Football player Igor Akinfeev personal life. Football player Igor Akinfeev: biography, personal life. Igor Akinfeev in professional sports

He announced his retirement from the national team. The appeal of the 32-year-old goalkeeper to the fans was published on the official website of PFC CSKA. Akinfeev explained his decision by saying that he wants to give way to young athletes.

« Every story has its beginning and its end. So my story with the national team also came to its logical conclusion.It was a great honor for me to lead the Russian team at the home world championship as a captain. To be honest, I didn't even dream about it. But it happened and was probably the peak of my career in the national team,” said the player.

32-year-old Igor Akinfeev announced his retirement from the Russian national team

Igor Akinfeev dedicated 15 years of his life to the national team: “ Every year it becomes more and more difficult to play on two fronts, to endure maximum loads. Given past injuries, more and more time is required for recovery. And now I realized very clearly for myself that it was time to give way to younger colleagues and focus on playing for my home club, PFC CSKA. I leave with a calm soul: very good and promising young people have appeared in Russia, some guys have already shown themselves to be real leaders at this world championship. We must believe in young players and support them in every possible way. And may this generation be much more successful than ours. We will be happy about it!”

At the end, the Honored Master of Sports of Russia thanked all the coaches, partners and the army of millions of fans. " Go Russia!" - Igor Akinfeev finished his address.

Igor Akinfeev in the Russian national team at the 2018 World Cup

Igor Akinfeev started playing football at the age of four. Literally at the second training session at the CSKA football school, Igor decided on his role: he became a goalkeeper. In 2002, after graduating from the CSKA Football Academy, Igor signed a professional contract with the club and began playing for the double, for which he played ten matches. In the same year he made his debut in the youth national football team of Russia. Akinfeev went to the pre-season training camp in 2003 with the main team.

On May 31 of the same year, Akinfeev made his full-fledged debut in the Russian Championship match against the Samara Krylia Sovetov. Main team goalkeeper Veniamin Mandrykin was injured, and Igor got a chance, which he brilliantly took advantage of. Not only did he not only not miss a single goal from the game, but also repelled a penalty kick, which is considered the pinnacle of goalkeeping in football. Some time after that Valery Gazzaev I doubted who would be the main player of CSKA, but in the end chose Igor. Also in 2003, Akinfeev received a call to the main team, but he managed to make his debut in it only a year later in a match against the Norwegian team. At that time, Igor was only 18 years old.

Igor Akinfeev at the beginning of his career

Around the name of the captain of PFC CSKA and the Russian national team, who has many trophies, achievements and thousands of fans around the world, rumors grew up every now and then about moving to some European top club, but Igor repeatedly emphasized: he is a player of the Moscow "army", than very proud.

“The main thing for a goalkeeper is psychological stability. The pressure is so colossal that you can go crazy. Fans of the opponent and his team, journalists. Therefore, you don’t need to be nervous and twitchy, but you need to play with iron nerves, then everything will be in order, without blunders. But I'm not complaining: I chose this profession myself, no one forced me. Of course, there are some masterpiece moments in the work, when you pull out balls or you can hit something that, it would seem, cannot be hit. But it goes automatically. When they say - yes, I wanted to play like that. Yes, it does not happen! In a car, you wanted to turn right - you turned right, but in the game - flair, instinct. Both the striker and the goalkeeper: the hand, for example, mechanically sometimes flies out - you don’t even have time to understand it, ”Igor Akinfeev said about his profession.

Igor Akinfeev

Russian footballer. Captain of the club CSKA (Moscow) and the national team of Russia. Honored Master of Sports of the Russian Federation (2005).

Biography of Igor Akinfeev

Igor Vladimirovich Akinfeev was born on April 8, 1986 in the town of Vidnoye near Moscow. According to his parents, Vladimir Vasilyevich and Irina Vladimirovna, as soon as he learned to walk, he immediately began to try to play football with various objects. Parents decided that the child had talent and took him to a football school to see CSKA where they took him, despite the fact that he was a boy only four years old. Literally at the second training session, Igor decided on his role - he became a goalkeeper.

After graduating from school No. 704 in Moscow in 2003, Akinfeev entered the Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture (MGAFK), from which he graduated in 2008, having defended a diploma on the topic "Tactical and technical actions of a goalkeeper during a football match."

A player and fan of CSKA is called a "horse" in near-football slang. This comes from the Soviet period of history, when the army club was taken mainly by cavalrymen, and one of the first training bases was located on the site of the former stables. In this regard, one of Igor's nicknames is "Konifey", as a derivative of the words "horse" and his surname.

Sports career of Igor Akinfeev

In 2002, after graduating from the CSKA Football Academy, Igor signed a professional contract with the club and began playing for the double, for which he played ten matches. In the same year he made his debut in the youth national football team of Russia. Akinfeev went to the pre-season training camp in 2003 with the main team. He managed to make his debut in the main team already on March 29, 2003 in the 1/8 finals match against St. Petersburg Zenit. Valery Gazzaev, who at that time coached CSKA, entrusted the sixteen-year-old guy with a place "in the frame" in the second half. Igor justified the coach's trust and defended "to zero".

Also in 2003, Akinfeev received a call to the main team, but he managed to make his debut in it only a year later in a match against the Norwegian team. In total, in 2004, Igor played 26 matches in the Russian Championship, ten matches in the Champions League and was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the country.

FOX Sports TV channel recognized Igor Akinfeev as the best young goalkeeper in the world in 2004.

At the time of his debut in the national team, Igor was only 18 years and 20 days old. Thus, he became the youngest player in the team's history. By the way, at the 2004 European Football Championship, Igor became the youngest football player among all those who participated. True, he never appeared on the field. 2005 was marked by Igor's first major European success - together with CSKA he won the UEFA Cup, the second most prestigious trophy in Europe. He also became the champion of Russia and was once again recognized as the best goalkeeper in the country.

