Igor Denisov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Igor Denisov

Denisov with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth	(1984-05-17) 17 May 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth	Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.76m
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club	Academy Torpedo Moscow
Youth career
	Turbostroitel St. Petersburg
	Smena St. Petersburg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2013	Zenit Saint Petersburg	254	(23)
2013	Anzhi Makhachkala	3	(0)
2013–2017	Dynamo Moscow	62	(1)
2016–2017	→ Lokomotiv Moscow (loan)	23	(1)
2017–2019	Lokomotiv Moscow	44	(0)
Total		386	(25)
National team
2003–2006	Russia U21	16	(4)
2008–2016	Russia	54	(0)
Teams managed
2024–	Academy Torpedo Moscow
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Igor Vladimirovich Denisov (Russian: Игорь Владимирович Денисов; born on May 17, 1984) is a former Russian footballer. He played as a midfielder, helping his team defend and attack.

Igor Denisov spent most of his playing days, from 2002 to 2013, with his hometown club, Zenit Saint Petersburg. He played 354 games and scored 29 goals for them. During his time at Zenit, he helped the team win three Russian Premier League titles. He also won the UEFA Cup in 2008, which is a big European football competition.

After leaving Zenit, he played for a few other clubs. These included Anzhi Makhachkala, Dynamo Moscow, and Lokomotiv Moscow. With Lokomotiv Moscow, he won another Premier League title and two Russian Cups.

Igor Denisov also played for the Russian national team. He made his first appearance in 2008 and played 54 games over eight years. He represented Russia in major tournaments like Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.

Playing for Clubs

Zenit Saint Petersburg Years

Igor Denisov warming up for Zenit.

Igor Denisov was born in Leningrad, which is now known as St. Petersburg. He started his football journey at a youth club called Turbostroitel. Later, he moved to Smena, which was the youth team for Zenit.

In 2002, after finishing school, Igor signed his first professional contract with Zenit. He was 18 years old when he played his first game for Zenit against CSKA Moscow. The next year, he became a key player, scoring two goals in 19 games.

Under the coach Dick Advocaat, Igor became an even better player. He played as an attacking midfielder, supporting star players like Andrey Arshavin and Aleksandr Kerzhakov. He was a very important part of the Zenit team that won their first Russian Premier League title in 2007.

In 2008, Igor Denisov helped Zenit win the UEFA Cup. He scored a goal in the quarter-finals against Bayer Leverkusen. In the final match against Rangers, he scored the first goal, helping Zenit win 2-0. This was a historic win for the club. Later that year, Zenit also won the UEFA Super Cup by beating Manchester United 2-1, and Igor played a big part in that victory too.

In 2010, Igor signed a new five-year contract with Zenit. Fans voted him "Player of the Year" for the club in December 2010.

By 2011, Igor had played 300 games for Zenit. He was a runner-up for the club's MVP award in the 2011–12 season. He played 57 games, scored one goal, and made eight assists. In May 2012, he was voted the "Player of the Year" in the Russian Premier League.

In August 2012, Igor Denisov had some disagreements with the club. He was temporarily moved to the reserve team. However, he returned to the main squad in November and continued to play for Zenit.

Anzhi Makhachkala Move

On June 21, 2013, Igor Denisov moved to another Russian Premier League club, Anzhi Makhachkala. The transfer fee was 15 million euros.

Playing for Dynamo Moscow

Denisov with Dynamo Moscow in 2013

Just a short time later, on August 15, 2013, Igor Denisov moved to FC Dynamo. He moved along with two other players from Anzhi, Yuriy Zhirkov and Aleksandr Kokorin. Anzhi had financial problems and started selling its players. Igor played only three games for Anzhi before this move.

In April 2015, Igor was asked to train on his own by Dynamo. This was due to some disagreements with the head coach, Stanislav Cherchesov. He returned to the team in July 2015 after a new coach, Andrey Kobelev, took over.

Time at Lokomotiv Moscow

On August 31, 2016, Igor Denisov joined FC Lokomotiv Moscow on loan for the rest of the 2016–17 season. In February 2017, he signed a permanent deal with Lokomotiv.

He left Lokomotiv on May 27, 2019. Two days later, on May 29, 2019, he announced that he was retiring from playing professional football.

International Career

Igor Denisov started his international career playing for Russia's youth teams. He played for the Under-19 team and later captained the Russia U-21 team. He trained with the senior Russian team in 2005 but didn't play in a match then.

After his strong performances with Zenit, many people thought Igor should be in the national team for the European Championships in 2008. He made his debut for Russia on October 11, 2008, in a World Cup qualifier against Germany.

He was part of the Russian squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He played in all three group matches. In September 2012, the new Russia manager, Fabio Capello, chose Igor Denisov to be the captain of the national team.

In 2014, he was included in Russia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Unfortunately, in June 2016, Igor was ruled out of Euro 2016 due to a thigh injury.

Personal Life

Igor Denisov is married to Elena, and they have four children. Their daughter Viktoria was born in 2005, followed by their son Igor Jr. in 2008. They also have twin sons, Ivan and Daniil, who were born in December 2011. Igor is known for being a good chess player and for rarely giving interviews to reporters.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Football Achievements

Zenit Saint Petersburg

• Russian Premier League: 2007, 2010, 2011–12
• Russian Cup: 2009–10
• Russian Super Cup: 2008, 2011
• Russian Premier League Cup: 2003
• UEFA Cup: 2007–08
• UEFA Super Cup: 2008

Lokomotiv Moscow

• Russian Premier League: 2017–18
• Russian Cup: 2016–17, 2018–19

See also

In Spanish: Ígor Denísov para niños