolodin’s “terrible cannon”, the peak of everything possible from Andrei Arshavin and the historical bronze of Euro 2008. Akinfeev conceded eight goals at the tournament, seven of which were against the future champions, the Spaniards.
“CROSSES” AGAIN, SUCCESS IN RUSSIA, ANNOUNCEMENT IN EUROPE
It’s like a flashback from Luzhniki in my head now. Akinfeev looks at Welliton with the look of a predator, covers him with obscene language and floats away to the stadium area on a stretcher. Again crosses, again on the left knee. It seemed that after such damage they did not return to the previous level...
And he returned, even though CSKA’s successes continued to be local. In Russia, with Leonid Slutsky, the army team won absolutely everything, but it was not possible to make some noise in the Champions League or repeat the success of many years ago in the Europa League. Everything was even worse: the anti-record in the Champions League grew by leaps and bounds, Igor missed every match of the tournament, starting from November 21, 2006...
100,500 RECORDS AND MEMBERSHIP IN ELITE CLUBS
...Fortunately, we managed to end the anti-record. More precisely, cross it off and move on: after 11 years and 1 day, CSKA beat AEK away (2:0), Igor could officially stop thinking about the many years of trouble, and, finally, we were able to congratulate him on his “cracker”. Since then, 43 matches are behind us and 85 goals conceded are behind us.
Otherwise, Akinfeev won a lot of trophies - on at the moment 19 - and wherever he entered his glorious surname, in which honorary clubs he is now not found. So about personal successes below and briefly.
At the top in the Lev Yashin Club
The youngest goalkeeper in the history of Russian football, who made 100 shutouts (22 years and 117 days)
The youngest goalkeeper in the history of Russian football, who made 200 shutouts (27 years and 357 days)
The youngest goalkeeper in the history of the Russian/USSR national team (debut at 18 years and 20 days)
The driest goalkeeper in the history of Russian football
Footballer who played the most matches for CSKA
Record holder of the Russian Championship in the number of matches for one club
Well, and a dozen and a half other equally cool and high-profile titles and records, including several international recognitions for one reason or another.
Well, isn't Igor the top? But he is still only 31 years old, he can play quietly for another five to seven years. And then there’s the football longevity of Gianluigi Buffon, Mark Schwarzer and Marco Balotta.
Igor Akinfeev is a Russian football player and goalkeeper. From the very beginning football career plays for the CSKA club and is the captain of the team. From 2004 to 2018 he played for the national team, where he also served as captain. In 2005 he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia.
Childhood and youth
Russian football star Igor Akinfeev was born on April 8, 1986 in the town of Vidnoye near Moscow. His father, Vladimir Vasilyevich, worked as a truck driver, and his mother, Irina Vladimirovna, worked as a kindergarten teacher.
The family did not have much wealth, but their parents poured their souls into raising Igor and his brother Evgeniy. At the age of 4, his father brought Igor to his first training session at the CSKA youth school. The boy was two years younger than the other students, but immediately asked to be put in place of the goalkeeper. He was able to catch balls on the fly, but when they hit the goal, Igor became very upset. His first coach, Desideriy Kovacs, said after the second training session that the boy would certainly be an excellent goalkeeper.
At the age of 7, Igor Akinfeev was accepted into the CSKA Youth Sports School. He had to combine training with schoolwork; there was no time left for yard games and other boyish hobbies. However, the footballer himself considers his childhood happy, albeit with some restrictions.
At the age of 8, Igor and his team went to their first training camp. Their camp was located in Chernogolovka, the conditions were harsh - on a field in the rain day after day. The guy bravely endured the difficulties, washed his socks and tracksuit every day, which greatly surprised his parents and coach.
At the age of 10, his first tournament took place in Yugoslavia. After the match, Akinfeev was invited to the box of the head of the football association, Miljanic. The experienced coach and football player then said that he sees the second in this boy.
After receiving his matriculation certificate in 2003, Igor Akinfeev went to enter the capital’s Academy of Physical Culture. He graduated in 2009, successfully defending his thesis. The athlete chose the topic that was closest and clearest to him: “Technical and tactical actions of a goalkeeper during a football match.”
The youngest goalkeeper of CSKA became a certified specialist.