In 2006, CSKA played in the Champions League, the most prestigious club tournament on the planet. Igor played brilliantly and left his net untouched for 362 minutes, 180 of which came in two matches with London's Arsenal. After that, all football Europe started talking about the talented young goalkeeper, the giants of world football became interested in him. But Igor said that he did not plan to leave CSKA anywhere for at least another four years.

In 2007, Akinfeev received his first serious injury. In the match against Rostov, Igor landed badly in the fight for the riding match, as a result of which there was a rupture of the cruciate ligament. Experts believed that the season was over for him, but a successful operation and hard training helped the player return to the team even before the end of the Russian championship. While Akinfeev was injured, he took a position at the gates of CSKA Veniamin Mandrykin, and in the team - Malafeev and Gabulov. But as soon as Igor recovered, the coaches immediately returned him to the main teams.

2008 was marked by the successful performance of the Russian team at the European Championship. Third place and bronze medals added to the collection of titles of Igor Akinfeev. In the fall, CSKA showed an outstanding performance in the UEFA Cup, winning 5 out of 5 matches in the group stage. According to experts, this was facilitated by the confident game of the young goalkeeper, who by that time had already entered the Lev Yashin Club”, which includes goalkeepers who have played 100 matches without conceding goals. At that time, Igor was only 22 years old - the goalkeeper went down in history as the youngest member of this club in all the years of its existence.

In 2009, Akinfeev missed his 100th goal in the Russian championships. To do this, it took him 140 matches, which is also a record. Previously, the palm in this category belonged to Antonina Kinsky(120 matches). In the fall, CSKA again played in the Champions League and for the first time in its history reached the spring stage of the tournament, that is, it was among the sixteen strongest clubs in Europe. In the 1/8 finals, the club defeated the Spanish Sevilla, but in the 1/4 on aggregate, they lost to the future owner of the trophy, Inter Milan. This achievement is so far unique in the recent history of Russian football.

At one time, Akinfeev published in the Russian Newsweek magazine as a football expert. His predictions and assessments have always been balanced, while bearing the imprint of the personality of the goalkeeper himself, responsible for words and deeds.

According to experts, as a goalkeeper, Igor has a harmony of sports qualities: he plays equally well on the outs and on the line, he plays well with his feet; as a rule, he is cold-blooded, competently leads the defense, while he does not hesitate to cheer her up with verbal criticism. Among the shortcomings can be attributed to a small growth for the goalkeeper - 185 cm. However, this is more than compensated by the reaction and jumping ability of Akinfeev. In "live" reporter interviews, Igor, as a rule, is laconic. But not because of the poverty of the vocabulary - he simply does not like to spread his thoughts. In newspaper interviews, he is also not inclined to go into details - he answers in essence, weightily and unambiguously.

Around the name of the captain PFC CSKA and the vice-captain of the Russian national team, who has many trophies, achievements and thousands of fans around the world, rumors kept growing about moving to some European top club, but Igor repeatedly emphasized that he is a player of the Moscow "army", which he is very proud of . In 2010, together with the team, he won the silver medals of the Russian championship, and in the 2011/2012 season in May, Igor won his fifth Russian Cup with CSKA. In August 2011, he again injured the anterior cruciate ligament, after which he underwent surgery and, after rehabilitation and a system of special training, returned to the gates of CSKA and the national team in the spring of 2012.

In 2013, Akinfeev and his club won all three Russian football trophies. He became the champion of Russia (for the fourth time), as well as the owner of the Russian Cup and Super Cup. At the same time, Igor was recognized as the best football player of the year according to the RFU, and for the seventh time in his career, the athlete received the Goalkeeper of the Year prize named after Lev Yashin. The goalkeeper as part of the “army team” received his fifth title of the national champion in the 2013/2014 season, and in the summer of 2014, together with CSKA, he won the Russian Super Cup for the sixth time.

Igor Akinfeev about his profession: The main thing for a goalkeeper is psychological stability. The pressure is so colossal that you can go crazy. Fans of the opponent and his team, journalists. Therefore, you don’t need to be nervous and twitchy, but you need to play with iron nerves, then everything will be in order, without blunders. But I'm not complaining: I chose this profession myself, no one forced me. Of course, there are some masterpiece moments in the work, when you pull out balls or you can hit something that, it would seem, cannot be hit. But it goes automatically. When they say - yes, I wanted to play like that. Yes, it does not happen! In a car, you wanted to turn right - you turned right, but in the game - flair, instinct. As for the striker, so for the goalkeeper: for example, the hand sometimes flies out mechanically - you don’t even have time to understand it.

In October 2015, Akinfeev headed the Lev Yashin Club - the list of the most impenetrable goalkeepers in domestic football, and the goalkeeper joined the Igor Netto Club, which brings together players who played for half an hour and more matches for the national team. At the beginning of spring In 2016, Igor, in the starting lineup of CSKA, as part of a duel with Spartak Moscow, broke the record for the number of games played in the Russian football championships among goalkeepers. This match turned out to be the 329th match for the athlete in the Czech Republic. 29-year-old at that time Akinfeev surpassed the previous achievement, which belonged to the goalkeeper of St. Petersburg "Zenith" (328 meetings) Vyacheslav Malafeev.

Igor Akinfeev received the next prizes "Goalkeeper of the Year" named after Lev Yashin according to the results of the seasons 2013/2014 and 2016/2017. In 2017, the sports media reported that the experienced goalkeeper of the Moscow "army team" would take his place in the goal frame at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the venue for which Russia was chosen.

Personal life of Igor Akinfeev

Akinfeev prefers not to talk about his personal life. It is known that for six years he met with Valeria Yakunichikova, the daughter of the head of the CSKA football team. Then it turned out that Igor married a native of Kiev Catherine Gerun, model and actress. On May 17, 2014, the couple had a son, Daniel, and on September 4, 2015, on the eve of the match with the Swedish national team, Igor and his wife had a daughter, Evangelina.

