You will also check it out.
Igor Akinfeev’s wife Ekaterina Gerun rarely gives interviews - even less often than her husband. But she came to the “Story” channel - they talk with the wives of interesting men there (there were episodes with the wives of the Restaurateur, Ararat Keshchyan, Ilya Varlamov).
Journalist Evgenia Plotnikova said that it was possible to talk with Katya Gerun because special forces intervened. The questions were about relationships, about the life of a football player’s wife, and about why she so rarely appears in public.
I dreamed of becoming an actress and made a film about an autistic child
Gerun believes that relationships should not be work - they are, first and foremost, a resource. If after working at home you also work on relationships, then you can go crazy. We must accept a person as he is.
The girl was introduced to Akinfeev by mutual friends - Ekaterina then lived in Kyiv. At the beginning, communication took place only by phone and FaceTime. Then Igor came to the capital of Ukraine for the girl, and Gerun moved to Moscow. All courtship was via video call.
“I don’t know,” Katya’s answer to the question why Igor fell in love with her. “He says he really liked the boots the first time we met.” He still says: “You came in your shoes.” Moving to Moscow was stressful: finding yourself in a city where you don’t know anyone, and if something happens, you don’t even have anywhere to go. It’s good that we didn’t have such quarrels during which we had to go somewhere.”
When they met, Gerun worked at a film distribution company, but always dreamed of becoming an actress - her mother dissuaded her from doing so. She said that an actor must have intelligence - so Katerina studied to become a pharmaceutical process engineer.
Ekaterina has not given up on her dream - she is now studying at a screenwriting workshop. Gerun also made a film on a difficult topic:
“I then studied at the Moscow Film School. We were given the task of making a documentary - just find a hero and shoot it. I am friends with Ira Guseva, she suggested making a film about her son Milan. I thought, why not?
But in the end, I realized that the topic of autism requires very careful preparation. And I invited Ira to make a film about her - after all, this is more of her story. I admire both her actions and her as a woman.”
Living together
Catherine wanted to see a strong and mature man next to her. According to her, she would never have married a guy if he were not independent. Even the well-being of her chosen one would not influence her decision.
Not only the girl liked Igor, but also her parents. A curious incident occurred when the guy met Katya’s father. She forgot to tell him who her chosen one was, and her father was quite surprised when he saw the famous football player in front of him. But then the tension subsided and the acquaintance went wonderfully.
The couple preferred not to talk about their relationship. The fact that they were together could only be known from a few joint photographs and comments from the press service of the football club.
Fans did not even immediately learn about the birth of the goalkeeper’s son. The boy, who was named Daniil, was born in May 2014. And a year and a half later, the couple had a daughter, Evangelina.
Ekaterina understands that for the sake of her family she had to say goodbye to thoughts of a modeling future, but she does not regret it. She is ready to devote herself entirely to her children and her beloved husband. Perhaps in the future she will use her talent in cinema, but for now she is happy next to Igor, and in every possible way supports and worries about him.
She gave Igor the password on her phone.
A traditional question for a football player’s wife is about training camp. Gerun herself said that after moving to Moscow she felt like she was in a vacuum.
“We haven’t seen each other for exactly a month. Sometimes two. I got used already. This is a breakup only when there are no children - then you are left alone for a really long time. When the children are at home, everything is different.”
At the training camp, his wife is not worried about Igor’s behavior.
“As long as there is no jealousy, this is our habitat, home. There's nothing to grab onto. At the training camp it depends on the coach: some let you go to the city, some don’t. They can go somewhere as a team.
In principle, I do not assume that he can do anything somewhere. I have no such thoughts. That's why I don't call from other phones or check messages. I don’t do that at all.”
Ekaterina said that Akinfeev did not have a password on his phone for a long time - she forced him to set it. Suddenly the phone is lost, and there are photos of children, family, correspondence. First, Igor set the password to 1111.
“I came up with a normal password for him, more complicated. He also knows my password. How can you live in a family and not know the phone passwords?”