Sport
Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has undeniable advantages: he clearly knocks the ball out with both his hands and feet. At the same time, the football player has a lightning-fast reaction to the game. He always exudes confidence in his abilities, which is why his sports career has been brilliant.
In 2002, Akinfeev, as part of the team, received the title of Russian champion for the first time. That same year, he began playing for the national youth team. The team's training camp took place in Israel. The Russian footballer attracted close attention already in the first match. The Sport Express publication expressed a flattering opinion about the new player. The reviewer wrote that he showed a mature and masterful performance. At the same time, he looked stronger than Veniamin Mandrykin.
At the end of March 2003, the athlete played his debut match at the adult level, participating in the 1/8 finals against the Zenit team. Igor Akinfeev entered the field in the 2nd half, replacing Viktor Kramarenko. As expected, he demonstrated his “trademark” lightning-fast reaction. As a result, CSKA played a draw.
And at the end of May of the same year, the young goalkeeper made his debut in a Premier League game. The CSKA team managed to win the game with Krylia Sovetov with a score of 2:0, and Igor Akinfeev himself distinguished himself, because he managed to save a penalty in the last minute. He was deservedly recognized as the best player of this match.
2003 turned out to be a truly breakthrough year for the football player. Igor Akinfeev made his debut at the Russian Championship. This season he played 13 games. The number of goals conceded was minimal - 11. With this result, the goalkeeper became the national champion. This was his first high-profile achievement in football.
Igor Akinfeev on goal The debut in the Eurocup against the Macedonian club Vardar somewhat spoiled the triumph. This game, held on July 30, was won by the Macedonians. But the star of the 1980s - the famous one - expressed the opinion that Igor Akinfeev was not to blame for the missed goals. He did everything he could.
This successful year in the sports biography of Igor Akinfeev was marked by two more outstanding games. In early September, the goalkeeper made his debut in the Russian Olympic team. He performed at the match against the Irish national team. The game ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of the Irish team. Unfortunately, the team also lost the match with Switzerland with a score of 2:1. Nevertheless, the footballer, as they say, “gave his best.”
In April 2004, Igor Akinfeev made his first appearance in the Russian national team, becoming the team's youngest goalkeeper in history. His number in the national team is 35.
The Super Bowl game took place on March 7. The athlete spent the entire 90 minutes on the field, managing to concede only one goal in the 14th minute. The army team won against Spartak with a score of 3:1. Starting from this season, Igor Akinfeev becomes a permanent player in the main team of the national team. Moreover, in the first three matches he was the constant goalkeeper.
During the game against the Samara team, Igor Akinfeev was given a red card. He was sent off the field in the final minutes for a brawl. As it turned out, midfielder Ognjen Koroman started the fight. It was he who, after the goal scored by Denis Kovboy, hit the ball, which bounced off the net and hit the goalkeeper in the face. For the violation, Akinfeev was disqualified for 5 matches. This season he managed to take part in 26 matches, while conceding 15 goals.
As a result of these games, the CSKA team managed to win silver, and Igor Akinfeev was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the country. According to the Fox Sports TV channel, the athlete was named the strongest young goalkeeper. At number 3, he entered the "Top 33" list.
The best saves of Igor AkinfeevThe fight for the Russian Cup for Igor Akinfeev began with the 1/8 finals. CSKA managed to beat Khimki with a score of 1:0. After this game they received their second Cup. In seven matches, the goalkeeper conceded only 3 goals.
The summer of 2004 turned out to be hot for CSKA and Igor Akinfeev. At training on July 27, the goalkeeper made his Champions League debut. The team's opponent was the Azerbaijani club "Neftchi". The game ended in a draw. But in return match The army team managed to win, beating the Azerbaijanis with a score of 2:0. CSKA managed to beat the Scots and made it into the group stage. Akinfeev spent all 6 games played on the field, conceding only 5 goals. As a result, the Russian team took 3rd place and got the opportunity to continue playing in the UEFA Cup.
By the way, Akinfeev also holds the anti-record in the Champions League - for 11 years, starting from November 21, 2006, he missed goals in 43 matches of the main tournament in a row.