In 2006, Igor was awarded the Order of Friendship.

Akinfeev was selected as the first ambassador for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The CSKA goalkeeper wrote a book called "100 penalties from readers."

Awards and achievements of Igor Akinfeev

With CSKA
Champion of Russia: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2015/16
Winner of the Russian Super Cup: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014
Russian Cup winner: 2004/05, 2005/06, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2012/13
UEFA Cup winner: 2004/05
Silver medalist of the Russian Championship: 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014/15, 2016/17
Bronze medalist of the Russian Championship: 2007, 2011/12
In the Russian team
Bronze medalist of the European Championship: 2008
Personal
Heads the Lev Yashin Club
Lev Yashin Goalkeeper of the Year Award (Spark magazine): 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012/2013, 2013/2014, 2016/2017
As part of the Golden Horseshoe Award: Golden Horseshoe (2010, 2015), Silver Horseshoe (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014), Bronze Horseshoe (2011)
The best young goalkeeper in Europe according to the Italian publication Tuttosport: 2006
Prize "Best football player of the CIS and Baltic countries" ("Star") from the newspaper "Sport-Express": 2006
The best goalkeeper of Russia according to the RFU: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012/2013, 2013/2014
The goalkeeper who has played the fastest 100 clean sheet official matches in a career in the history of domestic football
The best goalkeeper in the world according to the visitors of the site GOAL.COM in the season 2012/2013
The best player of the year according to the RFU: 2012/13
The youngest goalkeeper in the history of domestic football, who played 200 clean sheets (27 years and 357 days)
Second place in the 2015/16 season rescue vote on the UEFA website for the 71st-minute rescue of the 2016 EURO match (England - Russia; 1:1)
"Football Gentleman of the Year in Russia" (2016)
CSKA
In the lists of the 33 best football players of the Russian Championship: No. 1 - 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012/2013, 2013/2014, 2014/2015, 2015/2016, 2016/2017; No. 2 - 2011/2012; No. 3 - 2004
The best young player of the Russian Premier League: 2005
The best CSKA player according to the fans of the team: 2013/14, 2016/17
Record holder for the number of dry matches in the composition of the Soviet / Russian clubs in European competition
Record holder for the number of official dry matches for various Russian teams
Record holder for the number of dry matches in the championships of Russia
The player who has played the most games for CSKA. In 2015, he took first place in the list of "Guards", ahead of V. G. Fedotov.
Club record holder for the number of games in a row in the championship in which he did not concede goals in the second half
Russian Championship record holder in the number of games for one team
Russian team
Member of the Igor Netto Club
The youngest goalkeeper to make his debut in the USSR/Russia national team
The owner of the longest dry streak in the history of the USSR and Russia national teams
Record holder for the number of matches for the Russian national team among goalkeepers
Record holder for the number of dry matches in the history of the Russian national team

Igor Akinfeev is a Russian footballer and goalkeeper. From the very beginning of his football career, he has been playing for the CSKA club, being the team captain. From 2004 to 2018, he played for the national team, where he also served as captain. In 2005 he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia.

Childhood and youth

Russian football star Igor Akinfeev was born on April 8, 1986 in the town of Vidnoye near Moscow. His father, Vladimir Vasilyevich, worked as a truck driver, and his mother, Irina Vladimirovna, worked as a kindergarten teacher.

The family did not have much wealth, but the parents put their souls into the upbringing of Igor and his brother Yevgeny. At the age of 4, his father brought Igor to the first training session at the youth school of CSKA. The boy was two years younger than the other students, but immediately asked to be put in place of the goalkeeper. He managed to catch the balls on the fly, but when they hit the goal, Igor was very upset. His first coach, Desiderius Kovacs, after the second training session, said that the boy would certainly be an excellent goalkeeper.

At the age of 7, Igor Akinfeev was admitted to the Youth Sports School of CSKA. He had to combine training with classes at school, there was no time left for yard games and other boyish hobbies. However, the football player himself considers his childhood happy, albeit with some restrictions.

At the age of 8, Igor and his team went to the first training camp. Their camp was located in Chernogolovka, the conditions were tough - on the field in the rain every day. The guy steadfastly endured difficulties, washed his socks and tracksuit every day, which greatly surprised his parents and coach.

At the age of 10, his first tournament took place in Yugoslavia. After the match, Akinfeev was invited to the box of the head of the football association, Milyanich. An experienced coach and football player then said that he sees a second in this boy.

After receiving a matriculation certificate in 2003, Igor Akinfeev went to enter the capital's Academy of Physical Culture. He graduated in 2009, successfully defending his thesis. The athlete chose as the theme what was closest and most understandable to him: "Technical and tactical actions of the goalkeeper during a football match."

The youngest CSKA goalkeeper became a certified specialist.

Sport

Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has undeniable advantages: he clearly knocks the ball out with his hands and feet. At the same time, the player has a lightning-fast reaction to the game. He always exudes confidence in his abilities, so his sports career has developed brilliantly.

In 2002, Akinfeev as part of the team for the first time received the title of champion of Russia. In the same year, he began playing for the national youth team. The team's training camp took place in Israel. The Russian footballer attracted close attention in the first match. The Sport-Express publication expressed a flattering opinion about the new player. The reviewer wrote that he showed a mature and masterful game. At the same time, he looked stronger than Veniamin Mandrykin.

At the end of March 2003, the athlete made his debut match at the adult level, participating in the 1/8 finals against the Zenit team. Igor Akinfeev entered the field in the 2nd half, replacing Viktor Kramarenko. As expected, he showed his trademark lightning-fast reaction. As a result, CSKA played a draw.

And at the end of May of the same year, the young goalkeeper made his debut in the Premier League game. The CSKA team in the game with the "Wings of the Soviets" managed to win with a score of 2: 0, and Igor Akinfeev himself scored, because he managed to reflect the penalty in the last minute. He was deservedly recognized as the best player of this match.

