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Igor Akinfeev

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Vladimirovich and the family name is Akinfeev.

Igor Vladimirovich Akinfeev (Russian: Игорь Владимирович Акинфеев, romanized: Igor' Vladimirovich Akinfeyev, IPA: [ˈiɡərʲ vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ ɐkʲɪnˈfʲe(j)ɪf]; born 8 April 1986) is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains Russian Premier League club CSKA Moscow.[3]

Igor Akinfeev
Akinfeev with CSKA Moscow in 2020
Personal information
Full name Igor Vladimirovich Akinfeev
Date of birth (1986-04-08) 8 April 1986 (age 38)[1]
Place of birth Vidnoye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 CSKA Moscow
Number 35
Youth career
1991–2002 CSKA Moscow
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003– CSKA Moscow 583 (0)
International career
2002–2005 Russia U21 8 (0)
2004–2018 Russia 111 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Russia
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Austria–Switzerland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2024

He has spent his entire career at CSKA, making more than 700 official appearances. He has won six Russian Premier League titles and seven Russian Cups, as well as the UEFA Cup in 2005. He is a record holder for most games played in the Russian top-level league at 583 (as of 10 November 2024). A full international for Russia between 2004 and 2018, he earned 111 caps and was selected in their squads for four UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups. He was named captain of Russia in March 2017, after the retirement of his predecessor Vasili Berezutski.[4] Akinfeev is a member of the Lev Yashin Club and has kept more clean sheets in Russian football than any other goalkeeper.[note 1][5]

Early life

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Igor Akinfeev was born on 8 April 1986 in the town of Vidnoye, Moscow Oblast. When he was 4 years old his father sent him to the Sports school of CSKA. He has been a goalkeeper since his second training. As a member of the junior CSKA Moscow team, he won the Russian Junior Championship in 2002.[citation needed]

Club career

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Akinfeev playing for CSKA Moscow in October 2015
 
Akinfeev in April 2018

Akinfeev made his professional debut for CSKA Moscow at the age of 16, saving a penalty kick and keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win over FC Krylia Sovetov Samara.[6] He broke into the starting line-up at the age of 17 in 2003, winning the club's first Russian Premier League in the same season.[7] In 2005, CSKA won a treble of the Russian Premier League Russian Cup and UEFA Cup.[7] During this season, Akinfeev played in all 19 of CSKA's European matches,[7] including the 2005 UEFA Cup Final, which the Army Men won 3–1 against Sporting CP at their opponents' Estádio José Alvalade.[8] In 2006, he won a third Russian league title and second Russian Cup with CSKA[7] and was awarded the Zvezda trophy, for the year's best football player from the former Soviet Union.[citation needed]

In the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, Akinfeev went 362 minutes without conceding a goal until Ricardo Quaresma scored past him for FC Porto in his team's fifth group match.[9] This began a record breaking run of 43 consecutive matches without keeping a clean sheet in the Champions League (including qualifying rounds).[10][11] His Champions League run without a clean sheet finally ended 11 years later, when CSKA Moscow beat AEK Athens 2–0 away in the qualifying stages of the Champions League on 25 July 2017; prior to the match, Akinfeev's last clean sheet in the Champions League had come against Arsenal in November 2006,[12] and the sequence became a record in the competition in October 2013 when he conceded two goals against FC Viktoria Plzen for a 17th consecutive 'non-clean sheet'.[13]

In May 2007, Akinfeev sustained a knee injury which kept him out for the remainder of the 2007 Russian Premier League season.[7] CSKA ended the season third in the league behind city rivals Spartak Moscow and champions Zenit St. Petersburg. Akinfeev returned for the 2008 season, starting in all 30 league matches and winning the Russian Cup.[7] In 2009, he again started all 30 Russian Premier League matches and kept a clean sheet in the 1–0 Russian Cup Final defeat of league winners Rubin Kazan.[7]

In May 2011, Akinfeev captained CSKA to a fifth Russian Cup of his career. In 2012–13, CSKA won their first Russian Premier League title in seven years,[7] with Akinfeev named Russian Footballer of the Year. Akinfeev also saved Yuri Zhirkov's kick in CSKA's penalty shootout win over Anzhi Makhachkala in the 2013 Russian Cup Final.[14]

