Former goalkeeper of the USSR national team Anzor Kavazashvili has offered a blunt assessment of Alexander Kokorin, the Fiorentina striker who previously starred for Spartak Moscow. Kavazashvili told RB Sports that Kokorin faces a challenging path ahead in football and may struggle to find a long-term role at the highest level. The veteran keeper’s verdict reflects a sense of realism about Kokorin’s career trajectory after a turbulent period in Italian and Russian football.
Kavazashvili stated that Kokorin may not have a bright footballing future and suggested the possibility of winding down his playing days earlier than expected. He proposed that Kokorin could either retire from professional football or continue playing only in less-demanding leagues. The former Spartak and national team shot-stopper even floated the idea that Kokorin could end up competing in the Russian Premier League or perhaps in the First Division. When asked to compare Kokorin with Pavel Mamaev, Kavazashvili dismissed the idea of a direct parallel, noting that both players arrived in their current phase together and have since traveled different paths.
Kokorin joined Fiorentina from Spartak Moscow in 2021 and has since been known in Russia for his spells with Zenit, Sochi, Dynamo, and Anzhi. The 31-year-old striker has featured in a handful of Italian league games this season, registering appearances but not finding the back of the net. In total, Kokorin has spent a limited amount of time on the pitch in the current campaign, with his minutes tallying up to just over the short spells he has been on the field.
Across his international career, Kokorin has accumulated a notable record with the Russian national team, tallying 47 appearances and 12 goals. His last appearance for the national side came in 2017, a marker of the long gap since his most recent contribution on the international stage. The gap has been a talking point for observers who remember Kokorin as a much younger threat, with the potential to influence big matches at peak form.
In terms of coaching opinions, Massimo Carrera, who once led Spartak, offered a comparison between Kokorin and Mario Balotelli, a prominent figure in Italian football. The nature of the comparison centers on the players’ high expectations, their moments of brilliance, and the difficult phases they have navigated in the years following peak promise. The dialogue around Kokorin’s development remains ongoing, with analysts weighing his earlier achievements against the present realities of his career path. Attribution: RB Sports.