2003 was a truly breakthrough year for the footballer. Igor Akinfeev made his debut at the Russian Championship. He has played 13 games this season. The number of goals conceded at the same time turned out to be minimal - 11. With this result, the goalkeeper became the champion of the country. It was his first high-profile achievement in football.

Igor Akinfeev at the gate

The debut in the Eurocup against the Macedonian club "Vardar" somewhat spoiled the triumph. This game, held on July 30, was won by the Macedonians. But the star of the 1980s - the famous one - expressed the opinion that Igor Akinfeev was not to blame for the goals conceded. He did everything he could.

This year, successful in the sports biography of Igor Akinfeev, was marked by two more bright games. In early September, the goalkeeper made his debut in the Russian Olympic team. He played in the match against Ireland. The game ended 2-0 in favor of the Irish team. Unfortunately, the team also lost the match with Switzerland with a score of 2:1. Nevertheless, the football player, as they say, "gave all the best."

In April 2004, Igor Akinfeev made his first appearance in the national team of Russia, becoming the youngest goalkeeper of the team in history. His number in the national team is 35.

On March 7, the Super Bowl game took place. The athlete spent all 90 minutes on the field, while managing to concede only one goal in the 14th minute. The army team won against Spartak with a score of 3:1. Starting this season, Igor Akinfeev becomes a regular player in the main team. And in the first three matches, he was the same goalkeeper.

During the game against the Samara team, Igor Akinfeev was given a red card. For a brawl, he was removed from the field in the last minutes. As it turned out, midfielder Ognjen Koroman started the fight. It was he who, after a goal scored by Denis Cowboy, hit the ball, which bounced off the net and hit the goalkeeper in the face. For violation Akinfeev was suspended for 5 matches. This season, he managed to participate in 26 matches, while conceding 15 goals in his own net.

As a result of these games, the CSKA team managed to win silver, and Igor Akinfeev was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the country. According to Fox Sports, the athlete was named the strongest young goalkeeper. At number 3, he entered the list of "Top 33".

Best saves by Igor Akinfeev

The fight for the Russian Cup for Igor Akinfeev began with the 1/8 finals. "CSKA" managed to beat "Khimki" with a score of 1:0. After this game they received the second Cup. In seven matches, the goalkeeper conceded only 3 goals.

The summer of 2004 was hot for CSKA and Igor Akinfeev. In training on July 27, the goalkeeper made his debut in the Champions League. The opponent of the national team was the Azerbaijani club "Neftchi". The game ended in a draw. But in the return match, the "soldiers" managed to win, beating the Azerbaijanis with a score of 2:0. CSKA managed to get past the Scots and got into the group stage. Akinfeev spent all 6 games played on the field, conceding only 5 goals. As a result, the Russian team took 3rd place and got the opportunity to continue playing in the UEFA Cup.

By the way, Akinfeev also owns an anti-record in the Champions League - for 11 years, starting on November 21, 2006, he conceded goals in 43 matches of the main tournament in a row.

The 2005 season brought a pleasant surprise to the player: Igor Akinfeev becomes the owner of the UEFA Cup.

The next two years turned out to be no less happy in the professional career of a football player. In 2006, the goalkeeper managed to keep the goal for 362 minutes. Some fans and football critics during these hours compared him to the famous Lev Yashin. The authority of Akinfeev has grown so much that he was named the most promising Russian goalkeeper.

In the spring of 2007, rumors arose in the football environment that London Arsenal showed interest in Igor Akinfeev. Allegedly, the British had plans for the Russian goalkeeper. But in one of his interviews, the athlete dispelled these rumors. He said that in the next 4 years he will remain in the CSKA team.

On May 6, 2007, Igor Akinfeev was injured in a match against Rostov. It happened in the 8th round. Reflecting a free ball, the footballer fell unsuccessfully and tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee. After examining the injured knee, doctors predicted that he would not enter the field until the end of the season. But they were wrong: the player managed to restore his health quite quickly and, after intensive treatment, returned to the national team before the end of the championship.

In November, as part of the 29th round of the CSKA championship against the Kuban team, Igor Akinfeev played the first match after an injury. "CSKA" won with a score of 1:0. And in January, the football player extended his contract with the CSKA team until 2011.

The 16th round of the Russian Premier League, held between the CSKA team and the Wings of the Soviets team, turned out to be the “driest” for the Muscovite and ended in a draw. Akinfeev was the youngest goalkeeper who managed to achieve such a brilliant result. In 30 games of the season, he conceded only 24 goals. As a result of the championship, the country received bronze.

In the 2009 season, on April 12, Igor Akinfeev missed his 100th goal at the Russian Championship. In the same year, his name appeared in the top five goalkeepers in the world. This decision was made by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

The 2010 season was held with mixed success. But the next season - 2011 - the CSKA team managed to win the 5th Cup of the country. Unfortunately, in August of this year, Igor Akinfeev had a serious injury. At the 30th minute of the match with Spartak, the goalkeeper went to the junction with striker Welliton. After the collision, Akinfeev landed unsuccessfully on his left foot, fell and could no longer get up. When he was carried away from the field, Akinfeev sat on a stretcher and, without choosing expressions, cursed at the Brazilian. Later it turned out that Akinfeev damaged the “crosses” of his left knee. In September, he underwent surgery in Germany. But already in February he switched to individual training.

In April, at a match with Zenit, Igor Akinfeev first appeared on the field after an injury. The match ended with a score of 0:2. But in August, at the 50th match, the CSKA team defeated the Serbian team with a score of 1:0. It was a significant match for the goalkeeper, because after it he joined the symbolic “Igor Netto Club”.