The wife of Zenit goalkeeper Marina Malafeeva died in an accident
ALL PHOTOS
According to some reports, Marina Malafeeva, the wife of Zenit goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev, died on Thursday night after getting into an accident www.malafeev.ru
At around 5:30 a.m., a woman driving a blue Bentley lost control. A car driving at high speed knocked down a billboard and crashed into a tree Channel One
Initially, law enforcement agencies did not report the name of the deceased, but information immediately appeared in the media about the death of the wife of a Zenit football player. Channel One
Documents addressed to Marina Igorevna Malafeeva were found in the wrecked car Channel One
According to the preliminary version, the cause of the accident was excessive speed. The Bentley skidded, the car flew into a snowdrift, overturned and crashed into a tree near house 44 on Primorsky Avenue Channel One
Vyacheslav did not know about the death of his wife for several hours - he was with the team in pre-match quarantine, from where he was called to the scene www.malafeev.ru
“Marina called me yesterday evening,” the grief-stricken football player told Life News. “She said she was at a friend’s birthday party, said she drank a glass of champagne. Marina never had the habit of driving while drinking." www.malafeev.ru
Marina Malafeeva, wife of the goalkeeper of the Zenit football club Vyacheslav Malafeev
, died early Thursday morning as a result of an accident in St. Petersburg. Malafeeva “died tonight in an accident on Primorsky Prospekt,” RIA Novosti reports with reference to the official website of Zenit. “We offer our most sincere and deepest condolences to Slava and the entire family,” the message says.
At around 5:30 a.m., a woman driving a blue Bentley lost control. A car traveling at high speed hit a billboard and crashed into a tree. Initially, law enforcement agencies did not report the name of the deceased, but information immediately appeared in the media about the death of the wife of the Zenit football player.
Documents addressed to Marina Igorevna Malafeeva were found in the wrecked car, Fontanka.ru reports. “She died on the spot,” a law enforcement source told Interfax.
According to the preliminary version, the cause of the accident was excessive speed. The Bentley skidded, the car flew into a snowdrift, overturned and crashed into a tree near house 44 on Primorsky Avenue, a source told Life News. “The traffic police officers already tried to stop Malafeeva’s car at night,” he claims. “She was running at breakneck speed.”
Vyacheslav did not know about the death of his wife for several hours - he was in pre-match quarantine with the team, from where he was called to the scene of the incident. “Marina called me yesterday evening,” the grief-stricken football player told Life News. “She said she was at a friend’s birthday party, said she drank a glass of champagne. Marina never had the habit of driving while drinking.” According to Life News, the day before Marina celebrated the birthday of her close friend, the second lead singer of the M-16 group Igor Khazratkulov.
Let us note that today Zenit is playing the return match of the 1/8 Europa League against the Dutch club Twente in St. Petersburg at the Petrovsky Stadium. Obviously, Vyacheslav Malafeev will not be able to take part in the game after the tragedy that befell him. In the evening game, he will most likely be replaced by Zenit's second goalkeeper Yuri Zhevnov.
In 2010, another tragedy happened in Vyacheslav’s family - his mother died, after which the football player did not play for a long time.
The musician was hospitalized after the accident
Another person in the car was hospitalized in serious condition. The victim is Dmitry Rybakov, the lead singer of the group “M-16”, which was produced by Marina Malafeeva. The group's PR director confirmed to ITAR-TASS that Rybakov was hospitalized in extremely serious condition. According to preliminary data, he is in a coma.
Press secretary of the M-16 group Levan Matua told Fontanka that the day before there was a mini-party at the production center, and “the guys drank a little,” after which Marina decided to give Dmitry a ride home.
Fans of FC Zenit were shocked by the news of the death of Marina Malafeeva and until the last hoped that the media were mistaken. On the Zenit forum, after the first news of the incident, comments from fans appeared: “God grant that this turns out to be untrue!”, “I’m just shocked... they have two small children,” “Lord, let this not be true!”
Marina Malafeeva: happiness is when the husband is not at the training camp
Marina Malafeeva and Vyacheslav Malafeev got married in 2001, they have two children: Ksyusha and Maxim. The girl met her future husband in the company of mutual friends: the brothers Marina and Slava are football players who were friends with each other.
At the time of their acquaintance, Marina was working at Pulkovo Airport and studying at the Academy of Civil Aviation to become a flight attendant, the woman herself said in 2008 in an interview with Gorodovoy, who called her “the first lady of Russian football.” Vyacheslav insisted that she leave her job and she began to take care of her family and children. Happiness “is when you wake up and your husband is nearby, and not at the training camp,” Marina joked in an interview.
Soon, the football player’s wife went into business and became the general director of a production company, reports Delovoy Peterburg. Her first production project was the group “M-16”, whose lead singer was in the car with Malafeeva at the time of her death.
Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malafeev
Born in Leningrad, he started playing football at the age of 9. He spent two years in the Zenit second team, and in 1999 he joined the main team, Sports.ru reports.
Malafeev made his debut in Vladikavkaz after Roman Berezovsky was sent off for insulting the referee. From that time on, Vyacheslav began to be called up to the Russian Olympic team, for which he first played against Armenia on September 4, 1999.
In 2001, Malafeev won his first medal: Zenit became the bronze medalist of the Russian Championship. In 2003, Malafeev, together with Zenit, took second place in the championship and received the Goalkeeper of the Year prize.
