"I agree with Pjanic in his call to abandon double standards in sport"

Aiden McGeady is one of Spartak's most colorful internationals. You definitely remember his trademark crosses and breakthroughs down the flank, spectacular goals and, finally, his Irish accent, which eventually transformed into Russian speech. "Izvestia and Sport-Express contacted McGeady and had a detailed conversation about how his life has turned out since leaving Spartak, what he is doing after his career is over and why he will never forget his time in Moscow.

I was lucky to play until the age of 38

- You recently finished your career - at 38! Why now?

- All in good time, isn't it? I worked as a coach at Scottish club Air United, and then I helped to select players. I didn't play much and it was hard to keep going. Decided it would be better if I took another job on a full-time basis. It was time to finish, it happens to everyone at some point. I think I was lucky to play until the age of 38, so I'm quite satisfied.

- What's next - coaching or working as a manager?

- I haven't made up my mind yet. Probably something of what you have mentioned. Now I help one club in England with the selection of players.

- You mean scouting?

- Among other things. I've been doing it since I finished my career. There are a lot of things I think I could take on, but for now I'm more of a scout. Coaching? I like that job. Manager? I'm not sure I want to be one, because they always get fired in the end, don't they? It happens all the time, especially in Russia.

- Especially at Spartak.

- That's for sure, ha ha!

- Which English club are you helping at the moment?

- A friend of mine works as a manager at Wigan. Since I've finished my career, he offered to assist him. I still live in Scotland, but I go to games, watch the players and all that.

- How is your Russian language? When you played in Russia, you used to communicate with journalists in Russian.

- Now(Aiden switched to Russian) my Russian... Not so good!

- Wow! It's actually not bad.

- I've forgotten a lot of words. That's why it's not good. Good, but not great!

- You've already said more words in Russian in a minute than Russian citizen Mario Fernandez has said in his entire career.

- Yes, I remember him. And Ari. He has a Russian passport too, right? Ari speaks a little bit of Russian. I know that for sure! I also learned the language when I played at Spartak. But since I left, I use it only in Dubai or Turkey, because nobody speaks Russian in other countries. Maybe someone in London knows it, but it's difficult to meet such people. So there is almost no practice, and it's frustrating.

- In Dubai and Turkey, do you communicate in Russian with tourists?

- Yes, you know your compatriots! Sometimes it can be funny to meet them. Once there was an incident in Turkey, and I immediately remembered this peculiarity of Russians, ha-ha! In general, I was standing in line at the passport control, and suddenly three Russians pass forward.... At that moment I said, "Excuse me, what are you doing?"

- So they just cut in line?

- Yes. We started arguing in Russian - no bad words, just the usual argument. Eventually, after I told them in Russian, "I came first, you will be behind me," the man agreed, and they got in line. Like this. It's funny because I never encountered this kind of behavior until I came to Russia. And then, when I learned how people do it, I started repeating it!

There were times when I met Spartak fans on vacation. And sometimes even players from other Russian clubs. I don't know the names, but Spartak fans told me that they were a Rubin goalkeeper and a Dynamo player. In general, it's useful to know Russian, and I use it whenever I can.

Emery is very obsessed with tactics, pressing and different build ups

- There is a story that at the training session Emery kneeled in front of you. What was that about?

- Yes, I remember that moment. I think it happened in 2011, or maybe in 2012... Back then we were used to training in the usual way: a bit of ball possession, some crosses and drills to hone the finishing, some small tactical things.

But with Emery it was all tactics! He has an obsession with corners, free kicks and other standards. One day we practiced it for about an hour. He always wanted me to take corners: someone would run into the penalty area, I would take the ball, and then they would give it back to me and do it again. And I kept making mistakes and Unai knelt down and said: "McGeady, please, please, please take the corner properly." And I was like, "Bloody hell, mate, do it!" Everybody was upset because it went on for a long time.

I didn't have a problem with Emery, but he's very obsessed with tactics, pressing and different build ups. It was too much for us. Sometimes we just wanted to play soccer. I understand that tactics and other things are necessary, but we might not have played a single two-way game in the week. Just tactics, tactics, tactics.....