On 1 February 2014, CSKA Moscow announced that Akinfeev had extended his contract CSKA until the summer of 2019.[15] In 2013–14, Akinfeev won a fifth Russian Premier League title. On 14 May 2014, he overtook Lev Yashin as the goalkeeper with the third-highest number of clean sheets in Russian football.[16] On 14 November 2015, he broke this clean sheet record with his 233rd career shutout in the Russia national football team's 1–0 win over Portugal.[5]

In August 2018, Akinfeev extended his CSKA contract to last until 2022.[17] In December 2018, Akinfeev earned his 300th clean sheet, becoming the first Russian goalkeeper to do so.[18]

On 14 August 2021, he played his 489th game in the Russian top tier, repeating the record previously set by Sergei Ignashevich. In his next game on 21 August 2021, he set a new record with 490.[19] On 20 May 2022, Akinfeev extended his contract with CSKA until the end of the 2023–24 season.[20]

On 11 June 2023, Akinfeev saved two penalty kicks in the 2023 Russian Cup Final shootout to win the trophy for CSKA.[21] On 24 May 2024, Akinfeev extended his contract with CSKA until the end of the 2025–26 season.[22]

International career

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Akinfeev made his debut for the Russian national team in a friendly match against Norway, which Russia lost 2–3, on 28 April 2004, aged 18 years and 20 days. He thus became the third youngest player to compete for Russia after Eduard Streltsov and Sergey Rodionov and the youngest international footballer ever in the history of the Russian Federation.[23] He held the record for the youngest national team player for 18 years before being overtaken by Sergei Pinyayev in 2022.[24] He was later included into the Russian UEFA Euro 2004 squad as the third choice goalkeeper behind Sergei Ovchinnikov and Vyacheslav Malafeev.[citation needed]

His major competitive debut was on 30 March 2005, in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Estonia and he was later promoted to Russia's first-choice goalkeeper after a long-term injury to Malafeev. Akinfeev kept his first choice place under Yuri Semin and later Guus Hiddink. On 6 May 2007, Akinfeev suffered a knee injury in a 1–1 draw against FC Rostov which put him out of action for four months. As a result, he lost his first choice position to Vyacheslav Malafeev and later Vladimir Gabulov. He returned to the Russian national squad in early November but was deemed unfit for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel. Akinfeev later re-established his first choice place for Russia at UEFA Euro 2008, and played every match as the nation reached the semi-finals.[citation needed]

He was confirmed for the finalized UEFA Euro 2012 squad on 25 May 2012,[25] but Malafeev played all of Russia's matches and the nation was eliminated in the group stages. On 2 June 2014, Akinfeev was included in Russia's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad,[26]

In Russia's first group match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup against South Korea, Akinfeev fumbled a long-range shot from Lee Keun-ho, dropping it over the line to give the Koreans the lead. Russia then went on to equalize, and the match finished 1–1.[27] The final group stage match between Algeria and Russia on 26 June ended 1–1, advancing Algeria and eliminating Russia. A win for Russia would have seen them qualify, and they led the game 1–0 after six minutes. In the 60th minute of the game, a green laser was shone in Akinfeev's face while he was defending from an Algerian free kick, from which Islam Slimani scored to equalise. Both Akinfeev and Russian coach Fabio Capello blamed the laser for the decisive conceded goal.[28][29]

 
Akinfeev (far right) ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup match against Spain

On 27 March 2015, in a Euro 2016 Group G qualifier away to Montenegro, Akinfeev was struck in the head by a flare launched from the crowd, 20 seconds after kick-off. The game was called off for 35 minutes while he was treated, and resumed with his substitution for Yuri Lodygin. It was eventually abandoned after a brawl, while Akinfeev was taken to a Podgorica hospital with a neck injury and light burns.[30] Akinfeev played his third UEFA European Championship for Russia at UEFA Euro 2016 as the national team finished bottom of Group B with only one point from three matches.

