FC Spartak Moscow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Spartak Moscow

Full name	Футбольный клуб Спартак Москва (Football Club Spartak Moscow)
Nickname(s)	Gladiatory (Gladiators) Narodnaya komanda (The People's Team) Krasno-Belye (Red-and-Whites)
Founded	18 April 1922; 103 years ago (1922-04-18)
Ground	Lukoil Arena
Ground Capacity	45,360
Owner	Lukoil: 90% Sir B.J. Webb: 10%
Manager	Dejan Stanković
League	Russian Premier League
2023–24	Russian Premier League, 5th of 16
Home colours Away colours Third colours

FC Spartak Moscow is a famous professional football club from Moscow, Russia. It's one of the most successful clubs in the country's history. Spartak has won many championships, including 12 Soviet championships and 10 Russian championships. They also hold records for winning the Soviet Cup 10 times and have won 4 Russian Cups and one Russian Super Cup. The team has even reached the semi-finals in big European tournaments like the UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

Club History

How Spartak Moscow Started (1883–1941)

The Starostin brothers, who helped create Spartak Moscow

In the early days of Soviet football, different government groups, like the police or army, created their own football clubs. Many important people believed that their team's wins showed they were better than others. Most teams had these powerful supporters. For example, Dynamo Moscow was linked to the police, and CSKA Moscow to the army. Spartak, however, was started by a public group of trade unions, which is why it was known as "the people's team."

The club's history began with the Russian Gymnastics Society, founded in 1883. This society wanted to promote sports like gymnastics, fencing, and football. The professional football part of the society started in 1909. In 1920, the football team was officially called MCS, or Moscow Sports Club.

In 1923, MCS changed its name to Krasnaya Presnya (Red Presnya). This team was formed by Ivan Artemyev and included Nikolai Starostin, who was very important for its football team. Presnya was a district in Moscow known for its people's strong political views.

The team grew and even built its own stadium. It earned money from ticket sales and played matches all over Russia. In 1926, Nikolai Starostin arranged for the club to be sponsored by a food workers' union. The club then moved to a 13,000-seat stadium. The team changed sponsors many times as it competed with Dynamo Moscow, which had a much larger stadium nearby.

The flag of the Spartak sports society

In November 1934, with money from a cooperation group, Starostin and his brothers were hired to make the team stronger. The team changed its name again, this time to "Spartak Moscow." The name Spartak comes from "Spartacus", a famous gladiator who led a rebellion against Ancient Rome.

The four Starostin brothers played a huge role in forming the team. They played for Spartak in the 1930s. However, before World War II, they faced unfair treatment from the government because their team was not liked by the state authorities. Nikolai Starostin later wrote that he survived in prison because of his involvement in football and with Spartak. After being cleared of wrongdoing in 1954, he returned to the team as its manager.

In 1935, Starostin suggested the name Spartak, inspired by a book about Spartacus. He also created the Spartak logo. In the same year, the club became part of the new Spartak sports society.

A manager from Czechoslovakia, Antonin Fivebr, is known as Spartak's first head coach. In 1936, the Soviet Top League was created. Dynamo Moscow won the first championship, but Spartak won the second one held in the same year. Before World War II, Spartak won two more titles. In 1937, Spartak also won a football tournament at the Workers' Olympiad in Belgium.

After the War (1945–1991)

Spartak playing against HFC Haarlem in 1982

During the 1950s, Spartak and Dynamo were the top teams in the Soviet Top League. When the Soviet national team won gold medals at the Melbourne Olympics, many players were from Spartak. Spartak's captain, Igor Netto, was also the national team's captain for many years. In the 1960s, Spartak won two more league titles. However, by the mid-1960s, Spartak was no longer seen as the top club. The 1970s were even tougher, and in 1976, Spartak was moved down to a lower league.

Even when the team was in a lower league, the stadium was still full because fans stayed loyal. Konstantin Beskov, who became the new head coach, brought in several young players like Rinat Dasayev and Georgi Yartsev. Spartak quickly returned to the top league and won the title in 1979, beating Dynamo Kyiv.

On October 20, 1982, a sad event happened during a UEFA Cup match between Spartak and the Dutch club HFC Haarlem. Sixty-six people died in a crowd crush during the game. This was Russia's worst sports disaster.