In November 2003, he played his first match for the Russian national team - the second play-off game against Wales. Having taken part in the qualifying games for the European Championship, Malafeev won a place in the national team’s roster for the tournament itself. The removal of the main goalkeeper again gave him a chance. He played 2 matches in Portugal, and after the European Championship he became number one in the Russian national team.
A dark episode in Vyacheslav’s career was also associated with Portugal: in October 2004, in a qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup, Vyacheslav conceded 7 goals against the favorites of the qualifying group.
In 2008, Malafeev won bronze medals at the European Championship, but he did not play a single minute at the tournament: Igor Akinfeev defended the goal in all matches of the national team.
Spends almost all his time with the children - his son is already playing hockey
The intriguing trailer cut at the beginning included the phrase “Akinfeev’s wife does not sleep with Akinfeev.” Everything is simpler: Ekaterina said that she sleeps with children - on the one hand, a daughter, on the other, a son.
The morning of the wife of the CSKA goalkeeper begins with getting two children ready for kindergarten. Mom takes the kids to kindergarten and back herself - they are still small, it is important for them that their mother sees their successes. There are so many clubs for children that all the time is spent just on distribution - it takes a lot of time. Son Danil is already playing hockey.
“He loves all sports: tennis, hockey, football - you name it. We haven't thought yet that he will be a super famous athlete. Danya is not one of those children who knows all the players and teams. But he really likes me to film how he does all sorts of tricks - then he watches it at home and sends it to his grandmothers.”
Igor is not a strict dad: no slaps on the head, he even soon forgets about punishments.
But when it comes to iPhones, parents are principled:
“No, there are no iPhones. And it won't. And I don’t, and probably won’t.”
Igor Akinfeev's wife (photo)
The personal life of a successful and fairly handsome football player Igor Akinfeev has been attracting people’s attention for a long time. The guy is popular among the fair sex. One day an unpleasant incident happened to Igor. One of the fans had a huge crush on him. Someone started a fake blog on behalf of Igor Akinfeev and insulted the girl publicly, after which she cut her wrists. The athlete was very worried about what happened. After that incident, Igor almost stopped giving comments about his personal life, so as not to traumatize the psyche of his fans.
For a long time, Akinfeev had an affair with the daughter of CSKA administrator Valeria Yakunchikova. The guy was not embarrassed even by the young age of his beloved (at that time she had just turned 15 years old). As it turned out, she dances professionally and is a football fan, so Igor and Lera had plenty of common interests. Akinfeeva was charmed by the young beauty not only with her genuine interest in sports, but also with her education and erudition. Valeria studied at RUDN University, and at the same time acted in videos and clips. Everything was going towards the fact that the young people were supposed to get married, but unexpectedly for everyone they broke up. No official reasons were given, but the press said that Igor cheated on Lera, and she could not forgive him for his betrayal. The breakup was very painful.
In the photo: Igor Akinfeev and Valeria Yakunchikova
Soon in Moscow, Akinfeev met a new charming beauty. The couple only managed to exchange phone numbers, after which the girl went home to Ukraine. For several months, the future wife of goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev simply corresponded with him. After virtual communication, the young people decided to go on a joint vacation, by the end of which the athlete decided that he needed to act decisively and take the relationship to a new level.
In the photo: Igor Akinfeev’s wife Ekaterina Gerun
Since 2014, the biography of Igor Akinfeev has become closely connected with the name of his chosen one, Ekaterina Gerun. The girl worked as a model and was not at all interested in sports. Moreover, she considered any relationship with football players frivolous. When she met Akinfeev, she did not know who he really was, but Igor impressed her as a caring, intelligent and kind young man. Only later did she learn about his sports career.
In the photo: Igor Akinfeev with his wife on vacation
The wedding of Igor Akinfeev and Ekaterina Gerun was modest, only people from the immediate circle were present. The public learned that the goalkeeper got married only after the birth of the first child in the family. There was information in the press that this was not Igor Akinfeev’s first wife and that before that he was already in an official relationship. The athlete himself denies this. Perhaps the public mistook Igor Akinfeev’s affair with Valeria Yakunchikova for an official marriage, but the guys didn’t even submit an application to the registry office then.
Akinfeev’s wife, even after the birth of children, did not stop pursuing a career. The girl not only appears on the podium and takes part in beauty contests, but also appears in films and music videos. It must be admitted that after marriage, the career of Igor Akinfeev’s wife began to develop much more successfully. The couple dreams of a tour of the Golden Ring, but so far they have not been able to implement their plans. Igor Akinfeev and his wife now rarely can afford to travel and relax together. Katya hopes that when the kids grow up, they will still be able to devote more time to traveling.
