Roman Nikolaevich Shirokov was born on July 6, 1981 in Moscow. Roman is a graduate of the CSKA Sports School. From 1998 to 2001, Shirokov played for the reserve team of the army team, having played 54 matches in which Roman scored 3 goals.

In the summer of 2001, Shirokov was sent on loan to Torpedo-ZIL, but for the rest of the year he spent only one meeting on the field. After moving to “Istra”, which played in the amateur football league, it seemed that Roman would never be able to achieve football peaks in Russia, but the player managed to grab his head and start playing. In 2004, the footballer played for Vidnoye, where he scored 14 goals in 17 matches. This was followed by a move to Saturn, which was a big breakthrough and a return to the Russian Premier League.

Unsuccessful was the transition in 2006 to Kazan “Rubin”, where, due to disagreements with the coaching staff, Roman managed to play only 4 matches. In 2007, Roman played already for “Khimki”, for which he spent 27 games and scored 7 goals, thus hitting the eyes of the scouts of St. Petersburg “Zenith”. Roman moved to the club from the banks of the Neva on November 26, 2007, when the contract was officially signed.

On March 26, 2008, Roman made his debut in the Russian national team in a friendly match against the Romanian national team, where the Russians lost with a score of 0: 3. On June 10 of the same year, the first high-profile conflict occurred in Shirokov's life. During the group stage match between the national teams of Russia and Spain, the commentator of the first channel Viktor Gusev said about the football player: "Shirokov is not a player of the national team's level," accusing Roman of all the goals conceded from the Spaniards. After the second defeat from Spain, arrows at Shirokov and Kolodin, whom the press considered the main culprits of the defeats, stopped flying. Viktor Gusev apologized to the Russian national team player, but Roman did not accept them.

In 2008, Roman Shirokov received the title of Honored Master of Sports of Russia. A year later, Shirokov himself became the instigator of the scandal a year later, publicly accusing Zenit goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev of one of the conceded goals. The event took place on August 2 after the match “Saturn” - “Zenith”. The next day, Roman received an answer from Malafeev. Although the press tried to stir up the scandal, the passions subsided after a few days when the players reconciled. In general, Roman Shirokov is the main brawler of Russian football in recent years. After he started a Twitter account, they called him "Mr. Twitter".

Despite all the scandals, the 2011/12 season became truly stellar for Roman Shirokov. He finally moved to midfield, becoming a key player, “Zenith” in this position. Together with Petersburgers, he won the country's champion medals. In addition, he was recognized as the best player in one of the Champions League rounds and became the top scorer of the Russian club in the most prestigious club tournament. Thanks to this performance, Roman returned to the Russian national team, but already in the position of a midfielder. Before UEFA EURO 2012, Shirokov scored a double against the Italian national team.

Roman Shirokov: Finished playing. Beginning to Learn (Exclusive)

Former midfielder of Zenit, Spartak and CSKA gave an exclusive interview to Sovetsky Sport-Football weekly

The recent captain of the Russian national team, shortly after Euro 2016, announced the end of his playing career. But he is not going to part with football, which he told about in an interview with "SSF".

THE SOLUTION WAS GIVEN PAINLESS

- Sorry, but I can't believe it. Has Roman Shirokov really ended his career: after all, the summer transfer market is still in full swing and you have enough time to find yourself a new team?
- I excuse you, but I urge you to believe me: I finished my career. Yes, I could have played for another two years, since I have strength, but I decided to finish right now. 35 is a good age to start a new professional life. And more often to be with your family!

- Was this decision difficult for you?
- It did not come in one minute, but it turned out natural and painless. The eventful stage of my life, which lasted 13-14 years, ended. It's time to do something new. And leaving the rank of champion of Russia and captain of the national team is an acceptable point in my career for me. Of course, it's a pity that everything ended so badly for us at Euro 2016, but life is life.

- You already had to make a choice in the early 2000s?
- Yes, then a similar situation happened in my life: I had to choose - either to stay at the level of KLF and LFL, that is, to finish with big football without really starting in it, or to completely focus on football and try to make a worthy career in it. I chose the latter and moved from Istra, which played in the LFL, to the second league, to the Vidnoye team. Then there were "Saturn", "Rubin" from Ramenskiy, and finally I ended up in "Khimki", from where my ascent began. You see, then I chose football, which I do not regret. And now I choose to study. And I'm not going to regret it either.