- Could you have imagined that Emery would be so successful after leaving Spartak?

- Yes, quite. Look, I'd be lying if I said I could imagine him coaching PSG or Arsenal. But I've seen that he's a really good coach. Fantastic! Unai, even 10 years ago, did things that are now recognized as standards in world soccer. Especially tactics, formation, standard positions. Under Karpin, not much time was given to tactics. With Emery, everything was practiced every day. The only thing I probably wasn't sure about was his ability to manage the locker room. It was probably difficult for him to find an approach to players like Dzyuba or Emenike.

- Were they in charge in the Spartak locker room?

- Yes, so that's the only point I'm not sure about. But, I repeat, Unai is a fantastic coach. I got on well with him, so I can't say anything bad.

- It was funny to watch from the stand as he was constantly waving his arms at the coach's bench. Did you understand on the field what he was trying to convey?

- I think he's just that kind of person. Emery is very emotional. So he could kneel down in front of you, begging you to do something the way he's asking you to do it. But when he was actively gesticulating during matches, I think it was very difficult to understand what he wanted. You do a tug, you look at him and you're like, "Yeah, yeah, coach. I understand you."

- Once Karpin closed the team at the base for a long time.

- Yes, once before the derby with CSKA we spent a week there. In the end, we lost 0:1 or 1:2 and went back to the base.... The players were exhausted and angry. We said that we wanted to spend time with their families, because the next game is only in five days. Karpin answered: "No, it will be as I said". But it did not have the desired effect. After a week at the base we lost again. Again, I'm not speaking badly about Karpin. He just has such a style of management.

- You once said: "Spartak coach smoked a lot. Like all the players." You're talking about Karpin, aren't you? Which players?

- I think he still smokes, it's nothing special. By the way, Karpin used to smoke all the time, but at the same time he often joined us at training sessions. And he was in great shape! Karpin often called me to talk, whether it was some disciplinary problem or something else. And every time I went into his office, he would stand by the window and smoke.

The smoking player who immediately comes to mind is Andrei Dikan. After every game I saw him standing with a cigarette in the toilet or in the shower. But it wasn't a big problem. And I think some other players did the same.

- How did Aiden McGeady relax after games? Cigarettes, beer, vodka?

- Like everyone, I like beer - I can have a drink after the game. Or a little wine. Whisky, vodka, maybe something stronger - if I go to a disco or somewhere else. After games I usually like to sit at home, eat some fruit, have a beer. In Russia, this is quite common. Now in Britain people don't talk about such things. In Russia, after the game there was always beer in the locker room, some players could smoke, but I didn't do that.

There were usually six or seven guards in camouflage standing next to Fedun

- In one of the interviews you mentioned that "some people from the club owner" held meetings in the locker room. Who were they?

- I meant that Leonid Fedun usually came into the locker room before important games, for example against Zenit or CSKA. There were usually six or seven guards in camouflage standing with him. I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure they had automatic rifles. Fedun could motivate players with bonuses before important matches, he talked about the principle of victories over Zenit.

- What was the biggest bonus for a win?

- I remember Mr. Cheloyants came to the locker room twice. The first time - when we became second, having beaten Zenit away. Then Carioca scored the winning goal. The second - after the victory over Lokomotiv. He came in with a bag full of money and threw it on the table. The Kombarovs started dividing the bonuses.

To be honest, I don't know if I can talk about it. Once, when I was a Spartak player, I gave an interview to a British journalist, where I talked about the size of bonuses. You remember Roman Askhabadze, don't you?

- Of course.

- When I came to the club, he was a translator, and then he became general director. I told about how everything was, thinking that this is a normal practice. But on the day the material was published Askhabadze called me and said that Fedun would break his contract with me if these words were not deleted. Allegedly, because of the fact that someone gave money in the locker room, there could be problems with the tax authorities, with the state.... Then I immediately called the journalist, and the material was removed.

- You crossed paths with Artem Dzyuba at Spartak. How do you remember him?