In 1989, Spartak won its last USSR Championship. Their striker, Valery Shmarov, scored a "golden" free kick right at the end of the game. The next season, Spartak reached the European Cup semi-final. They beat strong teams like Napoli and Real Madrid, but then lost to Marseille.

Modern Era (1991–Present)

Early Success (1991–2004)

Rinat Dasaev, named the best goalkeeper in the world in 1988

When the Soviet Union broke apart, a new chapter began for the club. In the new Russian league, Spartak, led by coach and president Oleg Romantsev, was incredibly dominant. They won almost every title between 1992 and 2001. Year after year, the team also represented Russia in the Champions League.

However, problems started in the new century. Some popular players, like Ilya Tsymbalar and Andrey Tikhonov, left the club because of disagreements with Romantsev. Later, Romantsev sold his share of the club to a rich businessman named Andrei Chervichenko, who became the club president in 2003. They soon had a big argument, and Romantsev was fired in 2003. The club had a few not-so-good seasons until Chervichenko finally sold his share in 2004. The new owners made many changes to help the team get back to the top of the Russian Premier League.

Oleg Romantsev, the most successful coach in Spartak's history

Since 2003, Spartak has been allowed to put a golden star on its badge. This is to celebrate winning five Russian championships in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997. They have won the championship four more times since then.

A Period Without Titles (2004–2016)

In 2004, Leonid Fedun became the club's President. He was also the second-largest owner.

In the 2005 season, Spartak finished second in the league. This allowed them to get a spot in the Champions League. After a mixed start to the 2006 season, and some public criticism from the team's captain, the coach left.

In the 2012–13 season, Spartak played in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League group stage. They finished last after not playing well against strong teams. In the league, Spartak finished in fourth place. They were also knocked out of the cup early, making it a disappointing season.

Since 2013, the club has added three more stars to its badge. This is because rules changed, allowing teams to include titles won during the Soviet era.

The next three seasons (2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16) were similar. Spartak finished 6th, 6th, and 5th, and did not qualify for European competitions.

Return to Glory (2016–2022)

By the start of the 2016–17 season, under former Juventus manager Massimo Carrera, Spartak had a strong team. It included talented foreign players like Quincy Promes and Fernando, and Russian players like Denis Glushakov and Roman Zobnin. Spartak won the 2016–17 Russian Premier League with this team. They won most of their rivalry matches and finished 7 points ahead of the second-place team.

Massimo Carrera helped Spartak win their first league title in 16 years.

The next season, Spartak played in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage. They had their biggest loss ever, 7-0, against Liverpool F.C. at Anfield. However, they also had big wins, including a 5-1 victory against Sevilla FC.

After finishing second in the 2020-21 Russian Premier League under manager Domenico Tedesco, Spartak had a great run in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League. Now led by Rui Vitoria, Spartak finished first in their group. They beat Napoli both at home and away. They were supposed to play against another team in the round of 16. However, the club, along with all Russian teams, was suspended from international football competitions.

On May 29, 2022, in the final match for manager Paolo Vanoli, Spartak won the 2021–22 Russian Cup.

New Owners (2022–Present)

Longtime President Leonid Fedun stepped down after selling the club.

On August 22, 2022, a company called PJSC Lukoil Oil Company announced they bought Spartak Moscow and its stadium, Otkritie Arena. This happened after many changes at the club. A new Spanish manager, Guillermo Abascal, was appointed. At 33 years old, Abascal became the youngest manager in the club's history. It was also announced that Leonid Fedun had stepped down as President. Under his leadership for over 18 years, the club had won one Russian league title, one cup, and one supercup. They also finished second in the league six times and reached the Champions League group stage four times. A stadium built just for the club was also completed during his time. On September 26, 2022, Alexander Matytsyn from Lukoil became the new chairman of the board.

In December 2023, the club announced they were bringing back their second team. It had been closed in 2022 because of a lack of money. This team will now play in the second league.

