Vyacheslav Malafeev

Vyacheslav Malafeev
Personal information
Full name Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malafeev
Date of birth 4 March 1979 (1979-03-04) (age 32)
Place of birth Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club Zenit St. Petersburg
Number 16
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1997–2000 Zenit-2 St. Petersburg 54 (0)
1999– Zenit St. Petersburg 289 (0)
National team‡
2003– Russia 23 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:47, 27 November 2011 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 05:54, 13 November 2011 (UTC)

Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Malafeev (Russian: Вячеслав Александрович Малафеев; born 4 March 1979) is a footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Russian Premier League team Zenit Saint Petersburg as well as for the Russian national team. He is a one-club man, having spent all 12 of his professional seasons with Zenit.

Contents

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 Saint Petersburg, 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 qualification 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 the 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]

Career statistics

As of 29 August 2010
Club Div Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Zenit SPb D1 1999 8 −10 0 0 — — 8 −10
2000 12 −8 0 0 5 −3 — 17 −11
2001 28 −29 2 −2 — — 30 −31
2002 29 −40 5 −6 3 −4 — 37 −50
2003 27 −23 2 −2 — 3 −1 32 −26
2004 19 −18 0 0 7 −8 — 26 −26
2005 11 −13 6 −3 — — 17 −16
2006 26 −21 5 −2 5 −7 — 36 −30
2007 19 −20 5 −7 2 −1 — 26 −28
2008 30 −37 1 −1 15 −15 1 −1 47 −54
2009 28 −24 1 −1 1 −4 — 30 −29
2010 15 −6 2 0 4 −2 — 21 −8
Total 252 -249 29 -24 42 -44 4 -2 327 -319

Personal life

Vyacheslav and his wife Marina had two children. Marina Malafeeva died in a car crash on the morning of 17 March 2011, aged 37.[2]

Honours

References

  1. ^ Game report
  2. ^ V. Marchenko (17 March 2011). "Death of Marina Malafeeva" (in Russian). Sovetsky Sport. http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/445905. Retrieved 19 March 2011. 

External links

FC Zenit Saint Petersburg – current squad