And in mid-May 2014, Igor Akinfeev triumphantly broke Yashin's record, having managed to play his 204th match dry. Thus, he was recognized as a five-time champion of Russia. In addition, 2014 was marked for the player by the fact that he managed to break the record for playing time without conceding goals. For 761 minutes Akinfeev did not miss a single ball. This is the longest "dry" series in the history of the Russian team.

Unfortunately, the success was followed by an unfortunate failure. It happened at a match with the Belgian team. But Fabio Capello then stood up for Akinfeev, saying that for 10 minutes someone blinded the footballer's eyes with a laser pointer. Then Belgium won.

The game with the Algerian national team also did not please the Russian fans. According to its results, Russia lost, and Igor Akinfeev, according to the Italian sports tabloid La Gazettadello Sport, even got into the symbolic team of “football players who failed the World Cup”. After this resounding failure, Akinfeev apologized for the bad game to the fans.

In 2015, the goalkeeper had a new trouble. Despite the fact that Igor Akinfeev managed to break the record for the number of dry matches in the national championship, at the game of the “army” with the Montenegrin national team, a fan from rivals threw a flare at the Russian goalkeeper. He suffered severe burns and a concussion. It happened at the 40th second of the game. The match was abandoned. The judges counted Montenegro a technical defeat with a score of 0:3.

Later it turned out that the fan Luka Lazarevich unintentionally threw a flare at Akinfeev. Video recordings showed that he was throwing away a firecracker, which was thrown at his feet by an unknown person. Nevertheless, Lazarevich was sent to prison for 3.5 months. Igor Akinfeev refused to make claims to the fan.

In 2016, Igor Akinfeev concentrated his efforts on preparing for the European Championship. At Euro 2016, the goalkeeper played 3 games in which he conceded 6 goals. But in the new season, the goalkeeper managed to set a new record for the number of clean sheets: a friendly match with the Romanian team was his 45th, in which he played "to zero".

Akinfeev is the highest paid player in CSKA. According to the website Footbnews.ru, in 2017 his salary was €2.2 million.

Personal life

The handsome and financially independent goalkeeper has always had enough fans. Once a fan in love cut her veins. As it turned out, in one of the fake blogs, someone on behalf of an athlete insulted a girl in love. Igor Akinfeev, having learned about the incident, was very worried. Since then, he has spoken little about his personal life and is afraid to hurt his fans and especially fans.

For a long time, the stately handsome man (Igor Akinfeev's height is 1.86 m, and his weight is 78 kg) had an affair with young Valeria Yakunchikova, the 15-year-old daughter of the CSKA administrator. The girl did not miss a single match, she was her own in the backstage football party.

Akinfeev and Yakunchikova are professional athletes, their common interests brought them together. The girl charmed the footballer. She not only loved football, but also turned out to be a professional dancer. The young beauty has repeatedly appeared in commercials and starred in a video. Valeria also received her higher education at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.

Fans had no doubt that this relationship would end in a luxurious wedding, but suddenly the couple broke up. Information flashed in the press that Igor cheated on the girl, and she could not forgive him. A painful break followed.

Soon the personal life of Igor Akinfeev improved. His fans learned the name of the new darling - from Kiev.

Beauty Katya Gerun lived in Kiev, worked in the modeling business, starred in music videos. The girl managed to capture the football player.

Fans of the football star learned about their wedding on May 17, 2014, when the couple had a son, Daniel. And a year later, on September 4, Catherine gave her happy husband a daughter, whom they named Evangelina. The Russian football star claims that he and his wife adhere to the Orthodox faith, but will not impose their beliefs and religion on children. They will grow up and choose what they see fit.

Igor Akinfeev and Ekaterina Gerun are happy together. The athlete is sure that anyone can be happy. The main thing is to wait for your half.

It is known that one of the best friends of the goalkeeper is a popular singer and leader of the group "". They have been friends since 2004. Igor Akinfeev baptized Sergei's daughter Nina.

In addition to football, Igor plays billiards, loves to travel, but considers fishing to be his main hobby. Akinfeev runs Instagram, where photos from training sessions and matches regularly appear. Sometimes family shots from vacations also appear in the account.

Igor appeared in an advertisement for the Moscow Credit Bank. According to its plot, the goalkeeper will have to repel a dangerous blow, and Lev Yashin helps him to do this. The football community reacted positively to this sincere production. And in 2009, the goalkeeper wrote the book "100 penalties from readers."

Igor Akinfeev now

In 2017, Akinfeev, under the leadership of the national team, took part in the Confederation Cup. Russia was in a group with New Zealand, Portugal and Mexico. The national team made its debut in the match with Zealand, and the game ended in victory. Akinfeev did not make a single mistake and did not concede a single goal. But subsequent games ended less successfully - in the match with Portugal, the Russian goalkeeper did not catch one ball, and with Mexico - two. As a result, the Russian team did not leave the group, and this was the end of participation in the Confederation Cup for it.

Igor Akinfeev saved two opponent's penalties

The players had a whole year to prepare for the 2018 World Cup at home. The opening match, which took place with Saudi Arabia, Igor Akinfeev defended to zero - not a single ball flew into the goal. The game ended with an unreal victory for the national team - 5:0. Success awaited her in the match with Egypt. And despite the loss to Uruguay (Akinfeev conceded three goals, including an accidental rebound from the foot, which was counted as an own goal), Russia advanced to the 1/8.

On July 1, 2018, the game with Spain for reaching the 1/4 took place. The game turned out to be difficult. In regular time, the teams managed to score one goal each, and then another own goal flew into the gates of Russia, this time from the shin. In extra time, no one managed to score, although there were plenty of shots on target by the Russian Federation. Akinfeev repelled attack after attack. Even then it became clear that he was the hero of this match. Overtime also did not reveal the winner.