The 2005 season brought a pleasant surprise to the player: Igor Akinfeev won the UEFA Cup.
The next two years in the football player’s professional career were no less happy. In 2006, the goalkeeper managed to keep the goal for 362 minutes. During these hours, some fans and football critics compared him to the famous Lev Yashin. Akinfeev’s authority grew so much that he was named the most promising Russian goalkeeper.
In the spring of 2007, rumors arose in the football community that Arsenal of London had shown interest in Igor Akinfeev. Allegedly, the British had plans for the Russian goalkeeper. But in one of his interviews, the athlete dispelled these rumors. He stated that he will remain in the CSKA team for the next 4 years.
On May 6, 2007, Igor Akinfeev was injured in a match against Rostov. This happened in the 8th round. While deflecting a free kick, the footballer fell unsuccessfully and tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee. After examining his injured knee, doctors predicted that he would not take the field for the rest of the season. But they were wrong: the player managed to restore his health quite quickly and, after intensive treatment, returned to the national team before the end of the championship.
In November, as part of the 29th round of the CSKA championship against the Kuban team, Igor Akinfeev played his first match after injury. The Army team won with a score of 1:0. And in January, the football player extended his contract with the CSKA team until 2011.
The 16th round of the Russian Premier League, held between the CSKA team and the Krylya Sovetov team, turned out to be the driest for the Muscovite and ended in a draw. Akinfeev turned out to be the youngest goalkeeper who managed to achieve such a brilliant result. In 30 games this season, he allowed only 24 goals. At the end of the championship, the country received bronze.
In the 2009 season, on April 12, at the Russian Championship, Igor Akinfeev missed his 100th goal. In the same year, his name appeared in the top five best goalkeepers in the world. This decision was made by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
The 2010 season was spent with varying degrees of success. But the next season - 2011 - the CSKA team managed to win the 5th national cup. Unfortunately, in August of this year, Igor Akinfeev suffered a serious injury. At the 30th minute of the match with Spartak, the goalkeeper went into contact with striker Welliton. After the collision, Akinfeev landed unsuccessfully on left leg, fell and could no longer get up. When he was carried off the field, Akinfeev sat on a stretcher and, without choosing expressions, swore at the Brazilian. Later it turned out that Akinfeev injured the “crosses” of his left knee. In September he underwent surgery in Germany. But already in February he switched to individual training.
In April, at a match with Zenit, Igor Akinfeev appeared on the field for the first time after an injury. The match ended with a score of 0:2. But in August, at the 50th match, the CSKA team won against the Serbian team with a score of 1:0. This was a significant match for the goalkeeper, because after it he joined the symbolic “Igor Netto Club”.
And in mid-May 2014, Igor Akinfeev triumphantly broke Yashin’s record, managing to keep a clean sheet in his 204th match. Thus, he was recognized as a five-time Russian champion. In addition, 2014 was marked for the player by the fact that he managed to break the record for playing time without conceding goals. For 761 minutes, Akinfeev did not miss a single goal. This is the longest “dry” streak in the history of the Russian team.
Unfortunately, success was followed by disappointing failure. It happened at a match with the Belgian team. But Fabio Capello then stood up for Akinfeev, saying that someone blinded the footballer’s eyes with a laser pointer for 10 minutes. Then Belgium won.
The game with the Algerian national team also did not please the Russian fans. According to its results, Russia lost, and Igor Akinfeev, according to the Italian sports tabloid La Gazettadello Sport, even ended up in the symbolic team of “football players who failed the World Cup.” After this high-profile failure, Akinfeev apologized to the fans for his poor performance.
In 2015, the goalkeeper had a new problem. Despite the fact that Igor Akinfeev managed to break the record for the number of clean sheets at the national championship, at the army team’s game with the Montenegro national team, a fan from the opponents threw a fire at the Russian goalkeeper. He suffered serious burns and a concussion. This happened 40 seconds into the game. The match was interrupted. The judges gave Montenegro a technical defeat with a score of 0:3.
Later it turned out that fan Luka Lazarevich unintentionally threw a fire at Akinfeev. As video footage showed, he was throwing away a firecracker that an unknown person had thrown at his feet. However, Lazarevich was sent to prison for 3.5 months. Igor Akinfeev refused to make a claim against the fan.
