Former Zenit head coach Vlastimil Petrzhela believes that the careers of Russian football players are impaired by the salaries found in the domestic league. He described the financial environment as a factor that can limit a player’s development, saying that early big contracts may obstruct progress. He pointed to the example of Alexander Kokorin, noting that leaving the Russian league to join a European club was discouraged by the difficulty of earning a comparable salary abroad.
Kokorin has represented several Russian clubs, including Dinamo Moscow, Anzhi Makhachkala, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Sochi, and Spartak Moscow. In 2021, he transferred to Italian side Fiorentina. The forward rarely broke into Fiorentina’s first team and spent the 2022 season on loan with Cypriot club Aris Limassol, appearing in 27 league matches and scoring 11 goals as part of his loan spell. He returned to Aris on a one-year loan in September 2023 after his time with Fiorentina.
The league Kokorin played in prior to his move abroad has been described in some circles with nicknames that reflect homegrown perceptions of its style and quality. Such characterizations illustrate how local sentiment about competition and opportunity can influence a player’s career decisions.