IT'S TIME TO HELP SOMETHING FOOTBALL

- And what are you going to learn?
- To begin with, I signed up for an English language course. Actually, I want to study sports management. But as a club coach, he definitely doesn’t want to work. If only an assistant to the Russian national team is invited, but who will risk it ?! (Laughs.)

- The option with television is not considering it? You know how to speak and you love, your face is recognizable, you have enough regalia.
- Frankly, it would be interesting to try myself in one role or another on the other side of the screen. But my interest alone is not enough - after all, it must be mutual. Who knows, maybe right now such interest is being born ...

- And what about rumors that you can become a football adviser to the Minister of Sports of the Moscow Region?
- These are not rumors. I had meetings on this topic. I live in the Moscow region, it is dear to me. And there are thoughts on how to develop youth football in such a large and important region. The region has considerable potential for progress.

- And at the federal level there is no desire to try your hand in this direction?
- Do you mean working in the RFU or RFPL system? If there are specific proposals, why not consider them? Football gave me a lot, and the time has come to help him with something. I believe that we have enough talent and that we can perform better in the international arena than we do. But for this it is necessary to build a competent system for selecting talent, which would cover the whole country and give a result. It seems to me that it is worth learning this from the Germans, the Belgians, the Dutch. The same Austrians and Swiss have made significant progress in this direction in recent years. Do not be ashamed to learn from those who, according to some parameters, are ahead of you!

TALENT, CHARACTER AND WORK GO TOGETHER

- And what did football teach you?
- I'm a CSKA student. It is a great brand for all our sports, not just football. And this fact seems to initially give you an advantage over the rest. But in fact, this is an illusion! A young footballer must understand: being a bright player in the youth team of such a club as CSKA, Zenit or Spartak, even winning the European or World Youth Championship is not some great achievement, but just the beginning of an adult career. Showing hope and winning at the children's and youth level is one thing, but becoming a football star is another. Youth and adult football are two different worlds. In order not to get lost in the adult world, talent alone is not enough. We also need character and work. Only all these components, put together, can make you a player of the national team, which is considered the pinnacle of any football player's career. The path from the base of football to the national team is very thorny, and there are plenty of problems along the way. I made a lot of mistakes on the way from the CSKA double and the KLF team to the Russian national team, but everything that is mine is mine!

- I can see here ironic smiles on the faces of many readers: where, they say, is work, and where is Shirokov?
- For God's sake! Who does not believe, his business. But do you really think that all my clubs and coaches kept me on ration and put me in the squad without regular involvement in the training process ?! No, guys, in order to stay for many years in the main cade of the leading teams, you have to work on yourself constantly, otherwise you will simply fall out of it. This is an objective thing.

DO NOT DECREASE THE TEAM

- Suppose I personally believe you, but what about the army of our fans, which after Euro 2016 curses the Russian national team? How does failure fit in with your words about unity of character and hard work?
- We failed at Euro 2016, no doubt about it. A lot has already been said on this topic. But do not rush to hysterically accuse the players of lack of patriotism and unwillingness to fight for the country. Do you think we spent three weeks preparing to go out and lose on purpose ?! Or do you think that professional athletes of this level come to such tournaments without motivation and without a desire to adequately play for their country ?! Our team went to France with a desire to perform with dignity. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. But do not forget that the backbone of this team will also play at the home world championship, so do not destroy the guys. It is necessary to criticize, but not to mix with impurities.

- So the last thing was done by the team itself, repenting to the head coach after the match with Wales, right?
- As far as I understand, 3-4 players came to the head coach. Do you think this is the whole team? If the guys decide to pronounce the words that later became so resonant, this is their own business. Self-criticism is a good thing, but one should not get carried away with self-destruction or self-abasement. I hope that the new head coach of the Russian national team will not do this. And so are his players. Euro 2016 is already history. Yes, a sad story for us, but ahead of the Confederations Cup and the World Cup, that is, two tournaments that will be held at our stadiums with a large number of our fans. We need to rally around our team and support it. And the guys themselves - to realize what responsibility they have before home tournaments.

