Sochi’s Ecuadorian midfielder Christian Noboa did not share details with reporters about the moment he obtained the documents needed for Russian citizenship. Sport Express reported the exchange of words but did not reveal specifics.
Football, simply football, Noboa replied when a journalist pressed for more information.
On May 8, 2023, Noboa announced his application for a Russian Federation passport and indicated that citizenship would follow once processing was complete. He also stressed that he could not predict the timeline for completion.
Noboa has lived in Russia since 2007, when he moved from Ecuador’s Emelec to Rubin Kazan. He later played for Dynamo Moscow, Rostov, and Zenit St. Petersburg, and had a spell with St. Petersburg. In 2017 the midfielder spent six months with the Greek club PAOK.
During the most recent season of the Russian Premier League, the 38-year-old contributed 11 goals and 2 assists in 26 appearances for his club.
In the summer of 2022, Noboa spoke about missed opportunities to join Zenit and CSKA due to management decisions.
Previously Noboa admitted that living on a monthly wage of 75 thousand rubles was not feasible for him and his family.