Former Spartak coach Raul Riancio described Roman Zobnin as the most professional player in the red and white ranks. His comments were cited by Sports24.
Riancio spoke about the challenge of naming a Spartak legend, noting that the club’s history runs deep and includes many standout players. Yet he insisted that Zobnin stood out as the most professional among them, a tribute coming from someone who has spent time inside the squad and seen countless teammates, practices, and matches unfold.
Riancio arrived at Spartak Moscow in 2018 as an assistant to Massimo Carrera. After Carrera was dismissed on October 22, 2018, Riancio was appointed interim head coach and led the team through six matches. His tenure ended in November of that year when Oleg Kononov took over the reins.
Zobnin has been a Spartak player since 2016, contributing to the club’s domestic success. During his tenure, the club captured the Russian Championship in 2017, the Russian Super Cup in 2017, and the National Cup in the 2021/22 season, underscoring his importance to the squad across multiple campaigns.
In a recent Russian Premier League encounter held on October 28, Spartak Moscow faced Fakel Voronezh and suffered a 0-2 defeat. Ruslan Magal converted a penalty, and Maxim Maximov added another goal, sealing the result for Fakel.
Earlier in the season, thoughts about leadership and development within the squad surfaced when Egor Titov commented on what Abascal must do to achieve broader recognition and maturity as a player and leader. This reflection added another layer to the ongoing discussions about how a club builds resilience and evolves its culture under pressure.