Media: Espn FC, Michael yokhin
Gerald, Harvey, Casillas, Schweinsterger... Parting, the theme of this summer's soccer world! I used to naively think that these stars, who can be called the flag of the club, can eventually grow up in a club. But this summer we saw the opposite: they all left the "mother team" that could almost be used as a substitute for their names. Perhaps, we can also add the name of Andre Arshavin, if you haven't forgotten him...
Yes, Arshavin is not the kind of player who "plays for one club all his life", having played for Premier League giants Arsenal for 4 years from 2009 to 2013. However, in the eyes of Russian fans, Arshavin is equivalent to Zenit St. Petersburg, just as Gerrard can be equated with Liverpool. No one could have imagined that he would wear another Russian club shirt on his body.
His departure was not without warning. In fact, the management of Boas and Zenit had already sent the players to the exit, and some of the club's fans gradually began to hate Arshavin because of his lack of proper attitude, and even called on him to "hurry up". But when the wishes of these people did become a reality, the entire city of St. Petersburg sighed collectively. In an ideal world, such a thing should never happen...
Want to learn about Arshavin's influence in St. Petersburg? Let's first understand the background and history. Gazprom, the world's largest gas company, was responsible for "transfusing" Zenit in St. Petersburg only 10 years ago. In the earlier past, Zenit was only a nobody in the Russian league, not only missing the championship honor of the top league for many years, but also a small and insignificant role in the eyes of the FA bigwig.
Vlastimir Petzera, a flattering Czech coach, is determined to break the Moscow club's blockade of the league. In 2005, he led a delightful team to challenge the championship, but in several key matches the referee on duty made highly controversial decisions, which made Zenit's victory "robbed". In May of that year, Petezella famously said: "Zenit will never be a champion, ever." Although Zenit sadly bid farewell to the championship trophy that season, it won the hearts of most neutral fans.
Arshavin, on the other hand, was the best of the Zenit players. At the age of 3 (1984), Zenit won the only league title of the former Soviet era, a classic team made up of boys born in Leningrad. After that, Zenit began to falter and even underwent 2 relegations. Just when the fans were deeply desperate for the cruel status quo, Arshavin, the "golden boy" of St. Petersburg, was born!
When he was born, the city was called Leningrad. He began joining the club's junior team at the age of 7. More than 12 years later, veteran coach Yuri Morozav, who has always been known for his ability to dig up talented players, gave Arshavin the opportunity to make his debut in the first team. After this, Arshavin, known as "Sava", began to erupt strongly. In 2001, the 20-year-old Arshavin was already regarded as the top star of the Russian Premier League, and Zenit finished third in the league that season. He was ambitious but also humble, and through his eyes we could see sincerity and innocence—he became the darling of everyone.
Russian fans were looking forward to the "fledgling" Arshavin to accompany Russia to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, but regrettably the then-head coach foolishly abandoned him.
In 2003, Arshavin helped Zenit finish second in the league. In the absence of a miracle, this should have reached the limit of achievement. Later, gazprom's strong entrenchment brought miracles. In 2007 Arshavin became the deserved number one star in the Russian Premier League, and Zenit also overcame Sparta Moscow in the league competition, once again on the podium after 23 years. The "Zenit dynasty" began to be established. In 2008, they went a step further and finally won the UEFA Cup as a "dark horse". Arshavin scored 4 goals and 10 assists in European competitions.
Later, he set off a "Russian storm" at the 2008 European Championships. The quarter-final win over the Netherlands also became one of the most iconic classic games of a player's career. Officially with the influence of the European Championships, the "Golden Boy" of St. Petersburg began to be known by fans around the world. The top giants began to pursue Arshavin fiercely, and if it were not for Zenit's initial refusal to let him go, Arshavin could have fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a member of Barcelona. There was a bit of a gap between the ideal and the reality, but it wasn't big, and he later joined Arsenal. Later, the "Senior Year" was staged at Anfield.
