Biography
Who is Igor Denisov?
Early years and Zenit
Igor was born in Leningrad, which is now called Saint Petersburg. He started his football path with Turbostroitel and then joined the Smena youth team. He signed his first professional contract with Zenit in 2002. That same year, he played his first league match against CSKA Moscow at 18.
He played in an advanced midfield role under manager Dick Advocaat. This helped Zenit win their first Russian Premier League title in 2007. In 2008, he scored a goal during a UEFA Cup quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen. He also scored in the final against Rangers to help his team win the trophy.
Other professional clubs
In June 2013, Igor Denisov moved to Anzhi Makhachkala for 15 million euros. He only played three matches for that team. In August 2013, he transferred to FC Dynamo along with Yuriy Zhirkov and Aleksandr Kokorin.
He faced difficulties at Dynamo in April 2015. The club put him on the transfer list and told him to train alone after he insulted coach Stanislav Cherchesov. He returned to the main squad in July 2015 when Andrey Kobelev became the new manager.
International career
He first played for the Russia Under-19 team against Denmark in 2003. He later served as the captain for the Russia U-21 team. Igor made his senior debut for the national team on October 11, 2008, in a match against Germany.
He played 54 games for Russia over eight years. He was part of the squads for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup. Manager Fabio Capello named him the national team captain on September 7, 2012.
Career disputes
Igor was involved in several conflicts during his career. In August 2010, he had a road rage fight with a driving instructor. The instructor suffered a broken nose, and Igor injured his foot.
He had a training ground argument with coach Vladislav Radimov in September 2010. He also received a four match ban for verbally abusing manager Valery Karpin during a game.
Birthday and age
Igor Denisov was born on May 17, 1984, which makes Igor 42 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Igor shares the date with 30 other famous people.
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