1. Amir Zaki (Lokomotiv)
The young forward of the Egyptian national team moved to Lokomotiv in the status of one of the best players and the winner of the Africa Cup, held at the beginning of the year. Zaki made his national team debut at the age of 20 and within two seasons, by the time he moved to Moscow, managed to score 13 goals for her. However, in Russia he did not succeed at all — and you cannot say that the reason for Zaki’s failures lies in super-powerful competitors. In the summer, Zaki was sold to the Egyptian Zamalek, and much cheaper than the $ 2 million that was paid for him in the winter.
2. Adriano Padilla ("Saturn")
The Moscow Region club acquired the striker Figuirense for more than $ 3 million, and this alone indicated the scale of the hopes associated with it. Not to mention this intriguing boast of the Saturn leadership - “now we have our own Adriana”. But after a few controls, completely different words sounded: “There is nothing special in Adrian - he plays the weakest of all” (head coach Vladimir Weiss). Despite the terrible personnel deficit in the line of attack, Saturn considered it necessary to get rid of Adriana Padilla in the summer by selling it to the Turkish Denizlispor.
3. Yaroslav Nesvadba (“Zenith”)
A relatively inexpensive ($ 540 thousand) defender was bought from the Czech Yablonets “to strengthen the left flank of the defense before the spring stage of the UEFA Cup”, which in itself sounded doubtful, since Zenit had several good players at that position. Rumors are circulating that the sole purpose of this purchase was to earn money on commissions and kickbacks of the then-coach of the team and the agent who served him. It is difficult to verify the rumor, and it is not necessary to believe it: Petrzhela, of course, was expelled from Zenit at the same time as the footballer, but the agent was raised in status and authority. As a result, Nesvizh did not play in European competitions - he failed to strengthen even the left flank of the Zenit take. In the summer, Nesvadba was returned back to the Czech Republic, to the Mladá Boleslav club. The transfer amount is not specified.
4. Quincy Ovusu Obeye (Spartak)
The double player of the London Arsenal became the first Dutch legionnaire in the history of Russian football and was supposed to be the last striker passing to Cavenaghi. Such was the calculation of Vladimir Fedotov, who proudly spoke about his selection and the speed of reaction of Spartak's management, who promptly responded in winter to Arsenal’s decision to put Quincy on the transfer. As a result, all that the Dutchman remembered, except for an unpronounceable surname, is a cascade of feints in situations when there is no opponent in front of him. The head of Spartak after Starkov’s resignation, Fedotov admitted his mistake. True, not in words, but in practice, ceasing to put one in the composition.
5. Francisco Lima (Dynamo)
By the end of spring, Dynamo was already on the fly, and Limin was considered by Semin as a potential savior - the coach personally met the Brazilian at the airport with flowers. In the heat of the struggle for survival, Yuri Pavlovich somehow overlooked the fact that Lima's full potential was only revealed in the first year of the game for Lokomotiv, and he spent all other Moscow time in spleen and longing for the sun. Since then, the sun has gone in Moscow; the class in Lima’s game is also gone. Andrei Kobelev, who replaced Semin, undertook several stages of stripping the Dynamo ranks, but got rid of Lima during the very first one.
6. Eldin Yakupovich (Lokomotiv)
The young goalkeeper of the modest Swiss “Tuna” became the co-author of a sensation - which, undoubtedly, was last year’s performance of this club in the Champions League. But in Russia, Yakupovich immediately made so many mistakes that even the initiator of his invitation, Slavolyub Muslin, chose to put Polyakov in the team - also the goalkeeper is not good news. Lokomotiv lost at least one and a half million on that transfer - that's exactly how, according to experts, its price has fallen compared to winter $ 2.4 million. Yakupovich lost his career year and place in the Swiss national team, as a result of which he did not go to the 2006 World Cup.
7. Andres Mendoza (Dynamo)
The Brugge main striker was once famous for a goal against Milan in the Champions League match 2002/03, which brought his club an unexpected victory in San Siro. On the eve of the transfer to Dynamo, Mendoza was sitting on a bench in Marseilles, while remaining the property of Donetsk Metallurg. Mendoza was one of the first legionnaires to express his dissatisfaction with the Dynamo system and, having played only three matches of the Russian championship, he left for Donetsk.
8. Vasily Khomutovsky (“Tom”)
For one of the heroes of Steaua, who worked wonders in the last UEFA Cup, clubs claimed more solid Tomsk. However, once the main goalkeeper of the national team of Belarus turned into a substitute in “Tom”, having participated in only 8 games.
9. Lubomyr Cantonists (“Torpedo”)
One of the best players of the 2005 season in the first division was, according to the ambitious calculations of the then coach of the “black and white” Sergey Petrenko, to help the club reach the medals. The idea of making a new Semshov from Kantonistov failed, the idea of winning medals failed miserably. As a result, the Cantonists, who had once been called up to the Russian national team, watched the tragic events for Torpedo from the bench. The only thing that this season he can bring to his asset is a goal against CSKA.
10. Igor Novakovich (“Tom”)
The defensive midfielder of the Croatian “Rijeka” cost moderate money ($ 600 thousand), but was presented to fans and the press as a result of remarkable selection searches and a close, almost one-year, study. How they searched, what they studied, is still unclear. A pair of matches was enough to understand: even the inveterate snapper Yanotovsky, who is more likely to meet with the opponent’s legs than with the ball, is more useful than a Croat.
Anton OTKIDACH