- It's easy to say: we need to unite, but how can our people do this against the background of a failed performance at Euro and the famous story with Kokorin and Mamaev?
- Everything goes away ... I repeat, Euro 2016 is already history. Some obeyed, others discussed their mistakes, and others unanimously insulted the national team. And what, we will continue to hysteria ?! Understand: the current roster will not have time to change before the 2018 World Cup, objectively there is no time for this. Yes, new guys will appear, but the backbone will remain the same. The sooner there is clarity with the new head coach, the sooner he will be able to start building a team for home tournaments. Two club seasons are not so short. There is time to decide which of the guys to leave, and who to add to them based on the results of performances in the Russian championship and in European competitions. As for Kokorin and Mamaev ... Yes, the story is unpleasant, albeit greatly exaggerated. I agree that the players themselves need to work on the image of the national team players. But, perhaps, it makes sense for the clubs and the national team to develop, as they do abroad, a certain code of conduct for their wards, setting a certain ethical framework. I understand that while it sounds a little naive, but you have to start sometime, no? It is necessary to work and work on a positive image of Russian football inside our country, nothing appears by itself.

WHAT IS THE TEAM WITHOUT SEMAK?

- Kurban Berdyev, Alexander Borodyuk, Sergey Semak, Stanislav Cherchesov. These four names are named as candidates for the place of the head coach of the Russian national team: which of them would you personally choose?
- As far as I understand, the last two are the favorites. At the same time, it seems to me that the potential appointment of Cherchesov does not negate the appearance in the coaching staff of the national team of Bogdanych (Semak. - Ed.). Semak is a unique phenomenon in our football, and I am sure that the national team needs him, be it as a head coach or his assistant. It will be logical if Semak will lead the Russian national team - right now or in the near future.

- Coach coach, but who, in your opinion, will play for the Russian national team at the home world championship? You have ended your career, Ignashevich said that he no longer plans to play for the national team ...
- Let's start from the beginning, that is, with the goalkeepers. Akinfeev has been and remains the number one goalkeeper. But at the same time, such a strong goalkeeper as Kritsyuk pulled himself up. Defense? Of course, we are all so accustomed to Ignashevich that we can no longer imagine the team without him, but time is ticking for everyone ... Vasya and Lesha (Berezutskys. - Ed. Note) are still in the cage. Shchennikov is still quite young. Smolnikov was criticized by many for playing at Euro 2016, but in my understanding he is an iron player in the national team, but this tournament was probably affected by the consequences of a serious injury and overload in training. In any case, he is in no way weaker than Mario Fernandez, who was recently naturalized! Of the young talents, I would mention Kutepov from Spartak, who has good chances to break into the national team and even gain a foothold in it over these two years. If, of course, he has a constant playing practice at the club. Midfield? Let's remember that Dzagoev missed Euro 2016, and he is in his prime. Glushakov, Shatov, Yusupov - everything is in place. Young Golovin gained invaluable experience, Miranchuk and Mogilevets may well show themselves brightly in the next two years. Mamaev is a full candidate for the national team. The same goes for Kokorin. Dziuba and Smolov also did not disappear. So, as you can see, the backbone can be traced even now. But there are two full-fledged club seasons ahead, so the new head coach will have the opportunity to choose and grind the squad through friendly matches.

- You did not mention such veterans as Denisov and Zhirkov, as well as legionnaires - Cheryshev and Neustadter.
- Denisov and Zhirkov are experienced craftsmen who can benefit the national team if they are in shape and do without injuries. Legionnaires will also remain in the field of vision of the new mentor. There are also interesting guys in Rostov, Rubin, and not only there. I drew you a big picture, which is not as bad as some are trying to imagine. I am sure that in the struggle for a place in the national team we will have good competition, especially since it is once in a lifetime to play at the home world championship. Both veterans and young guys have a double incentive!

