On the eve of the departure of the Moscow Region team to Turkey for the first training camp in the new year, Alexei answered questions from Izvestia correspondent Mikhail Shpenkov.
Few players become captains in the first year of their stay in the team ...
For me, this appointment was also unexpected. It happened in the midst of the season in Kazan before the game with Rubin. Our coach Vladimir Weiss suddenly announced at a team meeting that he trusted me in this role.
What did you feel at that moment?
The confidence of the coach always adds positive emotions. It was probably no coincidence that in that match in Kazan I scored a goal and made two assists. And “Saturn” in the end won - 3-0.
On the other hand, you have repeatedly demonstrated incontinence on the field, received yellow cards for talking with the judges. Did the club use penalties?
Yes of course. Each disciplinary warning is subject to a fine. And so it’s not only established in “Saturn”, but also in Finland and Italy, where I played before.
You have a big trump card - knowledge of the Finnish language. Maybe you should throw your emotions on it?
Unfortunately, this will not work. After all, I think I’m still in Russian. And all emotions accordingly break out on it. It turns out that I just need to be more restrained in the game.
By the way, did you easily learn Finnish?
He mastered a little. And at first I went to a Swedish school. So I can still explain myself in Swedish. And, of course, in English. And in a year and a half in “Lecce” he also mastered Italian.
Yes you are a polyglot! But many legionnaires in our Premier League do not think to learn Russian ...
I’m not going to justify anyone, but I have to admit: out of the five languages that I speak, Russian is the most difficult. And if he was not the main one in my family, I’m not sure if I would have learned it or not. But in “Saturn” with communication between our players and legionnaires there are no problems. Slovaks know Russian a little, and a translator helps South Americans.
Before the New Year, it was said that you are interested in Spartak ...
I definitely won’t go to Spartak. And to another team, I hope, too. Everything at Saturn suits me, and the contract with the club is valid until the end of 2009. However, I do not look so far. I think we can “shoot” in the coming season. At least for getting into the UEFA Cup, “Saturn” is quite capable of competing.
In addition to Finnish, you also have Russian citizenship. Do not regret that you once turned out to be flirted for the Finnish national team and now you can’t claim a place in ours?
You know, one day your colleague already asked me a similar question. I answered him frankly and received a fair amount of criticism in Finland. There, the statements of immigrants from Russia are especially closely watched. So now I’ll say more diplomatically: I do not regret the choice made. And I will try to bring the Finnish national team maximum benefit.
Recently, you took part in a telecast, which was shot at a nightclub. Are you generally attracted to nightlife?
That was the idea of the TV presenter Andrei Malakhov - to pull the players into a night club. Why not? Moreover, I do not visit nightclubs too often. Only if the game on Saturday and Sunday we have a day off ...
Have you watched the movie "Features of the National Hunt"?
Yes, in Finland on tape. He is there, by the way, quite popular.
And which characters are closer to you there: Russian or Finnish guy?
I think Finnish and Russian in me are about 50 to 50.
And with actor Aleksey Buldakov - General Mikhalych - would you like to go hunting?
No, it's scary (laughs).
Why?
So after all, I can’t stand the Russian national “features” of hunting!
So, have the recent Christmas holidays been spent peacefully?
Just for Christmas there was enough extreme. First, together with my girlfriend Natasha, we went to Bali. And then they went to my parents in Finland. Natasha was not there before - we met in Moscow. Four rushed to the homeland of Santa Claus in Lapland - skiing. It was a lot of fun, especially considering that only I had a serious skiing experience ...