In the penalty shootout, Igor Akinfeev demonstrated his strong-willed character and professionalism - he brilliantly beat off two penalties from Koke and Iago Aspas, which brought victory to the Russians. The victorious save deserves special attention - the Russian goalkeeper in the fall parried the kick of Iago Aspas with his foot and led the team to the 1/4 of the World Cup. Igor Akinfeev was recognized as the best player of this match, and FIFA called Igor Akinfeev's save "the moment of the day", a message about this was published on the World Cup's Twitter.

Victorious "fish" Igor Akinfeev

For the first time in its history, Russia reached the 1/4 finals of the World Cup. Fans of the Russians were looking forward to the game with the Croats. The match differed from the previous dynamics, many dangerous moments and beautiful goals. put the Russians ahead with a top nine, the Croats responded with two goals and only a header brought the Russians to the post-match penalties, where Croatia was stronger. Akinfeev saved one penalty, but the misses and Fernandez, unfortunately, did not allow to go further.

Despite the departure of the Russian team from the 2018 World Cup, for the first time in a long time, fans and the entire football world recognized Cherchesov's team as the best in recent decades.

After the end of the home World Cup, Igor Akinfeev was in the Russian team, to which he devoted 14 years of his sports life.

Awards

2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 - Lev Yashin Goalkeeper of the Year Award (Spark magazine)
2005 - UEFA Cup (with CSKA)
2003, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2016 - champion of Russia (with CSKA)
2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013 - Russian Cup winner (with CSKA)
2006 - Order of Friendship
2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 - the best goalkeeper of Russia according to the RFU
2008 - bronze medal at the European Championship (as part of the Russian team)
2010, 2015 - Golden Horseshoe Award

Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture (MGAFK).

From the age of four he was engaged in the football club CSKA. The first coach is Desiderius Kovacs.

At the age of 16, Igor became a football player for the double of PFC CSKA, the youth and youth teams of Russia, and a year later he made his debut in the main team of the army. In the Premier League, he played his first match on May 31, 2003 on the road against Wings of the Soviets. The army team won - 2:0, and he himself saved a penalty in the last minutes of the meeting. According to the results of that season, during which Igor played 13 matches in the Russian Championship, CSKA Moscow became the owner of the gold medals of the championship.

In 2004, Akinfeev made his debut in the Russian national team, becoming one of the youngest goalkeepers in the history of the national team.

In 2005, Akinfeev, as part of the army club, won the national championship, and also became the owner of the UEFA Cup and the Russian Cup.

On May 6, 2007, in a match with Rostov, Akinfeev was seriously injured - a torn anterior cruciate ligament - and dropped out almost until the end of the season.

In the 2008 season, Igor managed to regain the first number in the Russian national team, and was also appointed captain of the army. As part of the Russian national team, he won bronze medals at the 2008 European Championship. In the same year, Igor became the youngest goalkeeper in Russia, who played 100 clean sheets, and at Euro 2008 he turned out to be the best goalkeeper in terms of the number of reflected blows.

The following years brought Igor Akinfeev new high-profile titles in the PFC CSKA. In 2009, he once again became the owner of the Russian Cup and Super Cup, and in 2011 he won another Russian Cup.

In August 2011, Igor again suffered damage to the anterior cruciate ligament. In the spring of 2012, he again took a place at the gates of PFC CSKA and returned to the national team.

In 2013, Akinfeev, as part of the army team, won all three Russian football trophies, was recognized as the best football player of the year according to the RFU, and for the seventh time in his career received the Lev Yashin Goalkeeper of the Year prize, presented by Ogonyok magazine.

The 2013/14 season brought the army team another title of national champions - the fifth in Igor's career. In the summer of 2014, Akinfeev, as part of the army team, won the country's Super Cup for the sixth time.

Igor Akinfeev - five-time champion of Russia (2003, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014); six-time winner of the Russian Cup (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013); six-time winner of the Russian Super Cup (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014). UEFA Cup Winner (2005).

Igor Akinfeev is the owner of a huge number of records among goalkeepers.

On August 13, 2014, he became CSKA's record holder for the number of matches played in the Russian Football Championship. In the match against Grozny "Terek" he entered the field for the 283rd time in a T-shirt of the army club. According to this indicator, he was ahead of Sergei Semak, who accounted for 282 games.

November 29, 2014 Igor Akinfeev set a new record for the number of "dry" matches in the championship of Russia, having played "to zero" the 130th game.

December 10, 2014 Akinfeev surpassed the record of the legendary striker "red-blue" Vladimir Fedotov in the total number of games for the army team. In the match of the final round of the Champions League group stage against Bayern Munich, he entered the field for the 427th time as part of CSKA.

November 14, 2015 Igor Akinfeev set a record for the number of "dry" matches in his career. He kept his goal intact in the 233rd match of his career. The former record belonged to the ex-goalkeeper of the USSR national team and Spartak Moscow Rinat Dasaev - 232 "dry" matches.

On March 6, 2016, Igor Akinfeev, who started the CSKA in the Moscow derby with Spartak, broke the record for the number of games played in the Russian Football Championship among goalkeepers. For Akinfeev, this game was the 329th in the championships of Russia, the 29-year-old goalkeeper of the army surpassed the previous achievement, which belonged to the goalkeeper of the St. Petersburg “Zenith” Vyacheslav Malafeev (328 meetings).

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Name: Igor Akinfeev

Zodiac sign: Aries

Age: 32 years

Place of Birth: Vidnoe, Moscow region, Russia

Growth: 186

Activity: football player, goalkeeper of CSKA and the Russian national team, Honored Master of Sports of the Russian Federation

Family status: married

Russian football star Igor Akinfeev was born on April 8, 1986 in Vidnoye, Moscow Region. His father, Vladimir Vasilyevich, was a truck driver, and his mother, Irina Vladimirovna, was a kindergarten teacher.

