Alexander Kerzhakov, once the top scorer for the Russian national team and now a coach, explained why he left Russia last fall.
“This was simply an opportunity to leave, and with the current circumstances we chose a warmer place to spend time, away from Russia. It was incredibly difficult for both me and my wife. I feel fear. I tried to reason with myself, but the answers stayed elusive,” Kerzhakov shared in a conversation with journalist Nobel Arustamian.
Kerzhakov emphasized that he did not flee nor deny his country; he chose to depart for a period and to stay somewhere distant.
“I did not run away, I did not reject Russia, and I did not emigrate. I left within a defined timeframe and stayed in a remote location. Every day exposes you to the news and events, and you grasp the scale of what is happening. It weighed heavily on me and my wife. We made the move,” the former striker stated.
“Speaking in a way that does not influence the situation is extremely hard. That is the issue with the response I am giving now. It is, unfortunately, a major problem in Russia. I am frightened. I never imagined this could occur. After almost every interview you can search for online, people ask what I truly want, and all I hope for is an end to war somewhere in the world. I cannot understand how this is possible in a modern, progressive society. What is happening now simply does not make sense to me. I may never fully grasp it, and perhaps I will never find the right answers,” he admitted.
On February 12, 2023, Kerzhakov accepted a coaching role with Karmiotissa. Under his leadership, the club played six matches by April 1, recording one win, one draw, and four losses with a goal difference of 6-11. On the first day of April, the Russian expert stepped down and left the team.
“In the future I will be more selective about offers. It was necessary to determine what kind of club, what ownership, and what attitude exist there, and why managers change hands so often. It was the first time in my professional career that I left a job of my own accord. You need time to process everything, but I am confident I will miss football soon,” the coach told Arustamian in the same discussion.
In his playing days, Kerzhakov returned to his hometown of St. Petersburg and wore the kits of Zenit Saint Petersburg, Sevilla in Spain, Dynamo Moscow, and Grasshopper Club Zürich in Switzerland.
With Zenit, he claimed the Russian Premier League title three times, the national Cup once, and the Russian Super Cup twice. With Sevilla, he earned the UEFA Cup, the Spanish Cup, and the European Super Cup once, while he captured the Swiss Cup with Zurich.
The forward represented the national team in 90 matches and remains a co-record holder for the team’s all-time top scorer with Artem Dziuba, tallying 30 goals.
Kerzhakov completed his coaching qualifications while still playing and began coordinating within Zenit’s development programs in 2017, later entering the Coaches High School. He led the Russian youth team (U-17) in 2018 and 2019 before taking the helm of Tom Tomsk in September 2020, inheriting a difficult position at the bottom of the First Division table. He managed to guide Tomsk briefly and left the club after turning 18th place, with the team staying in the FNL thanks to football federation decisions involving Peschanokopskaya Chaika and a controversial result.
During the 2021/22 season, Kerzhakov worked with Nizhny Novgorod, helping them reach the Russian Premier League but not renewing his contract afterward. This period preceded his departure from Russia and his move to Karmiotissa.
Today the specialist remains open to opportunities, waiting for a new offer and ready to consider a range of options.
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