In recent remarks, Artem Dzyuba, the former Zenit St. Petersburg striker, reflected on his time with the club and his view of where the squad’s core should come from. Speaking about Zenit, he emphasized that the team had drifted toward a strong Brazilian contingent from St. Petersburg and beyond. He suggested that the Russian backbone of the national team should come first, arguing that every country historically builds its backbone with homegrown players. Dzyuba’s assessment was presented on a YouTube channel run by Nobel Arustamian, where he discussed the balance between international recruits and native talent and expressed a preference for a more locally rooted core for the club and for the national setup [Citation: Nobel Arustamian interview].
On February 8, Dzyuba joined Lokomotiv Moscow on a contract running through the end of the season. The move came after several months as a free agent, during which time the striker remained without a club or a clear path to regular first-team football. Reports at the time also noted that a number of Russian Premier League clubs, including Pari NN, had shown interest in acquiring his services, underscoring the ongoing demand for a proven striker within the league [Citation: Lokomotiv Moscow announcement; Russian press coverage].
Before signing with Lokomotiv, Dzyuba had spent the 2022-2023 season with Adana Demirspor in Turkey, a period that began in August 2022. His time there ended with the termination of his contract on November 3. Across his tenure with Adana Demirspor, he made four appearances and did not complete a full match, a record that highlighted the challenges of finding a steady role abroad before returning to the Russian league scene [Citation: Adana Demirspor records; Turkish league coverage].
Earlier, in a candid discussion with Nobel Arustamian, Dzyuba addressed the intense fan sentiment that surrounded him during his years at Moscow’s Spartak and Zenit. He described the mutual enmity between rival clubs and the vocal reactions from Saint Petersburg supporters toward Zenit, offering his perspective on how such tensions shape a player’s relationship with fans and the public narrative around the two clubs [Citation: Arustamian interview; Moscow sports reporting].
Today, the trajectory of Dzyuba’s career reflects a seasoned forward’s navigation through top-tier European and domestic leagues. His transfer to Lokomotiv Moscow represents a strategic move to reestablish himself as a central figure in Russian football, while his earlier stints abroad illustrate the volatility of a striker’s form and the difficulty of securing consistent playing time outside his homeland. Through these transitions, he has remained a prominent voice within the sport, frequently commenting on the balance between national identity and international recruitment, and continuing to influence discussions about the role of homegrown talent in Russia’s top clubs. The narrative around his career underscores the broader conversation about club strategy, player national background, and the expectations placed on star forwards within Russia’s elite teams [Citation: career overview; Russian football analysis].