The family did not have much wealth, but the parents put their souls into the upbringing of Igor and his brother Yevgeny. At the age of four, his father brought Igor to the first training session at the youth school of CSKA. The guy was two years younger than the rest of the students, but immediately asked to be put in place of the goalkeeper. He managed to catch balls on the fly, but when they hit the goal, Igor was very upset. His first coach, Desiderius Kovacs, said after the second training session that the boy would certainly be a wonderful goalkeeper.

At the age of seven, Igor Akinfeev was taken to the Youth Sports School of CSKA. He had to combine training with classes at school, there was no time for yard games and other boyish hobbies. Although the athlete himself considers his childhood happy, albeit with some restrictions.

At the age of 8, Igor and his team went to the first training camp. Their camp was located in Chernogolovka, the conditions were tough - on the field in the rain every day. The guy steadfastly endured difficulties, washed his socks and tracksuit daily, which surprised his parents and coach a lot.

At the age of 10, he held his first tournament in Yugoslavia. After the game, Akinfeev was invited to the box of the head of the football association, Milyanich. An experienced coach and football player then said that he sees the second Lev Yashin in this child.

After receiving a matriculation certificate in 2003, Igor Akinfeev went to enter the Moscow Academy of Physical Culture. He graduated in 2009, successfully defending his thesis. The football player chose the topic that was closest and most understandable to him: "Technical and tactical actions of the goalkeeper during a football match."

The youngest CSKA goalkeeper became a certified specialist.

Goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has undeniable advantages: he clearly knocks the ball out with his hands and feet. At the same time, the athlete has a lightning-fast reaction to the game. Self-confidence always emanates from him, so his sports career has developed brilliantly.

In 2002, Akinfeev as part of the team for the first time received the title of champion of the Russian Federation. In the same year, he began to play as part of the national youth team. The training camp of the main team took place in Israel. The Russian football player attracted attention already in the first game. The authoritative publication "Sport-Express" expressed a flattering opinion about the new player. The reviewer wrote that he showed a mature and masterful game. At the same time, he looked stronger than Veniamin Mandrykin.

At the end of March 2003, the footballer made his debut match at the "adult" level, participating in the 1/8 finals against the Zenit team. Igor Akinfeev went to the field in the 2nd half, replacing Viktor Kramarenko. As expected, he showed his "signature" lightning-fast reaction. As a result, CSKA played a draw.

And in the last days of May of the same year, the young goalkeeper made his debut in the Premier League game. The CSKA team in the game with the "Wings of the Soviets" was able to win with a score of 2: 0, and Igor Akinfeev himself scored, because he managed to reflect the penalty in the last minute of the meeting. He was deservedly recognized as the best player of this game.

2003 was a truly breakthrough year for a promising athlete. Igor Akinfeev made his debut at the Russian Championship. He has made 13 appearances this season. At the same time, the number of missed meetings was minimal - 11. With such a result, the goalkeeper became the champion of Russia. This was his first big achievement in football.

The debut in the Eurocup against the Macedonian club "Vardar" slightly spoiled the triumph. This game, which took place on July 30, was won by the Macedonians. But the star of the eighties - the famous Rinat Dasaev - said that Igor Akinfeev was not to blame for the goals conceded. He did everything in his power.

This successful year in the sports biography of Igor Akinfeev was marked by 2 more bright meetings. In early September, the goalkeeper made his debut in the Russian Olympic team. He played in the match against Ireland. The meeting ended with the score 2:0 in favor of the Irish team. Alas, the domestic team also lost the match with Switzerland with a score of 2:1. Despite this, the football player, as they say, "gave all the best."

In April 2004, Igor Akinfeev played for the first time in the main team of Russia, becoming the youngest goalkeeper of the team in the history of the national team.

On March 7, the Super Bowl game took place. The football player spent all 90 minutes on the field, while managing to concede only 1 goal in the 14th minute. The army team defeated Spartak with a score of 3:1. Starting this season, Igor Akinfeev becomes a regular player in the main team. And in the first 3 meetings, he was a constant goalkeeper.

During the game against the Samara national team, Igor Akinfeev was given a red card. For a brawl, he was removed from the field almost in the last minutes of the meeting. As it turned out, midfielder Ognjen Koroman started the fight. It was he who, after a goal scored by Denis Cowboy, hit the ball, which bounced off the net, and hit the goalkeeper in the face. For violation Akinfeev was suspended for 5 matches. In total this season, he was able to participate in 26 matches, while conceding 15 goals in his own net.

As a result of these meetings, the CSKA team was able to win silver, and Igor Akinfeev was recognized as the best goalkeeper in the country. According to Fox Sports, the athlete was named the strongest young goalkeeper. At number 3, he entered the list of "Top 33".

The fight for the Cup of the Russian Federation for Igor Akinfeev began with the one-eighth final. "CSKA" were able to beat "Khimki" with a score of 1:0. After this successful meeting, they received the second Cup. In 7 matches, the goalkeeper conceded only 3 goals.

The summer of 2004 was hot for CSKA and Igor Akinfeev. In training on July 27, the goalkeeper made his debut in the Champions League. The opponent of the team was the Azerbaijani club "Neftchi". The game ended in a draw. But in the second leg, the army team was able to win, beating the Azerbaijanis with a score of 2:0. CSKA was able to bypass the Scots and advanced to the group stage. All 6 meetings held Akinfeev held on the field, conceding only 5 goals. As a result, the Russian team took 3rd place and got the opportunity to continue playing in the UEFA Cup.

The 2005 season brought a pleasant surprise to the successful football player: Igor Akinfeev becomes the owner of the UEFA Cup.

No less happy in the professional career of a football player were the next 2 years. In 2006, the goalkeeper was able to keep the goal for 362 minutes. Many football fans and critics during these hours compared him to the famous Lev Yashin. The authority of Akinfeev has grown to such an extent that he was named the most promising Russian goalkeeper.