In the photo: Akinfeev and his wife on vacation
Akinfeev proposed while Katya was washing the dishes
“The coolest gift Igor gave? He didn’t give me anything like that - planes, yachts. It’s just cool for me when my husband gives me a gift, he chose and bought something himself. It doesn’t matter what it is – it’s just already very cool.”
Akinfeev does not do romantic things. He even proposed while Katya was washing the dishes.
“He doesn’t like to do romantic things. And I don't like it. I feel terribly awkward in such circumstances. And even some birthdays and events - there are never holidays where I would be the center of attention or where he would be the star of the evening.”
Ekaterina would not want the CSKA goalkeeper to dedicate saves to her.
“I ask: “If you ever score a goal, dedicate it to me.” He always kicks the ball so far – it can and will happen.”
Catherine admits that the family leads a reclusive lifestyle. And she doesn't mind. He believes that for a public person, additional events are not relaxation, but an additional burden.
Children of Igor Akinfeev
The children of Igor Akinfeev, his wife, as well as the athlete himself, are in the center of attention of all football fans. The son of Igor Akinfeev was born before his parents had time to enter into a legal marriage. Igor’s wife gave birth to Daniil on May 17, 2014. At the time of birth, Akinfeev was present in the hospital and even tried to encourage his wife through the door. As the young mother recalls, the guy then said: “Well, as much as possible! I would have given birth a long time ago!”
In the photo: Igor Akinfeev with his son
A year later, the family added another child. Igor Akinfeev’s daughter was born on September 4, 2020. They called her the rare name Evangelina. It was not by chance that his parents chose him. Igor and his wife adhere to the traditions of the Orthodox faith and regularly attend church. They also plan to tell the children about all the details and history of Orthodox culture, but they do not plan to force religion on them. Akinfeev’s daughter and son must make their own choice and consciously come to it.
Igor Akinfeev’s wife and children now make up the whole meaning of his life. For their sake, the athlete is ready to do anything. In one of the interviews, the goalkeeper admitted that every person can be happy like him, you just need to be able to wait for your soul mate. The couple is friends with the famous performer, leader of the group “Hands Up” Sergei Zhukov. The footballer even baptized his daughter Nina. Igor Akinfeev with his wife and children, as well as a family friend, sometimes go on vacation together. After all, in addition to football, the guy is not averse to playing billiards or fishing. Until the kids grow up, you can’t dream of long trips.
In the photo: Igor Akinfeev and Ekaterina Gerun awaiting the birth of their daughter
The 2020 World Cup was a significant event for every football player. Naturally, Igor Akinfeev took part in it and coped with the task perfectly: not a single ball entered the goal in either the first or second match. After the success achieved, the football player's fees increased significantly. At the same time, various rumors began to spread around the athlete’s person regarding his personal life. For example, headlines appeared in the yellow press that Gerun was already Akinfeev’s ex-wife and after success at the World Championship they broke up with a scandal.
In the photo: Ekaterina Gerun
The couple completely deny this and officially declare that they are very happy in their marriage. In addition, they wrote that Katya had a terrible car accident and crashed. Young people also deny this. By the way, Gerun has a namesake, a famous blogger. His girlfriend is also called Katya. Because of this, misunderstandings often arise and girls are confused. Maybe some of the false information being disseminated is related to this.
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Igor Akinfeev: secrets of the personal life of the new hero of Russia
After the 2014 World Cup, the goalkeeper of the Russian national team was subjected to severe criticism. After the victory over Spain, they are ready to carry him in their arms and offer to erect a monument during his lifetime. But what do we know about Igor Akinfeev?
How quickly Russians change anger to mercy, indifference to admiration, is clearly demonstrated by the World Cup taking place these days. Nowadays on the Internet this change of emotions is called “changing shoes.”
The head coach of the Russian national team is a “physical instructor”, its main goalkeeper is a “hole”, this was the case for many before the start of the tournament. Now Stanislav Cherchesov is “CosmoStas”, and Igor Akinfeev saves the penalty kick with the “foot of God”.
However, for adequate fans, the captain of the Russian team has always been a reliable goalkeeper. Many people also respect him because he doesn’t talk much about himself, preferring to be judged by his work. Apart from the field, Igor can only be seen at charity events, for which Akinfeev never spares time and effort.
EG.RU tells what is known about the No. 1 goalkeeper in our country.
May 18, 2013 Match CSKA - FC Kuban. CSKA are the winners of the Russian Football Championship 2012/2013. Source: globallookpress.com
Least favorite questions for a footballer's wife
“My least favorite question is: “How do you help your husband cope with failures?” This question is simple...”