BY ELECTRIC AND METRO

- And how to make sure that our young players painlessly pass the stage of transition from youth football to adult football and do not leave the country?
- I think, in particular, the introduction of a salary cap for players under the age of 23 would help. If all clubs agree not to pay young people more than certain amounts per month and per year, taking into account bonuses, then a certain system will appear in the form of official regulations. Those of the guys who strive to break through to the top will do it at their workplace, knowing that in another Russian club they will not be given much more at best. Well, whoever wants to go abroad - let him leave, all the same, after all, you can't keep him by force. If you can ultimately prove in this way that you are suitable for the national team, why not? And whoever does not seek to get into the national team at all and does not have serious incentives in their own professional growth, so let them play where they want. It is necessary to change something in the mentality of young football players, otherwise we will not have progress. It is clear that this will not work right away, but you have to start with something!

- I see, Roman Nikolaevich, you are in good shape, there is more than enough energy and thoughts! Well, do you find time to play football - now at an amateur level?
- Necessarily! Physical fitness must be maintained, without it nowhere.

- You got to our meeting first by train and then by metro. Is it for the sake of keeping fit? Or are you saving on retirement, sorry, on your football retirement?
- I appreciate your irony. First of all, it saves time.

- Do passengers and passers-by recognize you, do they ask for autographs?
- It happens that they ask to take a picture of them. So I don't mind! As long as they still recognize me, it means that not everything is so bad. And in general I am an optimist!

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Roman Shirokov is one of the best midfielders in Russia in the recent past. In addition to his clever game, he was remembered for the fact that he had his own opinion on almost any issue and did not hesitate to express it.

Shirokov Roman Nikolaevich

• Country Russia.
• Position - midfielder.
• Born: July 6, 1981
• Height: 183 cm.

Biography and career of a football player

Roman Shirokov was born in Dedovsk, near Moscow, and began to play football since childhood thanks to his father - a passionate fan of this game and a fan of the Moscow "Spartak".

At the age of five, Roman was sent to the Moscow Torpedo school, but after a six-month break caused by a broken leg, he moved to the CSKA Sports School.

Carier start

• Torpedo-ZIL - 2001.
• "Burevestnik" (Moscow) - 2002.
• Istra 2002-2004.
• "Vidnoe" - 2004.
• "Saturn" "Ramenskoye" - 2005.
• Rubin - 2006.

After graduating from football school, Roman Shirokov could not stay at CSKA, but was sent on loan to Torpedo-ZIL, where he made his debut in the top division of the national championship. It happened on July 11, 2001, when Roman came on as a substitute in the match with Lokomotiv.

However, this match remained the only one held by Shirokov as part of the automobile plant, after which his wanderings began. From the above list of clubs, Vidnoye played in the second division, while Burevestnik and Istra played in the amateur league.

At that time, the name of Roman Shirokov was more associated with a violation of the game regime, alcohol consumption and similar stories. However, here I twisted my heart a little - his name at that time was known only to a narrow club of specialists, and a few fans of these teams.

The matter shifted when Shirokov ended up in Ramenskoy Saturn, which at that time played in the elite of Russian football. The footballer spent the first half of the season with shock, constantly appearing in the starting lineup, but then got a little hooked.

Nevertheless, Shirokov made a name for himself, and he began the 2006 season with Rubin Kazan. But here Shirokov had a conflict with Kurban Berdyev, as a result of which the midfielder turned out to be already familiar to Istra.

Khimki

Perhaps Roman Shirokov would have blabbed all his career in the lower divisions, but in 2007 he was invited to Khimki near Moscow, which had just entered the elite of Russian football.

Here we saw a completely different Shirokov - technical, intelligent, giving sharp passes and holding the threads of the game in his hands. Khimki took a high 9th place for a newcomer, and Roman Shirokov, with his game, earned a call to the Russian national team and an invitation from St. Petersburg Zenit.

"Zenith"

2008-2014

In St. Petersburg, Roman Shirokov's talent was fully revealed. He immediately won a place for himself at Zenit, being responsible, along with and for the creative game, and in the spring of 2008 helped the club win the UEFA Cup.

True, this season Zenit will surrender its championship positions, but in the five and a half years spent on the banks of the Neva, Shirokov will be able to win the national championship twice, and will be recognized as the best footballer in Russia the same number of times.

Non-standard - that is, perhaps, the word that can best describe the game of football player Roman Shirokov. Often, his moves, passes, puzzled the opponent's defense. But the fans loved him not only for this - Roman never reached into his pocket for a word and loved to troll his opponent.

