Aleksandr Kerzhakov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aleksandr Kerzhakov

Kerzhakov in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Aleksandr Anatolyevich Kerzhakov
Date of birth	(1982-11-27) 27 November 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	Kingisepp, Leningrad Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.76m
Playing position	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2006	Zenit Saint Petersburg	159	(64)
2006–2008	Sevilla	26	(8)
2008–2010	Dynamo Moscow	51	(19)
2010–2017	Zenit Saint Petersburg	129	(56)
2016	→ Zürich (loan)	17	(5)
Total		382	(152)
National team
2001–2002	Russia U21	4	(2)
2002–2016	Russia	91	(30)
Teams managed
2017–2018	Russia U17
2018–2019	Russia U18
2019–2020	Russia U19
2020–2021	Tom Tomsk
2021–2022	Nizhny Novgorod
2023	Karmiotissa
2023	Spartak Subotica
2024	Kairat
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Aleksandr Anatolyevich Kerzhakov (born on 27 November 1982) is a Russian football manager and former player. He played as a striker.

He is known as the player who scored the most goals in Russian football history. He scored 233 goals in official games. People describe him as a forward who likes to drop back and connect with the midfield. He creates space for other players to run past him.

Kerzhakov played for the Russian national team from 2002 to 2016. He played in two World Cups and two European Championships. In 2014, he broke the record for most goals scored for the Russian national team.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Zenit (First Time)

Aleksandr Kerzhakov was born in Kingisepp, Russia. He started his career at an amateur club called FC Svetogorets Svetogorsk in 2000. He helped them win a regional league by scoring 18 goals.

In 2001, Kerzhakov joined FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. He played his first game in March and scored his first goal in June. In his first year, he was the second-choice striker. But he helped Zenit finish third in the Russian Premier League in 2001 and second in 2003.

In 2002, Kerzhakov and Andrey Arshavin became a strong attacking duo. This led to both of them being called up to the Russian national team. Kerzhakov even played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup that year.

In 2003, the coach Vlastimil Petržela made Kerzhakov the main striker. He became the top scorer in the Russian Premier League the next season (2004). He also scored three goals in one game during the 2004–05 UEFA Cup. Zenit reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup the next season. Kerzhakov scored a goal against Sevilla but his team lost.

Moving to Sevilla

In December 2006, Kerzhakov moved to Sevilla in Spain. He signed a five-and-a-half-year contract. He played his first game on 14 January 2007. He scored his first goal on 28 January 2007.

He scored the winning goal against Tottenham in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals. Kerzhakov helped Sevilla win the UEFA Cup that season.

After his coach left, Kerzhakov played less often. Other players were chosen ahead of him. There were rumors that he might leave Sevilla. However, he decided to stay and help the team in the league and UEFA Champions League.

Playing for Dynamo Moscow

Kerzhakov playing for Dynamo Moscow in 2009

In February 2008, Kerzhakov signed a three-year contract with Dinamo Moscow in Russia. He quickly became the main striker. He scored his first goal against FC Moscow.

He was the top scorer for Dynamo in the 2008 season with seven goals. This helped the club finish third and get a chance to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. In 2009, Dynamo finished eighth in the league. They also failed to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League.

Returning to Zenit

In January 2010, Kerzhakov went back to his first professional club, Zenit St. Petersburg. Under the new coach Luciano Spalletti, Kerzhakov became the main striker. He played 26 games that season. He scored his first goal against CSKA Moscow in April 2010. He also scored two hat-tricks (three goals in one game) in different competitions.

The next season (2011–12), Kerzhakov scored 23 goals in 32 games in the Russian Premier League. He was the second-highest goal scorer. Zenit won their second league title in two years.

In the 2012–13 season, Kerzhakov continued as the main striker. He scored 11 goals in the league. He also played in the UEFA Champions League, scoring one goal. Later, Zenit bought another striker, and Kerzhakov's playing time decreased.

After a new coach, Andre Villas-Boas, arrived in March 2014, Kerzhakov played more often. Zenit finished second in the league. The next season, Zenit won the league again. Kerzhakov played in 14 matches and scored three goals. He also played in the Champions League. However, the coach later left Kerzhakov out of the team.

Loan to Zurich

Because he wasn't playing much at Zenit, Kerzhakov was loaned to Zurich in Switzerland in 2016. He scored five goals in 17 games there. However, the club was relegated from the Swiss Super League.

Final Season at Zenit

Kerzhakov returned to Zenit for the 2016–17 season. He mostly played as a substitute. He officially retired from playing football on 13 July 2017. After retiring, he became a coordinator for Zenit's youth teams.

International Career

Early Days with Russia

Kerzhakov started playing for the Russian U21 team in 2001. He made his first game for the senior Russia team on 27 March 2002. Two months later, he was chosen for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a substitute in one game and helped set up a goal.

After the World Cup, Kerzhakov became a regular player for Russia. He scored his first goal for Russia in a friendly game against Sweden in August 2002. He also played in the Euro 2004 tournament. Russia was eliminated in the group stage.

Playing for Russia (2004–2010)

After Euro 2004, Kerzhakov continued to play for Russia in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. He scored goals against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. Russia did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

He was a key striker under coach Guus Hiddink. In 2007, he scored two goals against Estonia. In June 2007, Kerzhakov scored three goals in one game against Andorra. He was the top scorer for Russia in the Euro 2008 qualifiers with five goals. However, he was not chosen for the final tournament squad.

