CSKA Moscow goalkeeper and captain Igor Akinfeev in an interview for a documentary series “Sports Express” He recalled how at one of the training camps the army club player Andrei Solomatin sent him to buy beer, and also told what else he should have done at the beginning of his career.
“Of course! I brought them beer – Heineken, as I remember it now. It’s nice to remember this moment. Young one, there is no regret that you were sent away for something. On the contrary, it was worth its weight in gold at the time. To be honest, I washed my boots for myself and for the boys. I took the ball to the field carried, carried chips. All this happened,” Akinfeev shared.
Akinfeev made his debut at the adult level on 29 March 2003 for CSKA in the 1/8 final of the RFPL Cup against St. Petersburg in Petrovsky. He played against St. Petersburg Zenit, replacing Dmitry Kramarenko in the second half. The goalkeeper made his debut in the Russian Championship on 31 March 2003 in the match against Krylia Sovetov and saved the penalty in the last minutes of the game.
With CSKA, Akinfeev became the Russian champion six times, won the national cup seven times and won the UEFA Cup in the 2004/05 season. As a member of the Russian national team, he won a bronze medal at the 2008 European Championships held in Austria and Switzerland. In 2018, Akinfeev reached the quarter-finals of his home world championship with the Russian national team.
CSKA ranks eighth in the Russian Championship rankings, collecting 28 points after 18 weeks. He will play against army club Orenburg in the first round after the Russian Premier League (RPL) restarts in March.
Previously commentator Konstantin Genich saidHow does Akinfeev react to criticism?