He was selected as captain for Russia's 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup campaign on home soil and kept a clean sheet as the Russian's defeated New Zealand 2–0 in the tournament's opening match. On 21 June, in Russia's second group match, a 1–0 defeat to Portugal, Akinfeev won his 100th cap for the national team.[31]

On 11 May 2018, he was included in Russia's extended 2018 FIFA World Cup squad.[32] On 3 June 2018, he was included in the finalized World Cup squad.[33] Akinfeev was later instrumental in the Russians knocking out Spain in the Round of 16, being elected Man of the Match and saving two penalties in the shoot-out, ensuring a Russian victory.[34]

On 1 October 2018, he announced his retirement from the national team.[35]

Style of play and reception

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Regarded as a promising talent in his youth, Akinfeev's precocious performances as a youngster earned him comparisons with former esteemed Russian goalkeepers Lev Yashin and Rinat Dasayev. In 2005, UEFA's Pavle Gognidze praised Akinfeev for being a "cool-headed" goalkeeper in spite of his young age, commenting: "On top of confidence, Akinfeev can also boast cat-like reflexes and excellent aerial ability while he is quick off his line to deal with crosses and through balls. Handy with his kicks, what makes him so remarkable for his age is his positional sense – so well developed that the ball seems drawn towards him." Former goalkeeper and CSKA's goalkeeping coach at the time, Vyacheslav Chanov, also added: "Igor is a real goalkeeper, it's in his character and attitude. Since the age of four he only dreamed of becoming a goalkeeper. He's very confident. I think he also tops all Russian goalkeepers in the length and precision of his goal kicks. With his right, he kicks 90 metres, with his left 80 metres."[36]

One of the few one-club men in Russian, European, and world football, Akinfeev had been playing for more than a decade as part of the club's and the national team's starting XI, which usually included the defensive trio of Aleksei Berezutski on the left, Sergei Ignashevich in the middle, Vasili Berezutski on the right.

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 November 2024[37][38][39]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Russian Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
CSKA Moscow 2003 Russian Premier League 13 0 2 0 1[a] 0 2[b] 0 18 0
2004 26 0 1 0 10[a] 0 1[c] 0 38 0
2005 29 0 7 0 15[d] 0 1[e] 0 52 0
2006 28 0 7 0 8[a] 0 0 0 44 0
2007 10 0 2 0 5 0 1[c] 0 18 0
2008 30 0 2 0 6 0 0 0 38 0
2009 30 0 4 0 10[f] 0 1[c] 0 45 0
2010 28 0 1 0 11[g] 0 1[c] 0 41 0
2011–12 28 0 4 0 4[a] 0 1[c] 0 37 0
2012–13 29 0 2 0 2[h] 0 – 33 0
2013–14 29 0 3 0 6[a] 0 1[c] 0 39 0
2014–15 30 0 2 0 6[a] 0 1[c] 0 39 0
2015–16 30 0 3 0 10[a] 0 1[c] 0 44 0
2016–17 29 0 0 0 6[a] 0 1[c] 0 35 0
2017–18 28 0 0 0 16 0 – 44 0
2018–19 30 0 0 0 5[a] 0 1[c] 0 36 0
2019–20 30 0 1 0 5[h] 0 – 36 0
2020–21 28 0 3 0 6[h] 0 – 37 0
2021–22 29 0 2 0 – – 31 0
2022–23 29 0 6 0 – – 35 0
2023–24 25 0 1 0 – 1[c] 0 27 0
2024–25 15 0 0 0 – – 15 0
Career total 583 0 53 0 132 0 14 0 782 0
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ Appearances in Russian Premier League Cup
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Appearance in Russian Super Cup
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Cup
  5. ^ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  6. ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances in UEFA Cup
  7. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, seven appearances in UEFA Europa League
  8. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[37][38]

National team Year Apps Goals
Russia 2004 1 0
2005 7 0
2006 7 0
2007 2 0
2008 11 0
2009 10 0
2010 7 0
2011 4 0
2012 7 0
2013 8 0
2014 12 0
2015 8 0
2016 10 0
2017 9 0
2018 8 0
Total 111 0

Honours

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CSKA Moscow

Russia

Individual

Personal life

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In April 2023, amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Akinfeev was amongst a number of individuals in the field of sports to be placed under sanctions by the Ukrainian government, freezing his assets in Ukraine and implementing a 50-year ban on entering the country.[47]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ This includes matches for Russian clubs and for the Russian national team.