In 2016, Igor Akinfeev concentrated his efforts on preparing for the European Championship. At Euro 2016, the goalkeeper played 3 games, in which he missed 6 goals. But in the new season, the goalkeeper managed to set a new record for the number of clean sheets: a friendly match with the Romanian team was his 45th, in which he kept a clean sheet.
Akinfeev is the highest paid football player in CSKA. According to the website Footbnews.ru, in 2017 his salary amounted to €2.2 million.
Personal life
The handsome and financially independent goalkeeper always had enough fans. One day, a fan in love cut her wrists. As it turned out, on one of the fake blogs, someone on behalf of the athlete insulted a girl in love. Igor Akinfeev, having learned about what had happened, was very worried. Since then, he has spoken little about his personal life and is afraid of hurting his fans and especially female fans.
For a long time, the handsome handsome man (Igor Akinfeev’s height is 1.86 m, and his weight is 78 kg) had an affair with young Valeria Yakunchikova, the 15-year-old daughter of the CSKA administrator. The girl did not miss a single match and was part of the backstage football community.
Akinfeev and Yakunchikova - professional athletes, common interests brought them together. The girl charmed the football player. She not only loved football, but also turned out to be a professional dancer. The young beauty has appeared in commercials more than once and starred in a video. Valeria also received higher education at RUDN University.
Fans had no doubt that this relationship would end in a luxurious wedding, but unexpectedly the couple broke up. There was information in the press that Igor cheated on the girl, and she could not forgive him. The betrayal was followed by a painful breakup.
Soon, Igor Akinfeev’s personal life improved. His fans learned the name of his new chosen one - from Kiev.
The beautiful Katya Gerun lived in Kyiv, worked in the modeling business, and starred in music videos. The girl managed to captivate the football player.
Fans of the football star learned about their wedding on May 17, 2014, when the couple had a son, Daniil. And a year later, on September 4, Catherine gave her happy husband a daughter, whom they named Evangelina. The Russian football star claims that he and his wife adhere to the Orthodox faith, but will not impose their beliefs and religion on their children. They will grow up and choose what they see fit.
Igor Akinfeev and Ekaterina Gerun are happy together. The athlete is sure that anyone can be happy. The main thing is to wait for your half.
It is known that one of the goalkeeper’s best friends is the popular singer and leader of the group ““. They have been friends since 2004. Igor Akinfeev baptized Sergei's daughter Nina.
In addition to football, Igor plays billiards, loves to travel, but considers fishing to be his main hobby. Akinfeev leads "Instagram", where photos from training and matches regularly appear. Sometimes family vacation shots appear on the account.
Igor appeared in an advertisement for the Moscow Credit Bank. In its plot, the goalkeeper has to fend off a dangerous shot, and Lev Yashin helps him do this. The football community reacted positively to this heartfelt production. And in 2009, the goalkeeper wrote the book “100 Penalties from Readers.”
Igor Akinfeev now
In 2017, Akinfeev, under the leadership of the national team, took part in the Confederation Cup. Russia was in a group with New Zealand, Portugal and Mexico. The team made its debut in a match with Zealand, and the game ended in victory. Akinfeev did not make a single mistake and did not miss a single goal. But subsequent games ended less successfully - in the match with Portugal, the Russian goalkeeper did not catch one ball, and against Mexico - two. As a result, the Russian team did not make it out of the group, and this was the end of their participation in the Confederation Cup.
Igor Akinfeev saved two enemy penaltiesThe players had a whole year to prepare for the 2018 World Cup at home. The opening match, which took place with Saudi Arabia, Igor Akinfeev kept a clean sheet - not a single ball entered the goal. The game ended with an unreal victory for the national team - 5:0. Success awaited her in the match with Egypt. And despite the loss to Uruguay (Akinfeev missed three goals, including an accidental ricochet from his foot, which was counted as an own goal), Russia advanced to the 1/8.
On July 1, 2018, a game took place with Spain to advance to the quarter-finals. The game turned out to be difficult. During regular time, the teams managed to score one goal each, and then another own goal flew into the Russian goal, this time from the shin. In extra time, no one managed to score, although there were plenty of shots on target for the Russian Federation. Akinfeev repelled attack after attack. Even then it became clear that he was the hero of this match. Overtime also did not reveal the winner.