- For a long time I didn't follow Dzyuba. When I played at Spartak, he was still young. After his loan to Tom Tom, he started to play better. Of the Russian players, he was probably the biggest personality. A good person, a great footballer, who was always joking in the changing room: he could tell a story or a joke. But he and Emery had their clashes. Unai was not a fan of Dzyuba. When Artem was not on the pitch, problems started. Dzyuba didn't play much at all under Emery. And when Spartak's results began to deteriorate, many players began to lose faith in the coach.

- As a result, Dzyuba left for Zenit, and this year Alexander Sobolev repeated his path.

- It's crazy! I had the same opportunity when Luciano Spalletti was coaching Zenit. In my first season at Spartak they tried to buy me: six or seven months after my transfer they talked to my agent. Then they started to probe the ground at Spartak, there were some inquiries. But nothing more, because I said: "No, this transfer is impossible! Nobody does that".

I was devoted to Spartak, all my thoughts are connected with this club. That's why I quickly became and still am a fan of the team. I also very soon realized what this club means to its fans. I saw what the reaction to Bystrov's move was.... When we played with Zenit, there was a special degree of confrontation. Of course, matches with CSKA are derbies, but games with Zenit felt very special. I would never have been able to move to Zenit. Even if there was an official offer, I wouldn't have thought for a second about accepting it, because I liked Spartak.

- You are imbued with the spirit of Old Firm Derby.

- Exactly! Celtic's matches against Rangers are not the same, but very similar. And that was the feeling I got from all the Spartak fans. They hated Zenit. When I saw Dzyuba move to this club, I thought: "Okay. Good luck to you, fearless guy".

- At Zenit, Artem rewrote a bunch of records and won titles, but the fans never accepted him.

- Really? Ha-ha! Even despite all the titles? Did they love Sobolev?

- No. The fans insult him almost every match.

- Perhaps he was motivated by money, his contract became much bigger. But you have to love life too...

In the UK, almost no one writes about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine anymore

- Did you come to the World Cup matches in Russia?

- No. I think I was on vacation at that moment.... Or we had late play-off matches with Sunderland, and the summer break was very small. In addition, the Irish national team was not selected for the tournament, so there was no one to cheer for. But I would very much like to come to Russia again.

- You haven't been to Spartak's new stadium either, have you?

- No. But I lived not far from Volokolamka. Often when I passed that place, the driver told me that that's where the new arena would be. I want to go to a match of the team sometime, to see old friends. Artem Rebrov is still in the club?

- Yes, he is the technical coordinator. And recently he took part in a retro match in honor of the stadium's tenth anniversary.

- I saw Ari, Emenike and Velliton also play for Spartak at the new arena. I would have loved to be there with the guys!

- Why weren't you invited?

- I don't know. Nobody contacted me. Perhaps because I hadn't officially finished my career at that time. That was only a few weeks ago.

- You live in Glasgow and say you are ready to come to Russia. What do they say in Scotland about the political situation?

- It's hard to say. Because many people in the UK are not very immersed in this issue. As for my opinion, globally I don't agree with what is happening. And I think that the West may have pushed Russia to the current situation.

- Miralem Pjanic, after his transfer to CSKA, called on international sport to abandon double standards.

- I agree with him. The U.S. has been involved in conflicts in many countries around the planet, but no one has ever suspended their athletes and teams from competition. They have always participated in the Olympics. Why can't Russia? Soccer should remain out of politics! I sincerely don't understand why players should be punished.

But you know what is interesting. Not so long ago, for the Western media, the story with Russia and Ukraine was the biggest, most important story. Every day it was in all the newspapers. And now: bang - and suddenly it's all gone. Now they don't write or talk much about it.

- Why?

- I don't know, maybe it is out of the information agenda. But the fact is that almost nobody writes about it anymore.

- Because of Donald Trump's victory in the US elections?

- Probably because of that. Perhaps because of the war in Gaza..... Now you can see much more news about this conflict than about Russia and Ukraine. And before, I remember, there was news every day: Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea, Russians' assets were frozen, and so on. But at a certain point, everything disappeared.