Igor Akinfeev facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Igor Akinfeev

Akinfeev with CSKA Moscow in 2020
Personal information
Date of birth	(1986-04-08) 8 April 1986 (age 39)
Place of birth	Vidnoye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.85 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	CSKA Moscow
Number	35
Youth career
1991–2002	CSKA Moscow
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–	CSKA Moscow	585	(0)
National team
2002–2005	Russia U21	8	(0)
2004–2018	Russia	111	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing  Russia UEFA European Championship Bronze 2008 Austria–Switzerland
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 November 2024. † Appearances (Goals).

Igor Akinfeev (born April 8, 1986) is a famous Russian professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper and is the captain for the Russian Premier League team CSKA Moscow.

Igor Akinfeev has played his entire career with CSKA Moscow. He has appeared in over 700 official matches for the club. He has helped his team win many important titles. These include six Russian Premier League titles and seven Russian Cups. He also won the UEFA Cup in 2005. He holds the record for playing the most games in the Russian Premier League, with 585 matches.

Akinfeev played for the Russian national team from 2004 to 2018. He played in 111 international games. He was part of Russia's teams for four UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups. In March 2017, he became the captain of the Russian national team. Akinfeev is also a member of the Lev Yashin Club. This club honors goalkeepers who have kept many clean sheets (games without letting in a goal). He has more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in Russian football history.

Early Life and Start in Football

Igor Akinfeev was born on April 8, 1986, in a town called Vidnoye, Moscow Oblast. When he was just four years old, his father sent him to the Sports school of CSKA. He quickly found his position as a goalkeeper. He became a goalkeeper after only his second training session. In 2002, as part of the junior CSKA Moscow team, he helped them win the Russian Junior Championship.

A Career with CSKA Moscow

Akinfeev playing for CSKA Moscow in October 2015

Igor Akinfeev made his first professional appearance for CSKA Moscow when he was only 16. In that game, he saved a penalty kick and kept a clean sheet. This means the other team didn't score any goals against him. CSKA won the match 2–0 against FC Krylia Sovetov Samara.

He became a regular player for the team at 17 years old in 2003. In that same year, CSKA Moscow won their first Russian Premier League title. In 2005, CSKA had an amazing year. They won three major titles: the Russian Premier League, the Russian Cup, and the UEFA Cup. Akinfeev played in all 19 of CSKA's European matches that season. This included the 2005 UEFA Cup Final, where CSKA won 3–1 against Sporting CP.

In 2006, he won another Russian league title and his second Russian Cup with CSKA. He was also given the Zvezda trophy. This award is for the best football player from the former Soviet Union countries.

Akinfeev in April 2018

In the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, Akinfeev did not let in a goal for 362 minutes. This impressive run ended when Ricardo Quaresma scored against him. This started a long streak of 43 matches in the UEFA Champions League where Akinfeev did not keep a clean sheet. This record-breaking streak finally ended 11 years later. On July 25, 2017, CSKA Moscow beat AEK Athens 2–0 in a Champions League qualifying game. Before this, his last clean sheet in the Champions League was in November 2006 against Arsenal.

In May 2007, Akinfeev got a knee injury. This kept him from playing for the rest of the 2007 Russian Premier League season. CSKA finished third in the league that year. Akinfeev returned for the 2008 season. He played in all 30 league matches and won the Russian Cup. In 2009, he again played all 30 Russian Premier League matches. He also kept a clean sheet in the Russian Cup Final, which CSKA won 1–0.

In May 2011, Akinfeev led CSKA as captain to win his fifth Russian Cup. In 2012–13, CSKA won their first Russian Premier League title in seven years. Akinfeev was named Russian Footballer of the Year. He also saved a penalty kick in CSKA's shootout win in the 2013 Russian Cup Final.

On February 1, 2014, CSKA Moscow announced that Akinfeev had signed a new contract. This contract would keep him with the club until the summer of 2019. In 2013–14, Akinfeev won his fifth Russian Premier League title. On May 14, 2014, he passed Lev Yashin in the number of clean sheets in Russian football. On November 14, 2015, he broke the clean sheet record with his 233rd shutout. This happened in the Russia national football team's 1–0 win over Portugal.

In August 2018, Akinfeev extended his CSKA contract again, this time until 2022. In December 2018, Akinfeev reached his 300th clean sheet. He was the first Russian goalkeeper to achieve this milestone.

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

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

Playing for Russia

Akinfeev played his first game for the Russian national team on April 28, 2004. He was 18 years and 20 days old. This made him one of the youngest players ever to play for Russia. He was included in the Russian UEFA Euro 2004 team.

His first big competitive game was on March 30, 2005. It was a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Estonia. He soon became Russia's main goalkeeper. This happened after a long-term injury to another goalkeeper, Malafeev. Akinfeev kept his starting position under different coaches.

On May 6, 2007, Akinfeev got a knee injury. This kept him out of action for four months. He lost his starting spot for a while but later got it back. He played every match for Russia at UEFA Euro 2008, where the team reached the semi-finals.

He was part of the UEFA Euro 2012 team. However, another goalkeeper played all of Russia's matches. On June 2, 2014, Akinfeev was chosen for Russia's 2014 FIFA World Cup team.

In Russia's first group match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, against South Korea, Akinfeev made a mistake. He fumbled a long shot, and it went into the goal. Russia later tied the game 1–1. In the final group stage match against Algeria, a green laser was shone in Akinfeev's face. This happened while he was defending a free kick. Algeria scored from that kick, and Russia was eliminated from the World Cup. Both Akinfeev and the coach blamed the laser for the goal.

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

On March 27, 2015, during a Euro 2016 qualifier against Montenegro, Akinfeev was hit in the head by a flare thrown from the crowd. The game was stopped for 35 minutes. Akinfeev was taken to a hospital with a neck injury and light burns. He played in his third UEFA European Championship for Russia at UEFA Euro 2016.

He was chosen as captain for Russia's 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup games. He kept a clean sheet as Russia beat New Zealand 2–0 in the first match. On June 21, he played his 100th game for the national team.

On May 11, 2018, he was included in Russia's 2018 FIFA World Cup team. Akinfeev was very important in Russia beating Spain in the Round of 16. He was named Man of the Match. He saved two penalties in the shoot-out, helping Russia win.

On October 1, 2018, he announced that he was retiring from the national team.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

Honours and Awards

CSKA Moscow

• Russian Premier League: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16
• Russian Cup: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2022–23
• Russian Super Cup: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2018
• UEFA Cup: 2004–05

Russia National Team

• UEFA European Championship bronze medalist: 2008

Individual Awards

• 2012–13 Russian Premier League Player of the Year
• Footballer of the Year in Russia: 2012–13
• Baltic and Commonwealth of Independent States Footballer of the Year ("Star") by Sport-Express (2006)
• The best young football player of Russian Premier League (2005)
• List of 33 best football player of the Russian Championship: # 1 (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012/13, 2013/14); # 2 (2011/2012); # 3 (2004)
• The best Russian goalkeeper according to Russian Football Union (2008, 2009, 2010)
• The best goalkeeper of the Russian Premier League: 2021–22, 2022–23
• Russian Premier League assist of the season: 2022–23
• The best young goalkeeper of Europe (2008)
• Member of Lev Yashin Club
• Russian CSKA Prize "Golden Horseshoe": one golden horseshoe (2010) and four silver horseshoe (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009)
• Order of Friendship (2006)
• Lev Yashin Prize "Goalkeeper of the year" (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)
• Russian Premier League Team of the Season: 2022–23

See also

In Spanish: Ígor Akinféyev para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of one-club men in association football