Aleksandr Mostovoi facts for kids
Mostovoi in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 22 August 1968 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lomonosov, Soviet Union | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Krasnaya Presnya | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1985–1986 | Krasnaya Presnya | 19 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 1986–1991 | Spartak Moscow | 106 | (34) | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Benfica | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | → Caen (loan) | 15 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Strasbourg | 61 | (15) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–2004 | Celta | 235 | (56) | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | Alavés | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 446 | (116) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | USSR | 13 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 1992 | CIS | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1992–2004 | Russia | 50 | (10) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Aleksandr Mostovoi (born 22 August 1968) is a Russian former professional footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder, which is a player who helps both defend and attack.
He was known as O Zar de Balaídos ("The Tsar of Balaídos"). This nickname came from his long time playing for Celta de Vigo in Spain. People often called him a very creative player during his time there. He also played football in Russia, Portugal, and France.
Mostovoi played 50 games for the Russian national team. His international career lasted 12 years. He was chosen to play in two World Cups and two European Championships. Before playing for Russia, he also represented the Soviet Union and the CIS teams.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Russia
Aleksandr Mostovoi was born in Lomonosov, Russia, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time. He started his career at FC Presnya Moscow, a second-division club. Soon after, he joined the big Russian team, FC Spartak Moscow. He quickly showed his talent there.
In 1992, he moved to Portugal to play for S.L. Benfica. He then played for French teams, Stade Malherbe Caen and RC Strasbourg. At Strasbourg, he began to show his amazing skills even more.
Becoming a Star at Celta
Mostovoi's biggest success came when he joined Celta de Vigo in Spain in 1996. He quickly became a favorite among the fans. His creative style of play and important goals made him a legend at Celta's home stadium, Balaídos. The club became one of the top teams in La Liga, Spain's main football league.
Fans lovingly called him 'The Tsar of Balaídos'. Mostovoi played very well with his teammate, Valery Karpin, who was also from Russia. He helped Celta win the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup. They won the final against his hometown club, FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. However, in the 2003–04 season, Celta struggled and was moved down to the second division. Mostovoi played 235 games for Celta, which was a club record for a long time.
Short Time at Alavés
After not playing for over eight months, Mostovoi, at 36 years old, signed with Deportivo Alavés in March 2005. This was a team in the second division. He played his first and only game for them against Cádiz CF. He came on as a substitute and scored his team's only goal in a 1–3 loss.
After only 30 days with the club, Mostovoi decided to retire from football. He said he was having back problems.
Playing for His Country
Mostovoi played for three different national teams: the Soviet Union, the CIS, and Russia.
He was part of the Russian team for UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He was also chosen for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but he could not play due to an injury.
During UEFA Euro 2004, Mostovoi was sent home by the team manager. There was a misunderstanding after a game where Mostovoi was thought to have criticized the coach. Later, Mostovoi explained that he only said the coach made the players train too hard. This meant they were tired for the games. This incident affected the team's spirit.
In 2009, Mostovoi was part of the Russian team that won the Legends Cup. This is a tournament for former football stars.
How He Played
Aleksandr Mostovoi was a very talented attacking midfielder. He was known for his great technical skills. He was quick, agile, creative, and could move well on the field. He could play in many different midfield and attacking positions. His favorite role was as a classic number 10, which means he had a lot of freedom to create plays. He could also play in central midfield or as a winger.
Mostovoi was famous for his first touch and speed with the ball. He was also good at understanding space and dribbling past defenders. People admired his vision and accurate passing. He could both score goals and help his teammates score. He was especially good at scoring goals from far away.
After Football
After he stopped playing professional football in 2005, Mostovoi was asked to play for the Russia national beach soccer team. He agreed and played for them.
Mostovoi has often said he wants to become a football club manager. However, he has not gotten the special coaching licenses needed. He has given different reasons for this, like not wanting to learn new things in coaching courses or believing the system for getting licenses is unfair.
Personal Life
Mostovoi studied to become an electrician in college. Later, he joined a sports academy in Moscow. This academy trained young players and gave them a university education.
