“I am not destined to become champion of Russia.” New tragedy of Fyodor Smolov
Georgy Ilyushchenko May 25, 2024, 22:57 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
One of the best scorers in the history of the RPL was once again left without gold.
To guarantee the championship, Dinamo had to avoid losing to Krasnodar. It didn’t work: minimal defeat.
Marcel Licka released Fedor Smolov in the final minutes, a typical situation this season. The attacker did not take advantage of the opportunity. And he missed the most realistic chance of his entire career to win the RPL.
“I wrote to my wife that I was not destined to become Russian champion. This is frustrating,” Fedor told the Championship.
Fedor Smolov again did not become champion.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Smolov’s pessimism is understandable. The sixth top scorer in Premier League history with 108 goals (only Dzyuba, Veretennikov, Kerzhakov, Kirichenko and Loskov are cooler) won the Russian Cup twice with Lokomotiv, but never won the RPL gold medal:
2008 season: Smolov, 18, played seven games for Dynamo, scoring against the Wings (3-3) and taking bronze. The difference with the champion Rubin is six points in the 2009 season: Dynamo was only eighth. Smolov has 0 effective actions in 18 games; 2010/2011 season: in Feyenoord Fedor has 1+1 in 11 matches and only 10th place in the 2011/2012 season: Smolov’s two goals in 23 matches did not help Dynamo get into the top three; fourth place; 2012/2013 season: 15 games, 0 goals and the same number of assists for Anzhi, which he led to bronze – thanks to his star partners. 2013/2014 season: six months at Dynamo, six months at Anzhi – 2+1; 24 games, fourth place for the Muscovites and last place for the Makhachkala; 2014/2015 season: decisive year in the Urals with 8+2 in 22 matches, but it is difficult to fight for medals with the Yekaterinburg team – 13th place 2015/; 2016 season: phenomenal 20+8 in Krasnodar and only fourth place; 2016/2017 season: 18+1 and similar result; 2017/2018 season: 14+6 and again fourth position; 2018/2019 season: 6+2; Lokomotiv, who traded the championship without Smolov for second place with him. Zenit was already eight points ahead in the 2019/2020 season: 3+3 in six months at Loko (silver and -15 for Zenit), six months at Celta with two goals in 14 games. Smolov scored against Barça and Real Madrid, but in general the loan was a failure: logically they did not buy him back in the 2020/2021 season: 7+3 in 21 games at Lokomotiv, again bronze and minus nine from Zenit in the season 2021/2022; : 7 goals in 15 games for Loko, 5 for Dynamo in 11 games and another bronze, only now with the blue and white. Zenit is 12 points ahead and the red and green team are sixth in the 2022/2023 season: 10+2 in 24 games and ninth place.
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In fact, the only real chance of getting gold was only this season. And now we miss him. Smolov is not going to finish yet, even at 34 years old. It is already clear that he has become a legend of Russian football. But just because of that status they don’t hang a medal around their necks. Veretennikov himself will agree.
Fedor confirmed that he will spend next season at Dynamo. However, this year he became a substitute and scored all four goals in mid-September. And then, vacuum and substitutions at the end. Even if the blue and white team are close to the title again, Smolov will apparently remain in the background.
Smolov had a real chance to move to Zenit, even before the 2018 World Cup at home, where he performed the same panenka in the penalty shootout with Croatia and for a time became the most hated person in Russia. He didn’t use it. And he was left without a championship. It’s good that now, it seems, Fedor has accepted a new tragedy (and such a result of the race for Dynamo can only be called a tragedy for the team) more calmly:
Fyodor Smolov
Forward of Dinamo
“Marcel said at the facility that we will only play to win. We must pay tribute to Krasnodar, who came out and were the most motivated in the last seven games. It was clear that they were determined to win and we, unfortunately, could not cope with the pressure and importance of this match. The fact that we were able to draw and achieve the desired result played a cruel joke on us. I’m glad that this season we were able to fight for the title until the last round. That’s why I focus on the positive aspects of Dynamo.
Smolov will still have a chance to win gold.
