Spartak newcomer Manfred Ugalde sets an anti-club record for forwards. The Costa Rican did not score in his first 10 games in the RPL. To date, the foreign striker has only scored one goal in the Russian Cup. The most paradoxical thing is that in general Ugalde’s game does not give the impression that his transfer is a failure. Manfred has good qualities and works well for the team. But, as you know, strikers are judged by their goals. The Costa Rican is still doing poorly in terms of conversion opportunities.
Which other Spartak rookie forward started a long dry spell in the Russian Championship? It turns out that Ugalde is not the first to have not scored for so long. We talk about other unfortunate Spartak debutants.
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Fernando Cavenaghi, 6 games without goals
Fernando Cavenaghi
Photo: Alexander Safonov, “Championship”
The Argentine striker arrived at Spartak in the summer of 2004 without having experience playing in Europe. Cavenaghi was 20 years old. His transfer for 8.6 million euros (according to Transfermarkt) became at that time the most expensive in the history of the Moscow club. Considering Fernando’s price and his high performance in his home country, a lot was expected and demanded of him.
However, Cavenaghi had difficulties integrating into the new team. In the first six games of the Russian championship with Zenit, Rubin, Amkar, Torpedo, Shinnik and Rotor, the Argentine did not score. Only in the seventh match against Moscow (3-2) Fernando broke the dry streak, scoring his first and last goal of the 2004 season. His goal in added time after a pass from Dmitry Alenichev was the winner. To celebrate, the Argentine ran towards the fans to celebrate his success.
“Is Cavenaghi worth that amount of money? I don’t know, but today I’m happy with it. By the way, he asked me to say hello to them, ”Spartak coach Alexander Starkov ironically responded to the journalists’ question.
Cavenaghi has not yet revealed himself 100% at Spartak. Over two and a half years, he scored 17 goals in 63 games in all tournaments. In January 2007 he was sold to Bordeaux for 9 million euros.
Lucas Barrios, 7 games without goals
Lucas Barrios
Photo: Alexander Mysyakin, “Championship”
Barrios came to Spartak as an established player, with experience in the top league: he played for Borussia Dortmund for several seasons. The Moscow Club bought the Paraguayan national team forward from the Chinese Guangzhou Evergrande for 3 million euros.
Things did not go well for Barrios in Russia. In the first seven RPL matches with Rubin, Amkar, Anzhi, Rostov, Lokomotiv, Zenit and CSKA, the Paraguayan did not score. However, Lucas initially only appeared as a substitute; Furthermore, he suffered a ligament injury, which also affected his form. Barrios also left the field without scoring in Europa League and Russian Cup matches.
Barrios distinguished himself for the first time in the RPL only in his eighth match. The striker scored with a header against Volga Nizhny Novgorod. In the same game he gave an assist. But Lucas never managed to break through. His statistics for Spartak are 18 games and two goals. A year later, the Paraguayan was loaned to Montpellier and then sold to Palmeiras for 3 million euros.
Essien Flo, 8 games without goals
Essien Flo
Photo: spartak.com
In the early 2000s, a large group of strange legionnaires passed through Spartak. Flo also found herself in this company. In the summer of 2001, the then 19-year-old striker was brought directly from Nigeria, bought for an unknown amount from the Dolphins club.
However, Flo had his opportunities: Oleg Romantsev sent him as a substitute, albeit occasionally. For the entire year, from August 2001 to August 2022, Essien did not distinguish himself, having played eight matches in the Russian championship during this time with Saturn, Fakel, Dynamo, Krylia Sovetov, CSKA, Zenit, Dynamo and Anzhi. Only then he scored his first and last goal for Spartak. He opened the scoring in the match against Uralan (1-1) in Elista.
The peak of Flo’s career was a pair of substitute appearances for Spartak in the Champions League. Two years later he returned to the Dolphins. He played in Vietnam.
Anatoly Kanishchev, 9 games without goals
Anatoly Kanishchev
Photo: RIA Novosti
Kanishchev was an important player in the champions Alania, and in 1996 he made his debut in the Russian national team. And before the 1998 season, the forward left the Vladikavkaz club for Spartak. Before that, Anatoly didn’t have the best year, but Romantsev saw it as an improvement and hoped the newcomer would restart his career in the capital.