After his team, Celta, lost a big final in 2001, some fans wanted to build a statue of Mostovoi. They even raised money for it. Mostovoi approved the idea, and a sculptor was chosen. However, the project was never finished. Mostovoi thought that his performance dropping in 2003 might have made people less excited about the statue.
He was in a relationship with Stéphanie, whom he met in Strasbourg, France. They have two children together, Alexander (born in 1996) and Emma. His son, also named Alexander, tried out for a football team in Portugal in 2016.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Krasnaya Presnya | 1986 | Soviet Second League | 19 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | 20 | 7 | |
| Spartak Moscow | 1987 | Soviet Top League | 18 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 9 |
| 1988 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 5 | ||
| 1989 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 3 | ||
| 1990 | 23 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 14 | ||
| 1991 | 27 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 17 | ||
| Total | 106 | 34 | 15 | 8 | 21 | 6 | 142 | 48 | ||
| Benfica | 1992–93 | Primeira Liga | 9 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
| 1993–94 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 2 | ||
| Caen (loan) | 1993–94 | Division 1 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 3 | |
| Strasbourg | 1994–95 | Division 1 | 29 | 6 | 4 | 1 | – | 33 | 7 | |
| 1995–96 | 32 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 41 | 12 | ||
| Total | 61 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 74 | 19 | ||
| Celta | 1996–97 | La Liga | 31 | 5 | 6 | 1 | – | 37 | 6 | |
| 1997–98 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 1 | – | 37 | 9 | |||
| 1998–99 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 41 | 9 | ||
| 1999–2000 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 34 | 8 | ||
| 2000–01 | 30 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 45 | 13 | ||
| 2001–02 | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 31 | 13 | ||
| 2002–03 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 6 | ||
| 2003–04 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 34 | 8 | ||
| Total | 235 | 55 | 19 | 4 | 36 | 13 | 290 | 72 | ||
| Alavés | 2004–05 | Segunda División | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | |
| Career total | 446 | 116 | 42 | 14 | 64 | 20 | 552 | 150 | ||
International Goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 November 1990 | Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala |  Guatemala |
0–1 | 0–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 30 May 1991 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 4–0 | Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 3 | 28 August 1991 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Norway |
0–1 | 0–1 | Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 1 | 6 October 1993 | King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Saudi Arabia |
0–1 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 October 1993 | King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia |
3–2 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 6 September 1995 | Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands |  Faroe Islands |
0–1 | 2–5 | Euro 1996 qualifying |
| 4 | 9 February 1996 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland |  Republic of Ireland |
0–1 | 0–2 | Friendly |
| 5 | 25 May 1996 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Qatar |
2–5 | Friendly | |
| 6 | 19 June 1996 | Anfield, Liverpool, England |  Czech Republic |
2–1 | 3–3 | UEFA Euro 1996 |
| 7 | 10 October 1998 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia |  France |
2–2 | 2–3 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 8 | 19 May 1999 | Arsenal Stadium (Tula), Tula, Russia |  Belarus |
1–1 | Friendly | |
| 9 | 28 March 2001 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia | Faroe Islands |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 10 September 2003 | Lokomotiv Stadium (Moscow), Moscow, Russia |  Switzerland |
4–1 | 4–1 | Euro 2004 qualifying |
Honours and Awards
Club Achievements
Spartak Moscow
- Soviet Top League: 1987, 1989 (Won the top league in the Soviet Union)
Benfica
- Taça de Portugal: 1992–93 (Won the Portuguese Cup)
Strasbourg
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1995 (Won a European club competition)
Celta
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2000 (Won another European club competition)
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2000-01 (Reached the final of the Spanish Cup)
Country Achievements
Soviet Union
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1990 (Won the European Championship for players under 21)
Russia
- Legends Cup: 2009 (Won a tournament for former football stars)
Individual Awards
- ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 2001 (Recognized as the best Eastern European footballer)
Images for kids
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Mostovoi in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Aleksandr Mostovói para niños