"Spartak" is not a rival for us at all ",

Zenit fans will remember this tweet of Roman before the victorious match with his worst enemy for a long time.

But not everything was so perfect - in the 2012-2013 season, Shirokov was disqualified for showing the middle finger to the same fans.

In the middle of the 2013-2014 season, under Andre Villas-Boash, Roman Shirokov lost his place in Zenit and went on loan to Krasnodar.

Completion of a career

• Krasnodar - 2014, 2014-2015.
• Spartak - 2014-2015.
• CSKA - 2016.

In the national championship for his new club, Shirokov played only six matches, but scored three goals and gave two assists, which helped the “bulls” to take fifth place, giving the right to play in the Europa League.

Then there was a transfer as a free agent to Spartak, a new loan to Krasnodar and again to Spartak, where the midfielder became a player in the starting lineup.

Nevertheless, the contract with him was not extended and on February 9, 2016, Roman Shirokov signed an agreement with CSKA, in which he became the champion of Russia. And on July 23, 2016, Shirokov announced the end of his playing career.

Russian team

2008-2016

Footballer Roman Shirokov revealed himself rather late, and therefore he received his first invitation to the Russian national team at the age of 26. And his first official match was the opening meeting of Euro 2008 against the Spanish team.

Then, unexpectedly, he sent Shirokov to the center of defense in a pair of Denis Kolodin, since the main defender of the Russian national team missed the match due to disqualification. Then everything ended with the defeat of our team, Shirokov was called one of the main culprits of the defeat, although no one could resist the Spaniards at that tournament.

Nevertheless, Roman Shirokov had to wait more than two years for the next call to the national team. Already under Dick Advocaat, he became one of the main players of the national team, played all matches at the 2012 European Championship, alas, which ended far from how we expected.

Then, already at the time, Shirokov took part in all qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup, but did not go to Brazil due to his injury.

He finished his performances for the national team after the disastrous Euro 2016 for us, and the last match for him was the ill-fated meeting with Wales, which ended in a crushing defeat 0: 3. In total, Roman Shirokov played 57 matches for the Russian national team, in which he scored 13 goals.

• The football player also had conflicts with teammates. Once he spoke impartially about Vyacheslav Malafeev, who conceded not the most difficult goal, but at Euro 2016, standing up for Leonid Slutsky, hit Pavel Mamaev.
• Roman Shirokov has starred in several documentaries about football.
• After signing a contract with CSKA, Roman Shirokov played hockey in the arena of the Moscow club.

At the end of his playing career, Roman Shirokov remained in football - now he holds an administrative position at Dynamo Moscow and acts as an expert on the Russia 24 TV channel.

- A graduate of CSKA. Few people manage to end their careers in the same club where it began. At the same time, the red and blue did not become a symbolic team for the midfielder. In the late 1990s, it was allowed only to CSKA-2, and then rented out. In 2016, Shirokov returned home, which he emphasized in every possible way in an interview, but did not feel at ease, unable to book a place in the starting lineup of the club. He became a champion with CSKA, but CSKA will remain only the first and last line in Roman's biography.

Can sit at home. Shirokov returned home - to CSKA: pros and cons

Roman Shirokov is “happy to be back home” - to CSKA. But at home you can also sit on the bench, although in general the transition is in favor of the “army team” and the national team.

2. Stormy youth and "walking" life

In modern football, Shirokov's history is unique. Previously, players could drink and walk until the morning, and then train, and now get to such

high level, having dropped out of football for several years, is almost unrealistic. The novel is the only exception. As he later recalled in an interview, spree began at the age of eighteen. Gatherings, alcohol, kebabs - the fun almost did not stop, and in the meantime, my career practically ended before it began. For absenteeism he was removed from Torpedo-ZIL, from CSKA he was sent to the army, even moving to Khimki - and he fell through due to another spree. As a result, Shirokov was able to find a job only in the team of KFK Istra. Only at the age of 24 he made his debut in the Premier League - having already taken up his mind and moved first to Saturn, then to Rubin, and then to Khimki.