Club Achievements

National Competitions

• Soviet Top League/Russian Premier League
  • Champions (22) (record): 1936 (autumn), 1938, 1939, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1969, 1979, 1987, 1989 / 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2016–17
  • Runners-up (16): 1937, 1954, 1955, 1963, 1974, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011–12, 2020–21
• Soviet Cup/Russian Cup
  • Winners (14) (record): 1938, 1939, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1958, 1963, 1965, 1971, 1992, 1993–94, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2021–22
  • Runners-up (7): 1948, 1952, 1957, 1972, 1981, 1995–96, 2005–06
• Russian Super Cup
  • Winners: 2017
  • Runners-up (4): 2004, 2006, 2007, 2022
• Soviet First League
  • Champions: 1977
• USSR Federation Cup
  • Winners: 1987

International Competitions

• Commonwealth of Independent States Cup
  • Winners (6): 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2001
  • Runners-up: 1997, 1998, 2002

Friendly Competitions

• Match Premier Cup
  • Winners: 2019, 2020, 2021
• Ciutat de Barcelona Trophy
  • Winners: 1982
• Copa del Sol
  • Winners: 2012

Spartak Moscow in Europe

Team Nickname

The team is often called "red-and-whites" because of their colors. But among fans, a very popular nickname is "The Meat" (Myaso in Russian). This nickname comes from the club's early days. In the 1920s, the team changed its name several times. It was once called "Pishcheviki," which means "Food industry workers." For many years, the team was supported by a Moscow food factory that made meat products.

One of the fans' favorite sayings is, "Who are we? We're The Meat!"

Team Colors, Sponsors, and Owners

Spartak Moscow's main color is red. In 2014, Nike created new uniforms inspired by the club's new home stadium.

Owners, Kit Suppliers, and Shirt Sponsors

Rival Teams and Friendships

Spartak supporters

Today, Spartak's biggest rival is CSKA Moscow. This rivalry is quite new and started after the Soviet Union ended. Many of the most-watched matches in the Russian Premier League are between Spartak and CSKA. Historically, their most famous rivalry was with Dynamo Moscow. This was a very competitive match and is Russia's oldest derby. Games against Lokomotiv Moscow and Zenit Saint Petersburg also draw huge crowds. After the Soviet Union broke up, Spartak's rivalry with Dynamo Kyiv ended. Dynamo Kyiv now plays in the Ukrainian league, so the teams only meet in European tournaments.

Since the mid-2000s, Spartak supporters have been good friends with fans of Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) and Olympiacos. This friendship is based on their shared Orthodox faith and similar club colors. Spartak fans also generally have friendly relationships with supporters of Torpedo Moscow and the Polish club Lech Poznań.

Home Stadium

Otkritie Arena

Inside view of the stadium

Until 2014, Spartak never had its own stadium. The team played its home games in different stadiums around Moscow, like the Locomotiv and Luzhniki stadiums. They even played an exhibition match in Red Square once! After Andrei Chervichenko bought the club in the early 2000s, there were talks about building a stadium, but nothing happened.

When Leonid Fedun bought a large part of the club, real steps were taken to build a stadium. In 2006, the Moscow government gave land for the stadium's construction. The plan included a main arena for 42,000 people and a sports hall for other games. The first stone was laid on June 2, 2007.

In February 2013, it was announced that the stadium would be called Otkritie Arena for six years. This was part of a sponsorship deal with Otkritie FC Bank. The first match at the new stadium was on September 5, 2014. Spartak tied 1-1 with the Serbian team Red Star Belgrade. The first official game was on September 14, 2014. Spartak beat Torpedo Moscow 3–1 in a league match.

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 2 DF Oleg Reabciuk 4 DF Alexis Duarte 5 MF Esequiel Barco 6 DF Srđan Babić 8 FW Marquinhos 9 FW Manfred Ugalde 11 FW Shamar Nicholson 12 FW Willian José 14 DF Myenty Abena 16 GK Aleksandr Dovbnya 17 MF Anton Zinkovsky 18 MF Nail Umyarov 19 FW Jesús Medina

No. Position Player 22 MF Mikhail Ignatov 23 DF Nikita Chernov 25 MF Danil Prutsev 28 MF Daniil Zorin 29 DF Ricardo Mangas 35 MF Christopher Martins 47 MF Roman Zobnin 57 GK Aleksandr Selikhov 68 DF Ruslan Litvinov 77 MF Théo Bongonda 82 DF Daniil Khlusevich 97 DF Daniil Denisov 98 GK Aleksandr Maksimenko