After Arsenal made a brilliant start, Arshavin also managed to become the Gunners' star. However, no one would have thought that Arshavin began to accelerate in the second season... Regression. In the Premier League, Arsha is playing worse and worse, and even the fans in Russia can't stand his "laziness". In the 2010 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, Hiddink's team unexpectedly blocked slovenia in front of the play-offs, and Arshavin left the biggest regret of his career - never playing in the World Cup as a player.
The 2012 European Championships were the last major continental tournaments in which Arshavin competed. Although he delivered 3 assists for Russia, they unexpectedly lost to Greece in the final game of the group stage, confusingly losing the qualification for the group. When questioned by a Russian fan after the game, Arshavin replied: "We did not fulfill your wishes, this is your problem, not mine." This sentence made Arshavin's image fall into the abyss, and he also became the "scapegoat" for the failure of the national team. After the Russian national team entered the "Capello era", Arshavin was never called up again.
The development of Arsenal has reached a dead end, returning to the Russian Premier League, St. Petersburg Zenit is naturally The only "receiving unit" of Arshavin. He returned to his home team on loan in early 2012 and officially re-signed zenit in 2013. Truth be told, during the player's second time for Zenit, he was in much less form than before. In March 2014, after the club hired "birdie" Boas, Arshavin suffered an unprecedented cold reception.
Last season, Zenit was once again involved in the league title, but Arshavin's contribution was very small – except for the match against Dynamo Moscow last September. Boas used a "strange move" when lining up the troops, pushing Arshavin, who had been out of the field for a long time, to the front line and acting as a single arrow for the team. Arshavin did well in that game, helping Zenit win 3-2 while also scoring his only league goal of last season. Soon, however, Arshavin was back on the cold bench. In the 2014-15 season, the players only won the starting position in 4 games, and the players' morale was gone.
Many Zenit fans criticised the club for "spending a lot of money to raise a piece of crap"; many fans began to turn from supporters to opponents. But a few years ago, they were all admirers and admirers of Arshavin. Perhaps such a phenomenon is exactly what should be "the depth of love and the cut of hate". By the time they regained their composure and saw that what they called "waste" had indeed left Zenit, the perfect image of Arshavin in his youth might resurface in their minds...
There are also some Zenit fans who have always supported Arshavin, who think the club's approach is too desperate. After the expiry of his contract, the player was coldly pushed out of the club's door by Boas, and along with Arshavin the captain who won the league in 2007, the Ukrainian Timoshchuk, Arshavin's best friend Korzakov. Seeing that the three founders of the "Zenit dynasty" have not been treated well at the club, the fans will inevitably feel chills.
In fact, Zenit had promised to give Arshavin a coaching contract, but Arshavin, who was not willing to retire, refused. "I would like to thank the fans who still supported me when I joined Zenit for the second time. If my game status and off-court behaviour disappoint you, I ask for their forgiveness," the 34-year-old veteran said in farewell.
He chose to join Kuban Krasnodar, a weak team in the Russian Premier League. Many have suggested that he should hang up his boots at Zenit to make a better impression on the world. But Arshavin had other plans, and he still had to prove that "the decision-makers of Boas and Zenit treated themselves in the wrong way!" ”
"Sava" left the beloved city and said goodbye to the fans who had been crazy about it. What happened to him in the last years of his career was sympathetic, but wasn't his departure also a loss for the city of St. Petersburg and the club Zenit?
The current Zenit team does have the ability to spend thousands of dollars, can buy such strong foreign players as Hulk and Witzel, and can dominate the league three times in the last 5 years (2010, 2012, 2015). However, those lads who have been taught by Petzera and run in adversity at the beginning of the new century are the "soul" of this team. At that time, the league championship seemed out of reach, but the fans were always happy and united; now that money and honor have arrived, we see a group of spoiled fans and players. Gone are the days of Zenit's innocence.
Arshavin was gone, taking with him the last bit of Zenit's soul.
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