3. Career at Zenit

The peak of Roman Shirokov's career was six years at Zenit. Dick Advocaat appreciated the midfielder's outstanding talent and made a bet on him in midfield. And Roman did not disappoint, becoming for many years a key player in St. Petersburg and the best central midfielder of the RFPL. With Zenit, Shirokov won two championships, the UEFA Cup and the European Super Cup, and was twice named the best footballer in Russia. And if it were not for the conflict with Spalletti, it could have brought many more benefits to the blue-white-blue.

4. "Player not on the level of the national team"

At Euro 2008, Shirokov was still not the best midfielder in Russia. Moreover, he had to patch a hole in the center of the defense. Hiddink's experiment ended with a painful defeat from the Spaniards at the start of the group stage. It was then that Viktor Gusev uttered the famous phrase "Shirokov is a player not on the level of the national team." And although in the semifinals with the Spaniards, the national team was again defeated without Roman's participation, Hiddink no longer challenged Roman in the next qualifying cycle. Under Advocate, Shirokov managed to prove to everyone, including Gusev, that he corresponds to the level of the national team, and in some ways even surpasses. Alas, due to injury, he could not go to the World Cup in Brazil, although at that time he was already one hundred percent leader of the national team and its captain.

Roman Shirokov from "A" to "Z"

Spartak midfielder Roman Shirokov turns 34 today. Facts from the life and football career of the birthday boy are in our alphabet.

5. The main wit of Russian football

When a book is written about Roman Shirokov, you won't have to think about the format for a long time - the collection of quotes must see the light of day. The legendary skirmish with the Zenit fans at the Kazan airport made the phrases “ushatayu” and “you can sit at home” winged. The usual communication in the mixed zone after the victory over Slovakia enriched the vocabulary of Russian football with a meme about the collective farm.

6. Dived with coaches

Shirokov never hesitated to call a spade a spade and enter into an argument with coaches and managers. He asked Spalletti not to teach him how to negotiate a contract and denounced his "invisible hat" in which the coach "came" to the players' party. When Yakin said that he was injured, Roman did not hesitate to refute this. Hairpins went to the last coach in Shirokov's career - Leonid Slutsky. The midfielder said that he does not consider the mentor a top specialist.

7. Twitter Star

Shirokov loved to burn not only in interviews, but also on the Internet. The social network "Twitter" was only gaining popularity when Roman Nikolaevich registered there. And it quickly gained fantastic popularity even outside the sports community. What is only his skirmish with TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov! Congratulations from "all the pigs with a well-deserved defeat", uncompromising "Tambourines - m ****, and it's time for him to find a place in the mental hospital" and many more selected and retweeted. In 2013, Shirokov decided to stop at the 10,000th tweet. A year later, however, he returned, but became much more restrained in jokes. Although no, no, yes it will light ...

8. From love to hate with Spartak

Playing for Zenit, Shirokov was trolling Spartak and its fans with might and main: Spartak is not a rival for us at all, "Am I moving to Spartak? Thank God no". And after a couple of years I did. At the same time, he admitted that he was joking at the red and white not out of malice, and that his father and godfather had been rooting for Spartak all their lives. However, Shirokov did not stay at Spartak for a long time. First he healed the injury, then he did not fit into Yakin's football. With Leonid Fedun, Roman has a generally difficult relationship, once, even before the transition, he suggested that the owner of the red and white "watches football from space." As a result, under Yakin, Shirokov went on loan to Krasnodar for six months, then returned to Alenichev, with whom he seemed to get along. However, the notorious clause in the contract intervened - there was one match left before the automatic extension of the contract with the midfielder, and the decision of the management was not to let Roman play this match. So in the winter Shirokov ended up in CSKA, having played half and half in Spartak in just two dozen matches in a year and a half.

"Fedun watches football from space." How Shirokov trolls Spartak

While awaiting the return of Roman Shirokov to Otkritie in a new capacity, we recall his taunts against Spartak.

9. More serious than it seems

Behind the image of a truth-teller and not going into the pocket of a simple guy from football, a versatile and intelligent person and player is hidden. Shirokov may be interested in speaking on the most serious topics, reading Vedomosti, confessing his love for Dostoevsky and Bulgakov.