Players on Loan

No. Position Player DF Yury Koledin (at Torpedo Moscow until 30 June 2025) DF Pavel Maslov (at Sochi until 30 June 2025) DF Tomás Tavares (at LASK until 30 June 2025) MF Igor Dmitriyev (at Krylia Sovetov Samara until 30 June 2025) MF Andrey Ishutin (at Rostov-2 until 31 Decemder 2024) MF Maksim Laykin (at Yenisey Krasnoyarsk until 30 June 2025)

No. Position Player MF Ivan Pyatkin (at Rotor Volgograd until 30 June 2025) MF Anton Roshchin (at Metallurg Lipetsk until 30 June 2025) MF Vitali Shitov (at Torpedo Moscow until 30 June 2025) MF Artyom Sholar (at Celje until 30 June 2025) FW Pavel Melyoshin (at Sochi until 30 June 2025) FW Maksim Ofitserov (at Torpedo Miass until 31 December 2024)

Famous Players

These players have played for their national teams or hold club records. Players whose name is in bold played for their country while playing for Spartak. For a full list, see List of FC Spartak Moscow players.

Club Staff

• Owner: Vagit Alekperov, Leonid Fedun
• Managing Director: Yevgeni Melezhikov
• Director of Sports: Tomas Amaral
• Caretaker Head Coach: Vladimir Slišković
• Assistant Coach: Carlos Valle
• Goalkeeping Coach: Vasili Kuznetsov
• Physical Coach: Fernando Perez Lopez
• Reserves Team Head Coach: Aleksei Lunin
• Reserves Team Assistant Coach: Aleksei Melyoshin
• Reserves Team Goalkeeping Coach: Vasili Kuznetsov

Coaches Through the Years

Name Period Antonin Fivebr 1936 Mikhail Kozlov Aug 1936–37 Konstantin Kvashnin 1937 – Sept 38 Pyotr Popov Sept 1938–39 Vladimir Gorokhov 1940 Pyotr Popov 1941 Vladimir Gorokhov 1942–43 Konstantin Kvashnin 1944 Pyotr Isakov Jan 1945 – Aug 45 (caretaker) Albert Vollrat Sept 1945–47 Konstantin Kvashnin 1948 Abram Dangulov 1949 – May 51 Georgi Glazkov June 1951 – Dec 51 Vasily Sokolov 1952–54 Nikolay Gulyaev 1955–59 Nikita Simonyan 1 January 1960 – 31 December 1965 Nikolay Gulyaev 1966 Sergei Salnikov Jan 1967 – July 67 Nikita Simonyan 1 July 1967 – 31 December 1972 Nikolay Gulyaev 1973–75 Anatoly Krutikov 1976 Konstantin Beskov 1 January 1977 – 31 December 1988 Oleg Romantsev 1 January 1989 – 31 December 1995 Georgi Yartsev 1 January 1996 – 31 December 1996 Oleg Romantsev 1 January 1997 – 3 May 2003 Andrei Chernyshov 19 June 2003 – 1 September 2003

Name Period Vladimir Fedotov 2 September 2003 – 30 November 2003 (caretaker) Nevio Scala 10 December 2003 – 15 September 2004 Aleksandrs Starkovs 10 October 2004 – 26 April 2006 Vladimir Fedotov 1 June 2006 – 19 June 2007 Stanislav Cherchesov 1 July 2007 – 14 August 2008 Igor Lediakhov 15 August 2008 – 12 September 2008 (caretaker) Michael Laudrup 9 September 2008 – 15 April 2009 Valeri Karpin 16 April 2009 – 30 June 2012 Unai Emery 1 July 2012 – 25 November 2012 Valeri Karpin 26 November 2012 – 18 March 2014 Dmitri Gunko 18 March 2014 – 31 May 2014 Murat Yakin 16 June 2014 – 30 May 2015 Dmitri Alenichev 10 June 2015 – 5 August 2016 Massimo Carrera 5 August 2016 – 22 October 2018 Raúl Riancho 22 October 2018 – 12 November 2018 (caretaker) Oleg Kononov 12 November 2018 – 29 September 2019 Serhiy Kuznetsov 29 September 2011 – 14 October 2019 (caretaker) Domenico Tedesco 14 October 2019 – 17 May 2021 Rui Vitória 24 May 2021 – 15 December 2021 Paolo Vanoli 17 December 2021 – 9 June 2022 Guille Abascal 10 June 2022 – 14 April 2024 Dejan Stanković 16 May 2024 – present

See also

In Spanish: F. C. Spartak de Moscú para niños