CSKA Moscow’s Goalkeeper Lineup Turns a New Leaf with Ilya Pomazun
Veteran goalkeeper coach Vyacheslav Chanov, who has long been associated with CSKA Moscow, believes Ilya Pomazun is poised to assume the number one role should Igor Akinfeev step away from professional football. In a conversation with RB Sports, Chanov conveyed strong confidence that Pomazun possesses the qualities required to anchor CSKA’s goal and offer reliability between the posts. He also noted that Pomazun’s development within CSKA could unfold differently from routes taken elsewhere, particularly with a potential pathway toward Russia’s national team in the future.
Chanov made it clear that Pomazun could succeed Akinfeev if retirement becomes imminent. He suggested that Pomazun would likely become part of the squad at CSKA, often serving as a substitute option initially. The club environment has historically seen a single goalkeeper receive recurring call-ups and appearances for the national team, underscoring Chanov’s belief in Pomazun’s potential and the evaluator’s view that the young custodian has demonstrated attributes suitable for high-level competition.
Pomazun is an academy graduate of CSKA who is currently gaining valuable experience on loan at Ural Yekaterinburg. His path mirrors the common trajectory for promising talents who balance duties with the parent club while spending time away to learn, mature, and refine their craft within Russia’s top flight. The loan is viewed as a critical step toward accumulating match experience, composure, and decisive decision-making under pressure—qualities essential for a goalkeeper aiming to lead a club with CSKA’s prestige.
CSKA Moscow preserves a storied trophy cabinet, with Akinfeev playing a central role in many of the club’s successes. The club has secured six Russian championships and seven national cup victories. Akinfeev played a pivotal role in CSKA’s European triumph, lifting the UEFA Cup in the 2004/05 season. On the international stage, he contributed to Russia’s bronze medal at Euro 2008, a tournament hosted by Austria and Switzerland, and was part of the deep run at the 2018 World Cup when Russia reached the quarterfinals on home soil. His career thus reflects longevity, consistency, and leadership at football’s highest levels.
At present, CSKA sits eighth in the Russian Premier League standings with 28 points. The standing highlights the extremely competitive nature of the league, where margins are tight and outcomes in pivotal fixtures can reshape a season. Ongoing discussions about the goalkeeper succession add an extra layer of intrigue for supporters watching Pomazun’s progress and the club’s plans for the future.
Looking ahead, the question of who will guard CSKA’s net continues to spark conversation among fans and analysts. The comparison to Akinfeev, a symbol of the club’s modern era, frames how emerging talents might measure up and whether they can meet the same expectations. Akinfeev’s legacy, built on consistency and leadership with a track record of domestic and continental success, sets a high benchmark for Pomazun and any successor. The path forward is clear: steady growth, solid loan performances, and readiness to seize opportunities when they arise will determine whether Pomazun can rise as CSKA’s future first-choice goalkeeper at the top level. While speculation persists, the discussion reflects CSKA’s ongoing emphasis on developing homegrown talent capable of contributing to domestic campaigns and broader national team ambitions.