Igor Denisov facts for kids
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Denisov with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Igor Vladimirovich Denisov | ||
| Date of birth | 17 May 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
|
SSOR Zenit | ||
| 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2006 | Russia U21 | 16 | (4) |
| 2008–2016 | Russia | 54 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024 | Academy Torpedo Moscow | ||
| 2025– | SSOR Zenit | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Igor Vladimirovich Denisov (born May 17, 1984) is a Russian former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder, often in a defensive role.
Denisov spent most of his career, from 2002 to 2013, with his hometown club Zenit Saint Petersburg. He played 354 games for Zenit and scored 29 goals. With Zenit, he won three Russian Premier League titles and the UEFA Cup in 2008. Later, he played for Anzhi Makhachkala, Dynamo Moscow, and Lokomotiv Moscow. He won another Premier League title and two Russian Cups with Lokomotiv Moscow.
He first played for the Russian national team in 2008. He played 54 games for his country over eight years. Denisov also played in major tournaments like Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.
Contents
Football Career Highlights
Playing for Zenit
Igor Denisov was born in Leningrad, which is now called St. Petersburg. He started his football journey with a youth team called Turbostroitel. Later, he joined Smena, which is the youth academy for Zenit.
In 2002, after finishing school, Denisov signed his first professional contract with Zenit. He was 18 years old when he made his first appearance for Zenit in a league match. The next year, he became a regular player, scoring two goals in 19 games.
Under the coach Dick Advocaat, Denisov became a very important player. He played in an advanced midfield position. He helped Zenit win their first Russian Premier League title in 2007.
Winning the UEFA Cup
On April 3, 2008, Denisov scored a goal for Zenit in a UEFA Cup quarter-final match. Zenit won that game 4–1 against Bayer Leverkusen. His great performances helped Zenit reach the final of the UEFA Cup. They played against Scottish team Rangers on May 15.
In the final, Denisov played the whole game. He scored the first goal in the 72nd minute, helped by teammate Andrei Arshavin. Zenit won the match 2–0, winning the UEFA Cup for the first time. A few months later, on August 29, 2008, Zenit also won the UEFA Super Cup. Denisov played the full game and helped with a goal as Zenit beat English team Manchester United 2–1.
Later Years at Zenit
On June 29, 2010, Denisov signed a new five-year contract with Zenit. In December of that year, Zenit fans voted him as the "Player of the Year."
By October 27, 2011, Denisov had played 300 games for Zenit. This included many matches in the Premier League and European competitions. For the 2011–12 season, he was voted the "Player of the Year" in the Russian Premier League. Zenit also won "Team of the Year."
In September 2012, Denisov was temporarily moved to the reserve team. He returned to the main team in November. He played his first full game back in a Champions League match against RSC Anderlecht.
Moving to Other Clubs
In June 2013, Denisov moved to another Russian Premier League club, Anzhi Makhachkala. He played only three games for Anzhi before the club started selling its players.
On August 15, 2013, Denisov moved to Dynamo Moscow. He joined other players from Anzhi who also moved to Dynamo.
In April 2015, Denisov was asked to train on his own by Dynamo. He returned to the team in July 2015 after a new coach took over.
Time at Lokomotiv Moscow
On August 31, 2016, Denisov joined Lokomotiv Moscow on loan. 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 football.
Playing for Russia
Denisov first played for Russia in the Under-19 team. He later became the captain of the Russia U-21 team.
He made his debut for the senior Russian national team on October 11, 2008. This was in a World Cup qualifier match against Germany.
Denisov was part of the Russian squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He played in all three group matches. On September 7, 2012, the new Russian coach, Fabio Capello, made Denisov the captain of the national team.
He was also included in Russia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, he missed UEFA Euro 2016 due to a thigh injury.
Personal Life
Igor Denisov is married to Elena, and they have four children. Their children are Viktoria (born 2005), Igor Jr. (born 2008), and twin sons Ivan and Daniil (born 2011).
He is known for being a good chess player. Denisov has also spoken out about important world events.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2001 | Russian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002 | Russian Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | Russian Premier League | 19 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | 2 | 0 | 23 | 3 | ||
| 2004 | Russian Premier League | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | 26 | 7 | ||
| 2005 | Russian Premier League | 20 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | – | 32 | 5 | ||
| 2006 | Russian Premier League | 25 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | – | 36 | 5 | ||
| 2007 | Russian Premier League | 25 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 32 | 3 | ||
| 2008 | Russian Premier League | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 3 | |
| 2009 | Russian Premier League | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2010 | Russian Premier League | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | – | 35 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 | Russian Premier League | 40 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | Russian Premier League | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| Total | 254 | 23 | 28 | 1 | 67 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 354 | 29 | ||
| Anzhi | 2013–14 | Russian Premier League | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Dynamo Moscow | 2013–14 | Russian Premier League | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | Russian Premier League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Russian Premier League | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Russian Football National League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 62 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 1 | ||
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 2016–17 | Russian Premier League | 23 | 1 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 | Russian Premier League | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| Total | 67 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 93 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 386 | 25 | 40 | 2 | 91 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 522 | 33 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | 2008 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 0 | |
Honours and Awards
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