In the penalty shootout, Igor Akinfeev demonstrated his strong-willed character and professionalism - he brilliantly saved two penalties from Koke and Iago Aspas, which brought victory to the Russians. The winning save deserves special attention - Russian goalkeeper in the fall, he parried the kick of Iago Aspas with his foot and led the team to the 1/4 of the World Championship. Igor Akinfeev was recognized as the best player of this match, and FIFA called Igor Akinfeev’s save “the moment of the day,” a message about this was published on Twitter by the World Cup.
Victory "fish" by Igor Akinfeev For the first time in its history, Russia reached the quarter finals of the World Cup. Russian fans were looking forward to the game with the Croats. The match was different from the previous one in terms of dynamics, many dangerous moments and beautiful goals. brought the Russians ahead with a kick into the top corner, the Croatians responded with two goals and only a header sent the Russians into the penalty shootout, where Croatia turned out to be stronger. Akinfeev saved one penalty, but Fernandez’s misses, unfortunately, did not allow him to progress further.
Despite the departure of the Russian national team from the 2018 World Cup, for the first time in a long time, fans and the entire football world recognized Cherchesov's team as the best in recent decades.
After the end of the home World Cup, Igor Akinfeev joined the Russian national team, to which he devoted 14 years of his sports life.
Awards
- 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 – Lev Yashin Goalkeeper of the Year Prize (Ogonyok magazine)
- 2005 – UEFA Cup (with CSKA)
- 2003, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2016 – Russian champion (with CSKA)
- 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 – winner of the Russian Cup (as part of CSKA)
- 2006 – Order of Friendship
- 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 – the best goalkeeper of Russia according to the RFU
- 2008 – bronze medal at the European Championships (as part of the Russian team)
- 2010, 2015 – Golden Horseshoe Award
Akinfeev Igor Vladimirovich- Russian football player, goalkeeper, UEFA Cup winner, six-time Russian champion, bronze medalist of the 2008 European Championship. Goalkeeper and captain of CSKA, was the main goalkeeper of the Russian national team for many years. Igor Akinfeev is an Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Akinfeev heads the club Lev Yashin and joins the club Igor Netto. Ranks 15th in the list of the best goalkeepers of the 21st century according to IFFHS.
Childhood and education of Igor Akinfeev
Father - Vladimir Vasilievich Akinfeev. Mother - Irina Vladimirovna Akinfeeva. Younger brother - Evgeniy.
At the age of four, his father sent Igor Akinfeev to the CSKA children's and youth school. Despite his young age (he was two years younger than his colleagues), the coach Desidery Fedorovich Kovach noticed the boy's extraordinary abilities. Moreover, he recognized the goalkeeper’s abilities in little Igor already at the second training session.
In 2002, the young man became the champion of Russia as part of the CSKA junior team. In the same 2002, Akinfeev graduated from the football academy, and Igor received his secondary education at Moscow school No. 704 in 2003.
Sports career Igor Akinfeev
Concluding after graduation football academy his first professional contract (CSKA double), Akinfeev played 10 matches throughout the season, conceding 14 goals. His team took 11th place at the reserves championship.
In the photo: 16-year-old goalkeeper of the Russian national football team Igor Akinfeev (Photo: Igor Utkin/TASS)
In August of the same year, Igor Akinfeev made his debut in the youth team in a match against the Swedish team.
In 2003, after school, Igor entered the Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture. In 2009, he successfully defended his diploma on the topic “Technical and tactical actions of a goalkeeper during a football match” and became a certified football specialist.
Igor Akinfeev played his first match at the adult level on March 29, 2003 for CSKA in the 1/8 finals of the Russian Premier League Cup against St. Petersburg Zenit at Petrovsky Stadium: he came on for the second half instead of Dmitry Kramarenko and played his part “to zero”, demonstrating composure and good reaction.
Subsequently, Akinfeev successfully played with many teams. For example, following the results of the meeting with Krylia Sovetov, Igor saved a penalty kick in the last minutes of the meeting and was recognized as the best player of the match. In total, in the 2003 season, Igor Akinfeev played 13 matches, in which he missed 11 goals.