After this, the interviewer asked, “So how?” Catherine's reaction:
But then there was a serious answer:
“For example, a surgeon comes home from work - his patient has died. Does he need help somehow? Igor has been playing football since he was four years old. In principle, if no one lost, then the game would not work. It's part of the whole process - every athlete knows what it takes to cope with failure. There is no need for rituals from the wife. This is a system that you don’t need to interfere with.”
The second least favorite question: “What did Igor feel at that moment?”, “What would Igor say?”, “What would Igor do?” Catherine logically answered that she was not Igor, although she was the closest person possible.
The Beckhams are cool, but such a life is not for the Akinfeevs
The status of a football player's wife does not constrain her - Ekaterina is not recognized on the streets, she lives under her last name. Moreover, Akinfeev also uses his wife’s surname:
“For example, I call a massage therapist and say: “Igor Gerun will come for a massage.” At first he laughed, and then he called and introduced himself. How can you benefit from this? Nobody does anything for free - they all want something for it.”
The Beckhams are a cool brand, but Catherine doesn’t like doing it artificially. She doesn't understand why this is needed. Gerun herself follows The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Red Table Talk from Will Smith's mother-in-law, wife and daughter.
The conversation gradually turned to Buzova. Gerun is also familiar with her - the impressions from Olga were pleasant:
“Igor and I met her on vacation - however, it was 6 years ago. She’s very cool, smart, kind – I thought so.”
Ekaterina and Igor did not advertise their relationship publicly for a long time. Gerun says that even now there is no particular need:
“Even now we don’t exhibit much. What for? Everything is fine with us. When the lie detector-type stories start, we’ll definitely go. So far there is nothing to please. What to do with fans? Who to fight against? Use people for commercial purposes? Some people really like to be popular."
Gerun is so simple that she often flies in economy class.
Wives of football players: what do the muses of our athletes wear (and how do they undress)
As a warm-up. I don’t like Comedy Club, but this monologue about salaries, women and the lives of our football players is spot on.
The aforementioned Alexander Kokorin, a football player for Dynamo and the Russian national team (and one of the highest paid football players in the country with 5 million euros per year), once dated the rapper’s cousin Timati (Victoria Smirnova).
Alexander Kokorin and Victoria Smirnova
And he has been spending the last year in the company of 23-year-old blonde Daria Valitova .
Alexander Kokorin and Daria Valitova
I was unable to determine the girl’s profession - either a model or a singer.
Judging by the photos on Instagram, she has been traveling a lot lately with Kokorin and “roots” for the career of the football player, who scored the fastest goal in the history of the Russian national team: at the 19th second in the match against the Luxembourg national team on September 6, 2013.
To be honest, none of the girl’s images caught my eye, so let’s move on to her “older friends.”
Let's meet Ekaterina Gerun.
She is the wife of the national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who, unfortunately, during the match with South Korea, the ball literally fell out of his hands.
As Sport.rbc.ru writes, the British branch of the Eurosport channel has compiled a symbolic team of the worst players in the group stage of the World Cup. The goalkeeper of the Russian national team and CSKA Moscow, Igor Akinfeev, was included in it. The reason is that Akinfeev, in fact, put the ball into his own goal after a harmless shot from Lee Kyun-ho, the poorest football player in the World Cup - his salary at the Sangju Sanmu club is $140. Igor Akinfeev’s salary at CSKA is approximately three million dollars a year . The Russian national team corrected Akinfeev's mistake with great difficulty, eventually playing with the Koreans only in a draw - 1:1 (the only goal for Fabio Capello's team was scored by Alexander Kerzhakov). Now, of course, we have felt the absurdity of the situation!
But let's return to the goalkeeper's personal life. In May of this year, Igor and Ekaterina had a son. There are no photos of the baby, let's admire the mother. Ekaterina Gerun is a chemist by training and, of course, a model and aspiring actress by profession.
Gerun starred in several films in France and played the role of a French student in the Russian film “Lectures for Housewives.”
A few photos from the girl’s Instagram.
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And now - the sexiest fans of our football players. From left to right: Inna Zhirkova, Victoria Lopyreva, Maria Eshchenko.
Maria Eshchenko is the wife of Lokomotiv defender Andrei Eshchenko. At the Championship in Brazil, the footballer played for the national team against South Korea and Belgium in the position of full back.
Andrey and Maria Yeshchenko
The couple has been married since 2006, and their daughter Alice was born last year.
Inna Zhirkova , the wife of a Russian national team player and Dynamo Moscow defender, winner of the Mrs. Russia 2012 contest, became known to the country after the scandal with Boris Sobolev’s film about the beauty pageant industry. Then Inna Zhirkova was unable to answer the journalist’s basic questions and was forced to renounce the crown.