References

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  1. ^ Igor Akinfeev – FIFA competition record (archived)
  2. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Meet the Confed Cup captains". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017. He [Igor Akinfeev] became Russian captain in March 2017 when Vasily Berezutskiy "retired" from the national team and is set to pass the 100-cap mark in the hosts' second match at the Confederations Cup.
  4. ^ "Meet the Confed Cup captains". FIFA. 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Акинфеев обогнал Дасаева по "сухим" матчам за российские команды". Sport.ru (in Russian). 14 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Igor Akinfeev fast becoming the heir to the legendary Lev Yashin". Goal.com. 22 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Igor Akinfeev". UEFA. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Sporting 1-3 CSKA Moscow". BBC Sport. 18 May 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  9. ^ "CSKA Moskva 1-2 Porto". UEFA. 22 November 2006.
  10. ^ "PSV through to last 16 after CSKA thriller". UEFA. 8 December 2015.
  11. ^ "Champions League: Akinfeev finally keeps clean sheet". www.goal.com.
  12. ^ "Igor Akinfeev keeps first Champions League clean sheet since 2006". ESPN FC. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  13. ^ ЦСКА – Монако. Акінфєєв в 40-му матчі ЛЧ поспіль пропускає гол - UA-Футбол
  14. ^ "Africans seal CSKA's Russian double". BBC. 1 June 2013.
  15. ^ "Игорь Акинфеев продлил контракт с ПФК ЦСКА". pfc-cska.com (in Russian). PFC CSKA Moscow. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Вратарь ПФК ЦСКА Акинфеев обошел Яшина по числу "сухих" матчей за карьеру". Rossiya Segodnya (in Russian). 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Akinfeev inks four-year contract extension with CSKA". Chicago Tribune. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Igor Akinfeev became the first Russian goalkeeper to keep 300 clean sheets". Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Игорь Акинфеев сыграл 490-й матч в РПЛ и стал рекордсменом чемпионатов России" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 21 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Акинфеев — с нами!" (in Russian). CSKA Moscow. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  21. ^ "Суперфинал LIVE. ЦСКА победил "Краснодар" в серии послематчевых пенальти" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 11 June 2023.
  22. ^ "Капитан с нами еще на два года!" (in Russian). CSKA Moscow. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Хорошо! Но мало..." (in Russian). Sovetsky Sport. 13 October 2008. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  24. ^ "Сергей Пиняев – самый молодой дебютант сборной России" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 17 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Advocaat announced the finalized Euro Squad" (in Russian). 25 May 2012.
  26. ^ "Состав национальной сборной России на ЧМ-2014" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 2 June 2014.
  27. ^ "Russia v South Korea: World Cup 2014 – as it happened". The Guardian. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  28. ^ Sid Lowe at the Arena da Baixada (26 June 2014). "Algeria 1-1 Russia; World Cup 2014 Group H match report". The Guardian.
  29. ^ "World Cup 2014: Fabio Capello unhappy at laser shone at keeper". BBC Sport. 27 June 2014.
  30. ^ "Russia keeper Akinfeev hit by flare in abandoned Montenegro match". BBC Sport. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  31. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo header earns Portugal Confederations Cup win over Russia". The Guardian. 22 June 2017.
  32. ^ "Расширенный состав для подготовки к Чемпионату мира" (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 11 May 2018.
  33. ^ Заявка сборной России на Чемпионат мира FIFA 2018 (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 3 June 2018.
  34. ^ "Spain v Russia – Man of the Match". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 1 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  35. ^ "Игорь Акинфеев завершил выступления за сборную России" [Igor Akinfeev finishes his national team career] (in Russian). Russian Football Union. 1 October 2018.
  36. ^ Pavle Gognidze (18 May 2005). "The safest hands in Russia". UEFA.com. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  37. ^ a b Igor Akinfeev at Soccerway
  38. ^ a b "Igor Akinfeev". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  39. ^ "Igor Akinfeev". pfc-cska.com (in Russian). PFC CSKA Moscow. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  40. ^ "Regulations of theUEFA European Football Championship" (PDF). UEFA.com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  41. ^ "Russia-Spain | Line-ups | UEFA Euro". UEFA. com. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  42. ^ "UEFA Euro 2008 squad list announced" (PDF). Uefa.com. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  43. ^ "Игорь Акинфеев – лучший вратарь Тинькофф РПЛ в сезоне 2021/22" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  44. ^ a b c "Все лауреаты первой ежегодной премии Winline Герои РПЛ" [All winners of the first Winline Heroes of the RPL award] (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  45. ^ "100 "сухих" матчей Игоря Акинфеева. Статистика". Archived from the original on 19 September 2009.
  46. ^ Указ Президента РФ от 12.06.2006 N 610 Archived 3 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  47. ^ Зеленский ввел санкции против российских деятелей спорта, среди которых Акинфеев, Косторная, Авербух
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