As a result of the tournament, CSKA became the champion of Russia for the first time. For Akinfeev, the gold medals of the 2003 championship were his first achievement in “adult” football.
In the 2004 season, an unpleasant incident occurred on the field in a match against Samara. Igor Akinfeev received a red card for a brawl and was sent off in the final minutes of the game. The fight was caused by the midfielder Coromana, which, after scored Cowboy goal, hit the ball that bounced off the net and hit the goalkeeper in the face. For such a violation, Igor Akinfeev was disqualified for five matches.
In total this season he played 26 matches and conceded 15 goals. As a result, the CSKA team won silver medals, and Igor was recognized as the best goalkeeper in Russia, and according to the Fox Sports TV channel, Igor Akinfeev became the best young goalkeeper, included in the list of “33 best” at number 3.
In the photo: CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (Photo: Anton Belitsky/Global Look Press)
On July 27, 2004, Akinfeev made his debut in the Champions League in a match against the Azerbaijani club Neftchi. The match was drawn. In the return game, CSKA won with a score of 2:0. Igor Akinfeev played all six matches in the Champions League group, conceding five goals. As a result, CSKA took third place and got the opportunity to continue playing in the UEFA Cup.
In 2005, Igor Akinfeev won the UEFA Cup. In the final on May 18, 2005, at the José Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, CSKA defeated the Portuguese Sporting with a score of 3:1.
In March 2007, Igor Akinfeev was seriously injured. While fighting for a lofted ball in the penalty area, he landed poorly and tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee. As part of the 29th round of the championship against Kuban, Akinfeev played his first match after injury. CSKA won with a score of 1:0.
In the photo: goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was seriously injured while fighting for a high ball in the penalty area (Photo: Valery Matytsin/TASS)
In January 2008, Akinfeev extended his contract with CSKA until 2011. In the Russian Championship of the 2008 season, Igor Akinfeev played 30 matches, conceding 24 goals. The game between CSKA and Krylya Sovetov became Akinfeev’s 100th clean sheet in his career, he became the youngest goalkeeper in the history of the Russian and Soviet football, reaching the mark of one hundred clean sheets.
Igor missed part of the qualifying cycle for Euro 2008 due to injury, but at the tournament he played all 5 matches, conceding 8 goals. Four goals in the first game against Spain, one in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, and three in the semi-finals against Spain. Together with the Russian team, Igor Akinfeev won bronze at the Euro.
Igor Akinfeev successfully fulfilled his goalkeeping functions, and in 2009 he entered the top five best goalkeepers in the world according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
In the photo: Russian national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (Photo: Vitaly Belousov/TASS)
On August 10, 2011, in a game against the Serbian national team, Igor played his 50th match for the national team, joining the Igor Netto Club. In this match, the goalkeeper kept a clean sheet, and the team won 1:0.
In 2011, Akinfeev was injured again in a match against Spartak. Igor was diagnosed with a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee (operated in 2007), a rupture of the internal meniscus and bone edema as a result of a fall after a collision with Welliton. In September, Akinfeev underwent surgery and began individual training in 2012.
On May 15, 2014, Akinfeev broke Lev Yashin's record by playing his 204th match to a clean sheet. On the same day he became a five-time Russian champion. In the same year, Akinfeev broke the record for playing time without conceding goals - 761 minutes. Akinfeev achieved the longest dry streak in the history of the Russian national team.
In the photo: CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was awarded the Goalkeeper of the Year award named after Lev Yashin (Photo: Valery Sharifulin/TASS)
The World Cup in Brazil was not the most successful period in Akinfeev’s career. In a match with the national team South Korea he absurdly, in his own words, missed a goal. Our players ended that game in a draw and were unable to advance from the group at the World Cup.
In 2014, during a match against the Montenegro national team, which took place on the opponent’s territory, a Montenegrin fan threw a fireball at Akinfeev. As a result, the goalkeeper of the Russian team received burns and a concussion in the 40th second of the game. The goalkeeper was taken away on a stretcher, the match was interrupted for half an hour, then continued, but in the 67th minute it escalated into a serious brawl. The judges decided to count Montenegro a technical defeat (0:3).