In the spring of 2007, there were rumors in the football environment that London Arsenal showed interest in Igor Akinfeev. It seems that the British had plans for the best goalkeeper of the Russian team. However, in one of his interviews, the football player dispelled these rumors. He said that in the next 4 years he will remain in the CSKA team.

On May 6, 2007, Igor Akinfeev was injured in a match against Rostov. It happened in the 8th round. Reflecting a penalty ball, the athlete fell unsuccessfully and tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee. After examining the injured knee, doctors promised that he would not be able to enter the field until the end of the season. But they were wrong: the player was able to recover very quickly, and after intensive treatment he returned to the national team before the end of the championship.

In November, within the framework of the 29th round of the CSKA championship against the Kuban team, Igor Akinfeev played his first match after the injury. The army team won with a score of 1:0. And in January, the athlete extended the contract with the CSKA team until 2011.

The 16th round of the Russian Premier League, held between the CSKA team and the Krylya Sovetov team, was the driest for the Muscovite and ended in a draw. Akinfeev became the youngest goalkeeper who managed to achieve such a brilliant result. In 30 games of the season, he conceded only 24 goals. According to the results of the championship, Russia received bronze.

In the 2009 season at the Russian Championship on April 12, Igor Akinfeev missed his 100th goal. In the same year, his name appeared in the top 5 goalkeepers in the world. So decided the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

The 2010 season passed with mixed success. But the next season - 2011 - the CSKA team was able to get the 5th Cup of the country. Alas, in August of this year, Igor Akinfeev suffered a second injury. In September, he underwent surgery. But in February, he managed to switch to individual training.

In April, at a match with Zenit, Igor Akinfeev appeared on the field for the first time after an injury. The match ended with a score of 0:2. But in August, at the 50th match, the CSKA team defeated the Serbian national team with a score of 1:0. For the goalkeeper, this was a significant meeting, since after it he joined the symbolic “Igor Netto Club”.

And in mid-May 2014, the football player triumphantly broke Yashin's record, having played his 204th match "dry". Thus, he was recognized as a 5-time champion of the Russian Federation. In addition, 2014 was marked for the athlete by the fact that he was able to break the record for playing time without conceding goals. For 761 minutes Akinfeev did not miss a single goal. This is the longest "dry" series in the history of the Russian team.

Alas, the success was followed by an unfortunate failure. It happened at the match with the Belgian national team. But Fabio Capello then stood up for Akinfeev, saying that for 10 minutes someone had blinded the player's eyes with a laser pointer. Despite this, Belgium won.

The game with the Algerian team also did not please domestic football fans. According to its results, Russia was defeated, and Igor Akinfeev, according to the Italian sports tabloid La Gazetta dello Sport, even got into the symbolic team of "football players who failed the World Cup." After this resounding failure, Akinfeev apologized for the bad game to football fans.

In 2015, the goalkeeper had a new trouble. Despite the fact that Igor Akinfeev was able to break Sergei Ovchinnikov's record for the number of dry matches in the Russian Championship, at the game of the army team with the Montenegrin team, a fan from rivals threw a fire at the Russian goalkeeper. He received severe burns and a concussion. It happened at the 40th second of the meeting. The game has been interrupted. The judges counted the Montenegrin team a technical defeat with a score of 0:3.

As it turned out later, the fan Luka Lazarevich deliberately threw a fire at Akinfeev. Video recordings showed that he was throwing away a firecracker, which was thrown at his feet by an unknown person. Despite this, Lazarevich was sent to prison for 3.5 months. Igor Akinfeev did not make any claims to the fan.

The year before last, Igor Akinfeev concentrated his efforts on preparing for the European Championship. At Euro 2016, the goalkeeper played 3 matches, in which he conceded 6 goals. But in the new season, the goalkeeper was able to set a new record for the number of dry matches: a friendly match with the Romanian national team was his 45th, in which he played "to zero".

The promising handsome and financially independent goalkeeper has always had enough fans. Once a football fan in love cut her wrists. As it turned out, in one of the fake blogs, someone on behalf of a football player insulted a girl in love. Igor Akinfeev, having learned about what happened, was very worried. Since that time, he talks little about his personal life and is afraid to hurt his fans and especially fans.

For a long time, the tall handsome man (Igor Akinfeev's height is 1.86 meters) had a relationship with the young Valeria Yakunchikova, the 15-year-old daughter of the CSKA administrator. The girl was present at all the games, she was her own in the backstage football party.

Akinfeev and Yakunchikova are professional athletes, their common interests brought them together. Valeria turned out to be not only a beautiful girl, but also an excellent companion, an interesting and bright personality.

The girl literally charmed the athlete. She not only loved football very much, but also turned out to be a professional dancer. The young charmer starred in commercials many times and participated in Timati's video. And the girl also received her higher education at RUDN University.

Fans had no doubt that this relationship would end in a gorgeous wedding, but suddenly the couple ended the relationship. There was information in the media that Igor cheated on the girl, and she could not forgive him. The betrayal was followed by a painful separation.

But soon the personal life of Igor Akinfeev improved. His fans learned the name of the new chosen one - Ekaterina Gerun, from Kiev.

Beauty Katya Gerun lived in the Ukrainian capital, was engaged in the modeling business, starred in several videos. Apparently, the girl was able to captivate the football player.

Fans of the football star found out about their wedding only on May 17, 2014, when the couple's son Daniel was born. And a year later, on September 4, Catherine gave her happy husband a daughter, whom they named Evangelina. The national football star declares that he and his wife adhere to the Orthodox faith, but will not impose their beliefs and their religion on children. They must become adults and choose what they see fit.

Igor Akinfeev and Ekaterina Garun are happy together. The footballer believes that anyone can be happy. The main thing is to wait for your half.

It is known that one of the goalkeeper's best friends for a long time has been the famous singer and leader of the Hands Up! Sergey Zhukov. They have been friends since 2004. Igor Akinfeev is the godfather of Sergei Ninochka's daughter.