10. The smartest footballer of his generation

But the main thing that Shirokov the footballer will remember is, of course, his game intelligence. Great talent, a great vision of the field, the ability to come up with and play extraordinary - all this distinguished Roman among the midfielders of the 2010s. Delightful cutting passes, heels, throws across the half-field - such a dispatcher will be sorely missed by our football. On the other hand, the ability to leave on time is also an important quality for a football player.

Shirokov Roman is the most controversial figure in our football. On the one hand, R. Shirokov is the real leader of the Russian national football team. It is impossible to imagine the game of our team without his brilliant and well-timed passes, wonderful vision of the pitch and the true spirit of the winner, the injection of which Roman received while playing for Zenit St. Petersburg. On the other hand, R. Shirokov can be called the Russian Paul Gascoigne. With a violent Englishman, our player has in common both an outstanding talent and an inability to play off his own willfulness.

It is not surprising that many football fans who do not closely follow the transfers and movements of players from team to team may ask: "Where is Roman Shirokov playing now?" Before answering this question, it is worth making a small excursion into history and tracing the main milestones in the career of the main rebel of Russian football in recent years. So, in the football biography of Roman Shirokov there are three main points: St. Petersburg "Zenith", Moscow "Spartak" and "Krasnodar" from the city of the same name.

"Zenith"

Now Roman Shirokov is a football player known to the general public. But before Zenit, few knew him. In 2007 he showed himself very well in Khimki near Moscow and attracted the attention of the club from Northern Palmyra. Zenit signed it as a free agent. It was in “Zenith” that Roman Shirokov revealed himself as a top-class footballer. While playing for Zenit, Shirokov received all his main awards, became the captain of the national team, and they even started talking about him in Europe: Monaco was eyeing the footballer.

What was Roman Shirokov doing until 2007? He drifted from one insignificant team to another. At this time, football was not the main business of his whole life. Before Khimki and Zenit, Shirokov mostly sorted out relations with the players and coaches of the teams in which he played.

In “Khimki” he showed himself in all his glory, and in “Zenith” Shirokov settled down and fully revealed himself. True, even there he could not do without scandals. In 2009, he argued with Vyacheslav Malafeev (then the first number in the team's goal), but the conflict was not too serious and prolonged.

But in 2014, the relationship between Roman Shirokov and Zenit worsened. The story is dark, and it is still unclear to the end why Roman Shirokov left “Zenith”. Someone says that he did not fit the new coach of the club - Andre Vilash-Boas. Someone claims that it's all about the player's bad temper and he quarreled with someone again. Probably it's all about the money. R. Shirokov simply could not conclude a new contract on favorable terms for himself. One way or another, but in February 2014 he went to Krasnodar on loan, before the expiration of his contract with Zenit.

Krasnodar

R. Shirokov found peace in Krasnodar, in the football team created by Sergei Galitsky. In FC Krasnodar, Shirokov played almost as well as in his best years at Zenit, helping Krasnodar to break into European cups. Bulls (the nickname of Krasnodar residents) snatched a ticket to the Europa League from their pursuers. A very important component was precisely the skillful play in the center of the field of our main brawler and rebel. Despite the fact that the Russian national team player was asked to stay in Krasnodar, he went to Moscow, namely to Spartak.

"Spartacus"

There is nothing special to remember from this period of Roman Shirokov's career. When he came to Spartak, many fans and specialists had high hopes for this transfer. People thought that thanks to the arrival of such a cool midfielder, Spartak would be able to return to the leading positions in domestic football, but the reality turned out to be not so rosy.

In fact, R. Shirokov took a very long time to recover from an injury, and after he recovered, he played only one memorable match. It was a game against Lokomotiv from Moscow, in which he scored a beautiful goal with his head. Then he fell out with the head coach of "Spartak" and returned to a favorable situation for him "Krasnodar".

Krasnodar. The second coming of Roman Shirokov

In January 2015 R. Shirokov was rented again by Krasnodar. And again he plays much better in it than in the previous club. He scores a little: only one goal in eight meetings held, but his efficiency on the field is simply overwhelming. His experience and technique help Krasnodar to go on the second line after Zenit in the current championship of Russia. It is not yet clear where R. Shirokov will end up after the end of the season, but there are rumors that Krasnodar is ready to buy out his contract from Spartak. One way or another, but these are things of the future, and now Shirokov is at Krasnodar.