In the photo: Russian national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, injured in the European Football Championship match between the national teams of Montenegro and Russia (Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS)
It later turned out that the fan who threw the fire, Luka Lazarevich, did it unintentionally - he was throwing away a firecracker thrown at his feet by an unknown person. Video footage from the stadium confirmed his words. He went to prison for 3.5 months, and Igor Akinfeev did not make any claims against him.
In 2016, an authoritative British publication The Telegraph published a ranking of the best football goalkeepers modernity, who are now continuing their gaming career. Goalkeeper of CSKA Moscow and the Russian national team Igor Akinfeev took 14th place on this list.
In the photo: CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (Photo: Egor Aleev/TASS)
At Euro 2016, the Russian team conceded the most goals in group stage tournament. At the same time, statistics put Akinfeev in third place in the list of the most successful goalkeepers of the continental championship in terms of the number of reflected shots.
In June 2017, Igor Akinfeev became the goalkeeper of the national team at the Confederations Cup, which was held in St. Petersburg. The Russian team did not perform very well. Best player The Russians named CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev to the Russian national team at the Confederations Cup. 12 percent of respondents answered this way. This is evidenced by data from a VTsIOM survey conducted at the end of June.
In 2017, information appeared in the media that Akinfeev threatened the coach Stanislav Cherchesov leaving the team. However, despite the failures, experts could not name anyone equal to Akinfeev in experience.
In the photo: Igor Akinfeev and head coach of the Russian national football team Stanislav Cherchesov (from left to right) (Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS)
In the fall of 2017, Igor Akinfeev ended his record-breaking streak in the Champions League. He missed 43 matches in a row. The series began on November 1, 2006, and ended on November 22, 2017, when CSKA beat Benfica (2:0). Akinfeev's losing streak lasted 4,039 days.
At the 2018 World Cup
Igor Akinfeev was called up to the national team on the eve of the 2018 World Cup and received the right to wear the captain's armband for the duration of the World Cup.
In the photo: Russian national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (Photo: PA ImagesTASS)
At the World Championships, Igor Akinfeev played all the matches of the Russian national team. Including, thanks to a penalty kicked in the series with Spain, our team reached the quarterfinals. In the match with the Spaniards, Akinfeev was recognized as the best.
« Main character tournament, the foot of our goalkeeper, who saved the decisive Spanish penalty, went down in history. The captain did his best in the series with the Croats. Igor became number one in the Russian national team a long time ago; probably, many fans do not remember such an incident when someone else defended the goal. At this championship we saw one of best versions Akinfeeva in her career. Together with the entire team, Igor was a single whole, focused on preventing all sorts of attacking attempts by the opponent; he was the most reliable and inspiring link in this model (goalkeeper coach), “SP wrote about Akinfeev’s performance at the 2018 World Cup.
Leaving the Russian national team
Head coach Russian national team Stanislav Cherchesov did not call Akinfeev to the first training camp after the 2018 World Cup before the matches with Turkey and the Czech Republic due to health problems of the CSKA captain.
On October 1, Igor Akinfeev announced that he would no longer play for the Russian national football team.
“Every story has its beginning and its end. So my story with the national team has also come to its logical conclusion. It was a great honor for me to lead the Russian team at the home World Cup as captain. To be honest, I never even dreamed about it. But it happened and was probably the peak of my career in the national team,” says the athlete’s message posted on the CSKA website.
Akinfeev expressed gratitude to all the coaches with whom he worked in the national team, the staff of the national team and all its fans.
Igor Akinfeev was the goalkeeper of the Russian national team in 110 matches, conceding 95 goals. 47 times he left the goal of the country's main team intact. In terms of the number of games and the number of clean sheets, Akinfeev is the record holder among Russian goalkeepers.
Personal life of Igor Akinfeev
Igor Akinfeev married Ekaterina Gerun, models from Ukraine. In 2014, the first-born football player, Daniil Igorevich, appeared in the family. In September 2015, on the eve of the match with the Swedish national team, Akinfeev’s daughter Evangelina was born.
