Vyacheslav Malafeev

Vyacheslav Malafeev
	Malafeev at Zenit St. Petersburg in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malafeev
Date of birth	4 March 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	Leningrad, Russian SFSR
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Number	16
Senior career*
Years	Team
1997–2000	FC Zenit-2 St. Petersburg
1999–	FC Zenit St. Petersburg
International career‡
2003–2012	Russia
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 May 2015; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:49, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malafeev (Russian: Вячесла́в Алекса́ндрович Малафе́ев, IPA: [vʲɪtɕɪˈslav ɐlʲɪˈksandrəvʲɪtɕ məlɐˈfʲeɪf]; born 4 March 1979) is a Russian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Russian Premier League team Zenit Saint Petersburg. He is a one-club man, having spent all 14 of his professional seasons with Zenit.

Career

Zenit

Vyacheslav Malafeev started attending the Smena football school at the age of nine. In 1997, he began to play for the farm club of FC Zenit, Zenit-2, in the Third Division. He got the chance to play for Zenit in the Premier League in 1999 during the suspension of Roman Berezovsky. Malafeev later became the first choice goalkeeper for Zenit in 2001, after Berezovsky left the club. Malafeev has since been the first choice goalkeeper ahead of Kamil Čontofalský and won the UEFA Cup in 2008 after keeping a clean sheet against Rangers F.C..

International career

On 19 November 2003, Malafeev debuted as a goalkeeper for the national team in a Euro 2004 qualifiers play-off against Wales. He was chosen as the second choice goalkeeper behind Sergei Ovchinnikov and ahead of Igor Akinfeev. Malafeev participated in Euro 2004 coming on after Ovchinnikov's red card against Portugal and starting against Greece.

After Euro 2004, Malafeev, became the first choice goalkeeper for Russia succeeding Ovchinnikov. After a long-term injury in May 2005, Malafeev lost his place in the goal for Zenit and Russia to Kamil Čontofalský and Igor Akinfeev, respectively. In 2007, played in two Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia after Akinfeev's long term injury but was relegated to the bench in favor of Vladimir Gabulov. After Zenit's successful UEFA Cup campaign he lost a narrow battle with Igor Akinfeev for the first choice goalkeeper spot in Russia's Euro 2008 squad. Nonetheless, he stayed on as the second choice goalkeeper ahead of Gabulov.

He was the starting goalkeeper in the game that Russia lost to Portugal with a score of 1–7 in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier.^[1]

He was confirmed for the finalized UEFA Euro 2012 squad on 25 May 2012.^[2] After the UEFA Euro 2012 he announced that he is retiring from the national team to spend more time with his children, but is prepared to be called up in case of emergency such as injuries to other top goalkeepers.^[3]

Career statistics

As of 29 August 2010

Club	Div	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Div	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Zenit SPb	D1	1999	8	0	0	0	—		—		8	0
		2000	12	0	0	0	5	0	—		17	0
		2001	28	0	2	0	—		—		30	0
		2002	29	0	5	0	3	0	—		37	0
		2003	27	0	2	0	—		3	0	32	0
		2004	19	0	0	0	7	0	—		26	0
		2005	11	0	6	0	—		—		17	0
		2006	26	0	5	0	5	0	—		36	0
		2007	19	0	5	0	2	0	—		26	0
		2008	30	0	1	0	15	0	1	0	47	0
		2009	28	0	1	0	1	0	—		30	0
		2010	15	0	2	0	4	0	—		21	0
	Total		252	0	29	0	42	0	4	0	327	0

Personal life

Vyacheslav and his wife Marina had two children: Ksenia,10, and Maxim,8. Marina Malafeeva died in a car crash on the morning of 17 March 2011, aged 37.^[4]

Honours

References

^ Game report
^ "Advocaat announced the finalized Euro Squad" (in Russian). 25 May 2012.
^ "Vyacheslav Malafeyev: I am leaving the national team for the kids, if necessary, I would leave St. Petersburg for them as well" (in Russian). Sport Express. 28 August 2012.
^ V. Marchenko (17 March 2011). "Death of Marina Malafeeva" (in Russian). Sovetsky Sport. Retrieved 19 March 2011.

External links

[1] Game report

[2] "Advocaat announced the finalized Euro Squad" (in Russian). 25 May 2012.

[3] "Vyacheslav Malafeyev: I am leaving the national team for the kids, if necessary, I would leave St. Petersburg for them as well" (in Russian). Sport Express. 28 August 2012.

[4] V. Marchenko (17 March 2011). "Death of Marina Malafeeva" (in Russian). Sovetsky Sport. Retrieved 19 March 2011.

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