The couple has two children: son Dmitry and daughter Milana. Inna is raising children; after school, according to her own remark, she did not work anywhere.
Dmitry and Inna Zhirkov with children
Images of Inna Zhirkova.
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And here is the most famous and most stylish (only Tarasov’s wife Olga Buzova can compete with her) wife of the football player - “Miss Russia - 2003”, TV presenter and fashion model Victoria Lopyreva .
Victoria is married to Fedor Smolov, a Dynamo striker (on loan at Anzhi). Smolov applied for a trip to Brazil, but was not included in the list.
Victoria is an active user of social networks, thanks to which the country is watching with interest the metamorphoses of her appearance. The girl once looked like this:
After winning Miss Russia, Victoria gained weight, then lost weight:
Now the girl on her Instagram demonstrates her impeccable shape, endless legs, perfected facial features and an excellent wardrobe. Let's be curious!
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What can you say about the better halves of domestic football players? Are you good?
Photo sources: www.maximonline.ru, www.sovsport.ru, www.sports.ru, begoody.ru, instagram.com/spacecatfromspace, instagram.com/lopyrevavika, instagram.com/innazhirkova, instagram.com/kokorin9, instagram .com/dariavalitova.
At home there are always souvenirs to sign
The most unexpected part is about tickets to matches. It turns out that CSKA players buy season tickets in the family sector. The Akinfeevs help their friends with tickets when asked, but the system is complicated.
“There is no separate box or tickets, we just bought season tickets for the family sector. They give you 2 free tickets to the game, but if there are more people interested, you need to buy tickets. We’re just handing over the season ticket – we have 5-6 more.”
There are always balls and T-shirts at home to sign. But Gerun herself does not take advantage of this - even at the Moscow Film School no one knew who her husband was. Akinfeev’s wife didn’t even go to the World Cup matches - she wasn’t at one.
“I’ve never even been to the Spartak stadium when there’s a derby there. I was at the games in Rome and somewhere else.”
“What do you do if they tell you: “Yesterday Spartak was so handsome”? – asked Plotnikova.
“We don’t have such friends,” is an answer worthy of the wife of a CSKA captain.
***
Igor will definitely watch the interview, but Gerun herself will not.
“I don’t like watching myself on screen. I'll think I was talking nonsense. I will 100% not watch this interview. And my husband will watch in front of me and monitor my reaction. I’ll just guess what he’s thinking.”
And look - Catherine is truly wonderful!
Igor Akinfeev
Akinfeev Igor Vladimirovich is a Russian football player, goalkeeper, UEFA Cup winner, six-time Russian champion, bronze medalist of the 2008 European Championship. Goalkeeper and captain of CSKA, was the main goalkeeper of the Russian national team for many years. Igor Akinfeev is an Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Akinfeev heads Lev Yashin's and is part of Igor Netto's . Ranks 15th in the list of the best goalkeepers of the 21st century according to IFFHS.
Childhood and education of Igor Akinfeev
Igor Akinfeev was born on April 8, 1986 in the Moscow region (the city of Vidnoye).
Father - Vladimir Vasilievich Akinfeev . Mother - Irina Vladimirovna Akinfeeva . Younger brother - Evgeniy.
At the age of four, his father sent Igor Akinfeev to the CSKA children's and youth school. Despite his young age (he was two years younger than his colleagues), coach Desidery Fedorovich Kovach noticed the boy’s extraordinary abilities. Moreover, he recognized the goalkeeper’s abilities in little Igor already at the second training session.
In 2002, the young man became the champion of Russia as part of the CSKA junior team. In the same 2002, Akinfeev graduated from the football academy, and Igor received his secondary education at Moscow school No. 704 in 2003.
Sports career of Igor Akinfeev
Having signed his first professional contract after graduating from the football academy (CSKA double), Akinfeev played 10 matches throughout the season, conceding 14 goals. His team took 11th place at the reserves championship.
In the photo: 16-year-old goalkeeper of the Russian national football team Igor Akinfeev (Photo: Igor Utkin/TASS)
In August of the same year, Igor Akinfeev made his debut in the youth team in a match against the Swedish team.
In 2003, after school, Igor entered the Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture. In 2009, he successfully defended his diploma on the topic “Technical and tactical actions of a goalkeeper during a football match” and became a certified football specialist.
Igor Akinfeev played his first match at the adult level on March 29, 2003 for CSKA in the 1/8 finals of the Russian Premier League Cup against St. Petersburg Zenit at the Petrovsky Stadium: he came on for the second half instead of Dmitry Kramarenko and played his period “to zero” , demonstrating composure and good reaction.