In the photo: goalkeeper of the Russian national football team and PFC CSKA Igor Akinfeev and his wife Ekaterina (Photo: instagram.com/akinfeevigor)
In an interview, the footballer repeatedly emphasized that their family observes Orthodox traditions, however, the couple do not intend to impose any religion on their children, taking into account their personal choice.
Igor is friends with the lead singer of the group “Hands Up!” Sergei Zhukov since 2004. He became the godfather of Zhukov's daughter, Nina.
In the photo: goalkeeper of the Russian national football team Igor Akinfeev and the lead singer of the group “Hands Up!” Sergey Zhukov (Photo: instagram.com/akinfeevigor)
Igor Akinfeev is a famous Russian football player, as well as an Honored Master of Sports Russian Federation. There were many victories and defeats in his life, but the most impressive ones should be told.
Early years
Igor Akinfeev was born in the Moscow region, in 1986, on April 8. When he was four years old, his father decided to send his son to a children's and youth school football club CSKA. At the second training session, the boy was assigned to the goal. So, from 1991 to current time Igor Akinfeev never changed his club. For 24 years now he has been defending the colors of PFC CSKA.
His first victory took place in 2002 - then, at the age of 16, the young and promising goalkeeper, together with his youth team, became the champion of Russia. Then, in 2002, he graduated from the football academy and became a full-fledged player in the army team. In the same season, he and his teammates played ten matches for the second team of CSKA. Then he was invited to the Russian national team, albeit to the youth team. Debut in national team also took place in 2002 - he took the field against the Swedes. In general, 2002 was an eventful year for Igor. But that was just the beginning.
Beginning of a career at CSKA
Igor Akinfeev, whom we know today as the army team’s main goalkeeper, was included in the first team almost immediately. In 2003, he took the field in the 1/8 finals of the Russian Premier League (and it was a match against his sworn enemy, Zenit St. Petersburg). Igor, replacing Dmitry Kramarenko, played his part cleanly. Akinfeev demonstrated excellent reaction and complete composure, which are his key goalkeeper qualities, even then.
The debut in European competitions also took place in 2003. It was a game against FC Vardar. Despite the fact that the match ended in favor of the Macedonians and not the Muscovites, the coach assured that the goalkeeper was not to blame.
Igor Akinfeev: biography and interesting facts
The football player has a wife, his age, her name is. The wife was born in Kyiv and chose to become a model and actress. Last year, 2014, on May 17, the young people had a son. Then, the following year, 2015, a daughter was born. The Russian national team player became a happy father for the second time in early September.
It is interesting that Igor Akinfeev is an educated goalkeeper. After graduating from school, he decided to enter the Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture. He studied there for five years and successfully completed his diploma, written on a topic that reads as follows: “Tactical and technical actions of a goalkeeper during a football match.” So Igor is professional Russian player both from a theoretical and practical point of view.
But this is not the only interesting fact about him. Igor Akinfeev, whose photo introduces us all to the famous goalkeeper, in fact, since 2012, has also been a confidant of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
By the way, Akinfeev is also friends with the lead singer of the group “Hands Up!” And they, together with Sergei Zhukov, recorded the song “Summer Evening”. Igor also starred in the video “Open the door for me.” The footballer also wrote a book, which he gave the title “100 penalties from readers,” where he answered all the fans’ questions. So Igor Akinfeev is not only an athlete, but also a creative person with a higher education.
Achievements
Igor Akinfeev, whose photo shows us a young and strong guy, has won many awards throughout his career. With CSKA he became a five-time Russian champion and six-time winner of the country's Super Cup. In 2004/2005, he and the team received the UEFA Cup. He won 6 more times (almost all in a row). Together with his native club, he received 18 trophies! And with the national team he became a bronze medalist at the European Championship, which was held in 2008.
The goalkeeper also has a huge number of personal achievements. Eight times he received the Lev Yashin prize called “Goalkeeper of the Year”, became the best young football player in the Russian Premier League, and won the Order of Friendship. He also set a record for the longest “zero” streak in the history of Russia and the national teams of the USSR. Igor managed to keep a clean sheet for 761 minutes in a row.
Akinfeev also has a huge number of awards and statuses. But the most important achievement he achieved own labor, is the recognition of fans and the devoted love of CSKA fans.