In May 2009, Kerzhakov was called back to the national team. He scored two goals against Finland in a 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier. During a playoff game against Slovenia, he received a red card and was sent off. Russia lost and did not qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Record Goalscorer and Last Games (2010–2016)

Kerzhakov with the Russia national football team in 2011

Kerzhakov training for Russia in 2014, before he broke the national team goal record

After his red card, Kerzhakov was suspended for some games. When he returned, he scored in wins against Ireland and Macedonia. He was part of the Euro 2012 squad, but Russia did not get past the group stage.

After Euro 2012, coach Fabio Capello made Kerzhakov the main striker. Kerzhakov played in all ten of Russia's qualification matches for the 2014 World Cup. He was the team's top scorer with five goals. This included the winning goal against Portugal.

At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Kerzhakov came on as a substitute in the first game against South Korea. He scored the equalizing goal three minutes later. This goal was his 26th for Russia, matching the record for the national team. On 3 September 2014, he scored two more goals against Azerbaijan. This made him the top scorer for the Russian national team.

Kerzhakov continued to play in the Euro 2016 qualification games. He made his last appearance for the national team in a friendly game against Lithuania on 26 March 2016.

Coaching Career

On 15 March 2018, Aleksandr Kerzhakov started coaching the Russia national under-17 football team. He then coached the Russia national under-18 football team and Russia national under-19 football team as the players got older.

On 24 September 2020, he became the manager of FC Tom Tomsk, a club in the Russian Football National League. He left the club in June 2021.

On 17 June 2021, he signed with FC Nizhny Novgorod, which had just been promoted to the Russian Premier League. The team avoided being relegated. Kerzhakov left Nizhny Novgorod in June 2022 and moved to Dubai with his family.

On 8 February 2023, Kerzhakov was hired as a manager by Karmiotissa in Cyprus. He left after one win in six games.

Since May 2024, he has been the manager of Kairat, a club in Kazakhstan. His contract was ended by mutual agreement on 3 September 2024. Under his leadership, Kairat played 12 matches, winning 6, drawing 3, and losing 3.

Personal Life

Aleksandr's younger brother, Mikhail, is also a professional football player. He plays as a goalkeeper for Zenit Saint Petersburg. In 2002, Kerzhakov wrote a book about his life called Up to 16 and older.

In April 2023, Kerzhakov said that he was against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He has left Russia since then.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Russia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kerzhakov goal.

List of international goals scored by Aleksandr Kerzhakov

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	21 August 2002	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Sweden	1–0	1–1	Friendly match
2	7 September 2002	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Republic of Ireland	3–1	4–2	UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
3	16 October 2002	Central Stadium, Volgograd, Russia	Albania	1–0	4–1	UEFA Euro 2004 qualification
4	26 March 2005	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	1–0	2–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	3 September 2005	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Liechtenstein	1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
6				2–0
7	8 October 2005	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Luxembourg	2–0	5–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	24 March 2007	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia	Estonia	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
9				2–0
10	2 June 2007	Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia	Andorra	1–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
11				2–0
12				3–0
13	8 September 2007	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Macedonia	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
14	10 June 2009	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	1–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
15				2–0
16	8 October 2010	Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland	Republic of Ireland	1–0	3–2	UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
17	12 October 2010	Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia	Macedonia	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
18	25 May 2012	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Uruguay	1–1	1–1	Friendly match
19	1 June 2012	Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland	Italy	1–0	3–0	Friendly match
20	11 September 2012	National Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel	Israel	1–0	4–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
21				3–0
22	12 October 2012	Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Portugal	1–0	1–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
23	6 September 2013	Central Stadium, Kazan, Russia	Luxembourg	3–0	4–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
24	11 October 2013	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg	Luxembourg	4–0	4–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
25	26 May 2014	Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia	Slovakia	1–0	1–0	Friendly match
26	18 June 2014	Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá, Brazil	South Korea	1–1	1–1	2014 FIFA World Cup
27	3 September 2014	Arena Khimki, Khimki, Russia	Azerbaijan	1–0	4–0	Friendly match
28				2–0
29	18 November 2014	Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	2–0	2–1	Friendly match
30	7 June 2015	Arena Khimki, Khimki, Russia	Belarus	4–2	4–2	Friendly match

Managerial statistics

As of 3 October 2024

Honours

Club

Zenit Saint Petersburg

• Russian Premier League: 2010, 2011–12, 2014–15
• Russian Cup: 2009–10
• Russian Premier League Cup: 2003
• Russian Super Cup: 2016

Sevilla

• UEFA Cup: 2006–07
• Copa del Rey: 2006–07
• Supercopa de España: 2007

FC Zürich

• Swiss Cup: 2015–16

Individual

• Russian Premier League top scorer: 2004

Charity

In 2017, Aleksandr Kerzhakov became an ambassador for the social Football for Friendship international children's forum. In 2018, he took part in the Football for Friendship program. He presented the cup to the winners of the program's championship.

Political Views

Kerzhakov has spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He left Russia in 2022 because of his opposition to the invasion.

See also

In Spanish: Aleksandr Kerzhakov para niños