In the photo: Igor Akinfeev’s debut in the Russian Championship (2003)
Subsequently, Akinfeev successfully played with many teams. For example, following the results of the meeting with Krylia Sovetov, Igor saved a penalty kick in the last minutes of the meeting and was recognized as the best player of the match. In total, in the 2003 season, Igor Akinfeev played 13 matches, in which he missed 11 goals.
As a result of the tournament, CSKA became the champion of Russia for the first time. For Akinfeev, the gold medals of the 2003 championship were his first achievement in “adult” football.
Igor Akinfeev appeared in the main team of the national team for the first time on April 28, 2004.
In the 2004 season, an unpleasant incident occurred on the field in a match against Samara. Igor Akinfeev received a red card for a brawl and was sent off in the final minutes of the game. The fight occurred due to the fault of midfielder Koroman , who, after the Cowboy a goal, hit the ball that bounced off the net and hit the goalkeeper in the face. For such a violation, Igor Akinfeev was disqualified for five matches.
In total this season he played 26 matches and conceded 15 goals. As a result, the CSKA team won silver medals, and Igor was recognized as the best goalkeeper in Russia, and according to the Fox Sports TV channel, Igor Akinfeev became the best young goalkeeper, included in the list of “33 best” at number 3.
In the photo: CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (Photo: Anton Belitsky/Global Look Press)
On July 27, 2004, Akinfeev made his debut in the Champions League in a match against the Azerbaijani club Neftchi. The match was drawn. In the return game, CSKA won with a score of 2:0. Igor Akinfeev played all six matches in the Champions League group, conceding five goals. As a result, CSKA took third place and got the opportunity to continue playing in the UEFA Cup.
In 2005, Igor Akinfeev won the UEFA Cup. In the final on May 18, 2005, at the José Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, CSKA defeated the Portuguese Sporting with a score of 3:1.
In the photo: victory in the UEFA Cup
Since 2006, Igor Akinfeev’s authority has only grown; he began to be considered the number one goalkeeper in Russia.
In March 2007, Igor Akinfeev was seriously injured. While fighting for a lofted ball in the penalty area, he landed poorly and tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee. As part of the 29th round of the championship against Kuban, Akinfeev played his first match after injury. CSKA won with a score of 1:0.
In the photo: goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was seriously injured while fighting for a high ball in the penalty area (Photo: Valery Matytsin/TASS)
In January 2008, Akinfeev extended his contract with CSKA until 2011. In the Russian Championship of the 2008 season, Igor Akinfeev played 30 matches, conceding 24 goals. The game between CSKA and Krylya Sovetov became Akinfeev’s 100th clean sheet in his career; he became the youngest goalkeeper in the history of Russian and Soviet football to reach the mark of 100 clean sheets.
Igor missed part of the qualifying cycle for Euro 2008 due to injury, but at the tournament he played all 5 matches, conceding 8 goals. Four goals in the first game against Spain, one in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, and three in the semi-finals against Spain. Together with the Russian team, Igor Akinfeev won bronze at the Euro.
Igor Akinfeev successfully fulfilled his goalkeeping functions, and in 2009 he entered the top five best goalkeepers in the world according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
In the photo: Russian national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (Photo: Vitaly Belousov/TASS)
On August 10, 2011, in a game against the Serbian national team, Igor played his 50th match for the national team, joining the Igor Netto Club. In this match, the goalkeeper kept a clean sheet, and the team won 1:0.
In 2011, Akinfeev was injured again in a match against Spartak. Igor was diagnosed with a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee (operated on in 2007), a rupture of the internal meniscus and bone edema as a result of a fall after a collision with Welliton . In September, Akinfeev underwent surgery and began individual training in 2012.
On May 15, 2014, Akinfeev broke Lev Yashin's record by playing his 204th match to a clean sheet. On the same day he became a five-time Russian champion. In the same year, Akinfeev broke the record for playing time without conceding goals - 761 minutes. Akinfeev achieved the longest dry streak in the history of the Russian national team.
In the photo: CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was awarded the Goalkeeper of the Year award named after Lev Yashin (Photo: Valery Sharifulin/TASS)
The World Cup in Brazil was not the most successful period in Akinfeev’s career. In the match with the South Korean national team, he absurdly, in his own words, missed a goal. Our players ended that game in a draw and were unable to advance from the group at the World Cup.
In 2014, during a match against the Montenegro national team, which took place on the opponent’s territory, a Montenegrin fan threw a fire at Akinfeev. As a result, the goalkeeper of the Russian team received burns and a concussion in the 40th second of the game. The goalkeeper was taken away on a stretcher, the match was interrupted for half an hour, then continued, but in the 67th minute it escalated into a serious brawl. The judges decided to count Montenegro a technical defeat (0:3).