Kanishchev scored for the first time in the Russian Cup, but the championship did not work out for Spartak from the first matches. The striker continued a dry streak of nine games. He left the field without scoring in meetings with Zenit, Lokomotiv, Zhemchuzhina, Spartak Vladikavkaz, Uralan, Krylya Sovetov, Rostselmash, CSKA and Torpedo. Kanishchev found the opponent’s goal only in the tenth game: he scored a double against Rotor (3:1). Anatoly came on as a substitute during the break and scored the red and white team’s first two goals.
After that match, Romantsev praised Kanishchev for his good form. Soon Anatoly scored a hat-trick with Tyumen. But these two successful performances did not help him develop his career at Spartak. In total, the center forward scored seven goals in 35 games. A year later he was returned to Vladikavkaz on loan.
Louis Robson, 9 games without goals
Luis Robson
Photo: Alexander Safonov, “Championship”
Robson was the first foreign player in Spartak’s history. Shortly before moving to the Moscow club, the forward moved from Brazil to Portugal, where he played only three times for the provincial Leiria. In Romantsev’s team, he also looked so good early on that there were questions as to why the Red and Whites signed the Brazilian. Maybe just because of the exotic?
Robson did not score from August to November 1997 in nine RPL matches in a row: with KAMAZ, CSKA, Zenit, Krylya Sovetov, Baltika, Rostselmash, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod Lokomotivs, and then in the derby with Dynamo. In the Champions League qualifying matches against Košice there were no goals from the new striker either.
But in the end Robson adapted and became part of Spartak: the team accepted him. And at the end of the 1997 season a long-awaited event occurred: the Brazilian scored in the match against Alania. His goal helped the rojiblancos win 2-1.
“Today’s match is further confirmation that Robson can play for Spartak and do it quite brilliantly and, at times, simply great. The first goal in Spartak will probably give the Brazilian confidence and strength. “He is a first-team player,” red-and-white coach Georgy Yartsev praised the newcomer.
In fact, Robson became a fan favorite. He remained with the team for four years, scoring 47 goals in 147 games.
Ezequiel Ponce, 10 games without goals
Ezequiel Ponce
Photo: Edgar Breshchanov, “Championship”
At the beginning of their careers with the Moscow team, two other new Spartak forwards had the same long dry spell in the Russian Championship as Ugalde. Ponce appeared at Spartak in the summer of 2019: the Argentine was bought from Roma for 3 million euros. Before that, he had a very productive season at Greek side AEK.
But at Spartak, Ponce spent a lot of time swinging. He failed to score in his first 10 RPL matches against Sochi, Rostov, Tambov, Dynamo, Zenit, Ural, Ufa, Orenburg, Krasnodar and Rubin. Additionally, he earned a three-match disqualification for being sent off. It is true that he distinguished himself both in the meetings with Thun in the Europa League qualification and in the Russian Cup.
Only at the end of the first round did Ponce score in the RPL derby against Lokomotiv (3-0). His goal ended up being the winning goal. In general, the Argentine’s career at Spartak proved controversial. Ezequiel adjusted his aim and ended up scoring 25 goals in 73 games. But after a meniscus injury, the rojiblancos did not need him: he was sold to Elche after a loan for 4 million euros.
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Majid Waris, 10 games without goals
Majid Waris
Photo: Alexander Safonov, “Championship”
The Ghanaian striker also had a hard time adapting to Spartak. Waris joined the Moscow club from Häken in the winter of 2013 for 2.9 million euros. In the Swedish team at that time, the 21-year-old striker scored 26 goals during the season and Spartak was very pleased with his transfer.
“He is a promising player with a great future. He caught the attention of our Club’s selection service and as soon as the opportunity arose to sign a contract with him we did so. “Spartak was ahead of several other clubs, among which perhaps was one from Russia,” rejoiced the sports director of the red and white team, Dmitry Popov.
However, the Ghanaian did not reveal himself as part of Spartak. He played only 16 matches for the Moscow team in all tournaments and scored only one goal. In addition, we had to wait for a goal from him in the RPL from March to December 2013. Waris entered the field, remained on the bench or left due to injury. Majid played without goals against Terek, Lokomotiv, Kuban, Rostov, Amkar, CSKA, Mordovia. “Tom”, “Volga” and “Krasnodar”. But the goal he scored in the away game against Rostov in the 88th minute became the winning goal.
In the winter of 2014, Waris was loaned to the French side Valenciennes, where he unexpectedly scored (nine goals in 16 games), and in September he was sold to the Turkish Trabzonspor for 6.9 million euros.
