Igor Smolnikov: biography and career of the football player

Igor Smolnikov is an active Russian football player, defender of the St. Petersburg Zenit and the Russian national team.

Dossier

Smolnikov Igor Alexandrovich was born on August 81988 in the city of Kamensk-Uralsky, Sverdlovsk region (USSR). Russian citizen. Playing position on the football field - defender / midfielder. Achievements are the winner of the championship of Russia in 2015 and the winner of the Super Cup of the same year. Height 179 cm, weight 71 kg. He is married. The spouse's name is Catherine.

Club career

Igor Smolnikov started his football careerperformances in the Moscow "Torpedo" in 2006. Currently defends the colors of the club "Zenith". At the highest football level, he played 240 fights, in which he scored 14 goals.

• 2006 - 2007 - Torpedo (Moscow), 30/2;
• 2008 - 2012 - "Locomotive" (Moscow), 17/0;
• 2009 - "Ural" (Ekaterinburg), 12/0;
• 2009 - Chita, 15/2;
• 2011 - 2012 - "The Pearl - Sochi", 18/1;
• 2011 - 2012 - Rostov (Rostov-on-Don), 23/1;
• 2012 - 2013 - Krasnodar, 30/0;
• 2013 - present time - Zenit (St. Petersburg), 58/8.

National team

In 2007 - 2009 Igor Smolnikov was involvedin the youth national teams of Russia (U-19, U-21). During this period, he played 4 games. In 2007, participated in the final stage of the European Youth Championship (U-19). Since 2013 he began to play for the national team of the country. The debut match was held on November 19, 2013 against the team of South Korea. While on his account 10 played matches.

Stages of football path

Igor Smolnikov is a pupilfootball club "Locomotive". But for the first time he said about himself, speaking in the Moscow team "Torpedo". The explosive, tenacious and persistent defender quickly took on the pencil scouts of some Russian clubs. Igor himself was listed as a player of "Lokomotiv", and "railwaymen" did not hurry to sell the young football player. And to purchase a full-fledged gaming practice, he was leased to the Sverdlovsk club "Ural".

But there it did not work out. After only 12 fights, he moved to the team "Chita" as a leased football player. Here Igor spoke for four months, after which he returned to Moscow. Having played several fights of the championship of Russia in the "railroad", he moved to the club "Rostov", which needed a good left defender, capable of conducting offensive operations. Here Igor Smolnikov first became a football player of the main team, an indispensable player in defense. But the season 2012/2013 he spent in the club "Krasnodar". For this team, Igor managed to win 30 fights.

Summing up the intermediate results of the player's performance,it can be argued that he never managed, after changing several clubs, to convince the leadership of "Locomotive" in his professional suitability. On the other hand, he gained experience of performing and playing practice in various competitive tournaments, including performances for the youth and youth national team of Russia.

The next stage in the football career of the playerbegan on August 13, 2013. On this day, an agreement was signed between the leadership of "Krasnodar" and "Zenith" about Igor's move to the club from St. Petersburg.

The amount paid for the transfer was 6 milliondollars. And in the contract there was a point where it was indicated the possibility of increasing the total amount of payments to the previous team, depending on the future results of the footballer's performances. As a result, "Krasnodar" received money, and "Zenith" - one of the best young defenders of the Premier League, which is currently Igor Smolnikov.

"Zenith" of the contractual period of the contractfootball player has not yet disclose, but the head coach of the team Luciano Spalletti on the acquisition of the player does not regret. His debut match for "Zenith" Igor played on August 17, 2013. The duel took place within the framework of the championship of Russia against the team "Anji".

Already August 20, the football player played his firstthe European Cup match that took place in the Champions League tournament (play-off round) with the Portuguese club "Pasush de Ferreira". Igor Smolnikov - a football player who did not have a high performance before, already managed to score 7 goals for the St. Petersburg club.

In conclusion, let us say a few words about the familyplayer position. He - a man leading a calm, measured life, and therefore, a long time married. Igor Smolnikov's wife Catherine gave him two sons. The couple live in St. Petersburg. Perhaps they will still learn life abroad if Igor is invited someday to a foreign club. But so far he is a player of "Zenith" and is not going anywhere.