In the photo: Russian national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, injured in the European Football Championship match between the national teams of Montenegro and Russia (Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS)
It later turned out that the fan who threw the fireworks, Luka Lazarevich , did it unintentionally - he was throwing away a firecracker thrown at his feet by an unknown person. Video footage from the stadium confirmed his words. He went to prison for 3.5 months, and Igor Akinfeev did not make any claims against him.
In 2020, the authoritative British publication The Telegraph published a ranking of the best football goalkeepers of our time who are now continuing their playing careers. Goalkeeper of CSKA Moscow and the Russian national team Igor Akinfeev took 14th place on this list.
In the photo: CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (Photo: Egor Aleev/TASS)
At Euro 2020, the Russian team conceded the most goals in the group stage of the tournament. At the same time, statistics put Akinfeev in third place in the list of the most successful goalkeepers of the continental championship in terms of the number of reflected shots.
In June 2020, Igor Akinfeev became the goalkeeper of the national team at the Confederations Cup, which was held in St. Petersburg. The Russian team did not perform very well. The Russians named CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev the best player of the Russian national team at the Confederations Cup. 12 percent of respondents answered this way. This is evidenced by data from a VTsIOM survey conducted at the end of June.
In 2020, information appeared in the media that Akinfeev threatened coach Stanislav Cherchesov with leaving the national team. However, despite the failures, experts could not name anyone equal to Akinfeev in experience.
In the photo: Igor Akinfeev and head coach of the Russian national football team Stanislav Cherchesov (from left to right) (Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS)
In the fall of 2020, Igor Akinfeev ended his record-breaking streak in the Champions League. He missed 43 matches in a row. The series began on November 1, 2006, and ended on November 22, 2017, when CSKA beat Benfica (2:0). Akinfeev's losing streak lasted 4,039 days.
At the 2018 World Cup
Igor Akinfeev was called up to the national team on the eve of the 2018 World Cup and received the right to wear the captain's armband for the duration of the World Cup.
In the photo: Russian national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev (Photo: PA ImagesTASS)
At the World Championships, Igor Akinfeev played all the matches of the Russian national team. Including, thanks to a penalty kicked in the series with Spain, our team reached the quarterfinals. In the match with the Spaniards, Akinfeev was recognized as the best.
“The main hero of the tournament, the foot of our goalkeeper, who saved the decisive Spanish penalty, went down in history. The captain did his best in the series with the Croats. Igor became number one in the Russian national team a long time ago; probably, many fans do not remember such an incident when someone else defended the goal. At this championship we saw one of the best versions of Akinfeev in his career. Together with the entire team, Igor was a single whole, focused on preventing all sorts of attacking attempts by the opponent; he was the most reliable and inspiring link in this model (goalkeeper coach), “SP wrote about Akinfeev’s performance at the 2018 World Cup.
Leaving the Russian national team
The head coach of the Russian national team, Stanislav Cherchesov, did not call Akinfeev to the first training camp after the 2018 World Cup before the matches with Turkey and the Czech Republic due to health problems with the CSKA captain.
On October 1, Igor Akinfeev announced that he would no longer play for the Russian national football team.
“Every story has its beginning and its end. So my story with the national team has also come to its logical conclusion. It was a great honor for me to lead the Russian team at the home World Cup as captain. To be honest, I never even dreamed about it. But it happened and was probably the peak of my career in the national team,” says the athlete’s message posted on the CSKA website.
Akinfeev expressed gratitude to all the coaches with whom he worked in the national team, the staff of the national team and all its fans.
Igor Akinfeev was the goalkeeper of the Russian national team in 110 matches, conceding 95 goals. 47 times he left the goal of the country's main team intact. In terms of the number of games and the number of clean sheets, Akinfeev is the record holder among Russian goalkeepers.
Personal life of Igor Akinfeev
Igor Akinfeev married Ekaterina Gerun , a model from Ukraine. In 2014, the first-born football player, Daniil Igorevich, appeared in the family. In September 2020, on the eve of the match with the Swedish national team, Akinfeev’s daughter Evangelina was born.
In the photo: goalkeeper of the Russian national football team and PFC CSKA Igor Akinfeev and his wife Ekaterina (Photo: instagram.com/akinfeevigor)
In an interview, the footballer repeatedly emphasized that their family observes Orthodox traditions, but the couple do not intend to impose any religion on their children, taking into account their personal choice.
Igor is friends with the lead singer of the group “Hands Up!” Sergei Zhukov since 2004. He became the godfather of Zhukov's daughter, Nina.
In the photo: goalkeeper of the Russian national football team Igor Akinfeev and the lead singer of the group “Hands Up!” Sergey Zhukov (Photo: instagram.com/akinfeevigor)
