Aleksandr Mostovoi

Aleksandr Mostovoi

Mostovoi in 2008
Personal information
Full name Aleksandr Vladimirovich Mostovoi
Date of birth (1968-08-22) 22 August 1968
Place of birth Lomonosov, Soviet Union
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
Krasnaya Presnya
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1986 Krasnaya Presnya 19 (7)
1986–1991 Spartak Moscow 106 (34)
1992–1994 Benfica 9 (0)
1993–1994 → Caen (loan) 15 (3)
1994–1996 Strasbourg 61 (15)
1996–2004 Celta 235 (56)
2005 Alavés 1 (1)
Total 446 (115)
National team
1990–1991 USSR 15 (3)
1992 CIS 2 (0)
1992–2004 Russia 50 (10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Aleksandr Vladimirovich Mostovoi (Russian: Алекса́ндр Влади́мирович Мостово́й [ɐlʲɪˈksandr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məstɐˈvoj]; born 22 August 1968) is a Russian retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

Known as El Zar from his lengthy spell at Celta, he was often referred to as a 'genius playmaker' during his time there, in addition to a volatile temperament.[1][2]

Club career

Spartak / First abroad spell

Born in Lomonosov, Russia, Soviet Union, Mostovoi signed for country giants FC Spartak Moscow from second division club FC Presnya Moscow, quickly making an impression. In January 1992, he joined compatriots Vasili Kulkov and Sergei Yuran at S.L. Benfica; months before arriving, he was controversially awarded Portuguese citizenship through marriage, but never imposed himself in the first team.[2]

Midway through 1993–94 Mostovoi joined Ligue 1 side SM Caen, then left after the sole season to fellow French side RC Strasbourg, rejoining coach Daniel Jeandupeux. With the latter, he first displayed glimpses of an emerging talent.

Celta

Mostovoi's big break came when he signed for Celta de Vigo in 1996, for 325 million pesetas (about €1,950,000). He made his debut for the Galicians in a 2–0 home defeat against Real Betis, and his creative play and key goals made him a cult figure at Balaídos as the club rose to near the top of La Liga standings year after year.

Affectionately nicknamed 'The Tsar of Balaídos' by the fans, Mostovoi formed an impressive midfield society with, amongst others, compatriot Valery Karpin, and helped Celta win the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup. However, he couldn't help the freefall that hit the team in the 2003–04 season, relegating it to the second division after the player appeared in a career-worst (in his Celta career) 24 matches.[3]

Alavés

Having not played for over eight months, and at the age of 36, Mostovoi signed a contract with Dmitry Pietrman's Deportivo Alavés in early March 2005, initially until the end of the second level campaign.[4] His first and only game came in a league game against Cádiz CF in which he came on as a substitute, in the 78th minute – he scored the Basques' only goal (and nearly added a second) in an eventual 1–3 defeat.

Having been with the club for only 30 days, Mostovoi told the club directors of his intention to retire claiming he was suffering from back problems.[2]

International career

Mostovoi played for the Soviet national team, the CIS and Russia internationally. In another temper tantrum, he was sent home by team manager Georgi Yartsev during the latter's trip to UEFA Euro 2004, after questioning his methods.[4] He played in the Euro 96 and the 1994 FIFA World Cup and was also picked for the 2002 World Cup, but did not play in the latter tournament due to injury.[5]

Mostovoi's exclusion from Euro 2004's national squad happened after the 0–1 group stage loss to Spain. Supposedly, the player talked with the media after the match and gave an interview saying that Yartsev was not a good coach and did not understand anything. This was later proven false, after Mostovoi gave another interview and explained he merely said that Yartsev overworked the players during practice, so they didn't have the necessary energy to play well in matches.[6] All in all, group morale dropped after the incident, and Russia lost the second game to hosts Portugal.

In 2009, Mostovoi was part of the Russia squad that won the Legends Cup.

Alexander Mostovoi: International goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 30 November 1990 Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala  Guatemala 0–1 0–3 Friendly
2 30 May 1991 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union  Cyprus 1–0 4–0 Euro 1992 qualifying
3 28 August 1991 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 0–1 0–1 Euro 1992 qualifying
1 6 October 1993 King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Saudi Arabia 2–4 Friendly
2 6 October 1993 King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Saudi Arabia 2–4 Friendly
3 6 September 1995 Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands 2–5 Euro 1996 qualifying
4 9 February 1996 Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland  Republic of Ireland 0–1 0–2 Friendly
5 25 May 1996 Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar  Qatar 2–5 Friendly
6 19 June 1996 Anfield, Liverpool, England  Czech Republic 2–1 3–3 UEFA Euro 1996
7 10 October 1998 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia  France 2–3 Euro 2000 qualifying
8 19 May 1999 Arsenal Stadium (Tula), Tula, Russia  Belarus 1–1 Friendly
9 28 March 2001 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia  Faroe Islands 1–0 1–0 2002 World Cup qualification
10 10 September 2003 Lokomotiv Stadium (Moscow), Moscow, Russia   Switzerland 4–1 Euro 2004 qualifying

Personal life

Mostovoi graduated from college as an electrician, and later joined a sports academy in Moscow, which provided coaching to young players with a university education.

Married to French Stefani, with whom he later had two children.

Statistics

Club

[7]

Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Soviet Union League Soviet Cup Europe Total
1986Krasnaya PresnyaSoviet Second League19710--207
1987Spartak MoscowSoviet Top League1864043269
19882734240355
19891132020153
199023935403014
1991271321733617
Portugal League Taça de Portugal Europe Total
1992–93BenficaPrimeira Liga90--30120
1993–9400--0000
France League Coupe de France Europe Total
1993–94CaenLigue 1153----153
1994–95StrasbourgLigue 129641--337
1995–9632931624112
Spain League Copa del Rey Europe Total
1996–97CeltaLa Liga31561--376
1997–9834831--379
1998–993361072418
1999–002661072348
2000–0130962724313
2001–02301000133113
2002–032760041317
2003–042462082348
2004–05AlavésSegunda División1100--11
Total Russia 8828--13310131
Portugal 90--30120
France 761872628922
Spain 23657194341228973
Career total mnmnmnmn

Honours

Club

Spartak Moscow
Benfica
Celta

Country

Soviet Union
Russia

References

  1. ↑ Lotina fights for Vigo job, but CV lacks imagination; Scotsman, 28 November 2002
  2. 1 2 3 Qué fue de... Mostovoi, el 'Zar de Balaídos' (What happened to... Mostovoi, the 'Tsar from Balaídos'); Diario AS, 23 January 2009 (in Spanish)
  3. ↑ "Alexander Mostovoi" (in Spanish). Yo Jugué en el Celta. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 Mostovoi makes a comeback; UEFA.com, 12 March 2005
  5. ↑ Aleksandr Mostovoi – International Appearances; at RSSSF
  6. ↑ Zlatan lovers; UEFA.com, 19 June 2004
  7. ↑ "Aleksandr Mostovoy". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
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