Neighbors abroad: how was the football season for Russian legionnaires?

Russian football players and coaches play a prominent role in foreign clubs and championships. And the end of the season is a great time to take stock of the performances for our foreign players. Izvestia tells about the main characters of the last football year who came to foreign clubs from Russia.

Matvey Safonov (PSG)

He won the treble, but he's not playing enough: it's almost impossible to oust Donnarumma

In 2025: 9 matches, 4 at zero + 90 minutes for the national team against Nigeria

Matvey played a lot at the end of the season, but only because Parisian head coach Luis Enrique could allow rotation for a crucial period. Safonov was the main player only in the French Cup: he played all the playoff games, starting with 1/8. I played zero in three of the four matches, but the opponents were not the most formidable either: Le Mans from the third league, Stade Briochant from the fourth, Dunkirk from Ligue 2 and Reims, which was relegated from the elite.

But still, the 2024/25 season is a fairy tale for Moti! He won all four possible trophies with PSG, became the fifth Russian winner of the Champions League, and his native Krasnodar finally took the gold medals of the Russian championship. Everything was slightly spoiled by the Russian national team's match with Nigeria at Luzhniki Stadium: Safonov scored a goal, but the national team conceded for the first time in 845 minutes and interrupted a series of eight victories.

Our goalkeeper, of course, went with the Parisians to the World Club Championship in the USA, but in the first match he remained in reserve (4-0 with Atletico). He was not at the start of the second game, in which PSG unexpectedly lost to Botafogo (0:1). Ahead of the Parisians in the group stage is a duel with the American Seattle.

Goalkeeper's castling: Safonov is ready to play for the national team again

PSG goalkeeper joined the national team, and Stanislav Agkatsev left it.

Arsen Zakharyan (Real Sociedad)

Very. A lot. Being treated

In 2025: 4 games, 78 minutes, 1+1

The former Dynamo player missed 208 days this season, or 37 games in all competitions. In January, Arsen recovered from all the injuries and began to apply for matches. But February remained the only month when Zakharyan entered the field.

As a result, the Russian midfielder appeared on the field only four times in a Real Sociedad T-shirt in the 2024/25 season. He scored an assist for a partner in the LE match against Midtjylland and scored a beautiful goal from the penalty spot in the game against Leganes. And then an injury in training — and again treatment, treatment, treatment.

In early June, the Real Sociedad press service noted that "the club wants Arsene to become a key player in the season." We are waiting for a healthy Zakharyan on the field!

Alexey Miranchuk (Atlanta United)

I started the year very badly, but in May I revived

In 2025: 18 matches, 2+3

Miranchuk's team has similar problems with Kansas City: third from the end in the Eastern Conference, but already eight points ahead of the wild card round. Atlanta got off to a very difficult start with only two wins in the first 14 rounds, but in May it recovered a little and got eight points (before that it was only nine).

Alexey himself was transformed. He participated powerfully in the victories over the leaders of the table: two assists from Cincinnati and a goal plus a pass from Orlando City. He was also named the best player of the month.

Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov (Sporting Kansas City)

He revives his career in the USA: he takes pictures with Messi, plays a lot, scores beauty, is third in the goal + pass team

In 2025: 3 matches, 0+0 for Greek Aris, 19 games, 2+5 for Kansas City

In February, Shapi chose an unexpected career continuation: he moved from the crisis-hit Greek Aris, which fell from first to fifth place in a month, to the American Sporting for €2.4 million. The second match for the new club came against Inter Miami, where Messi, Suarez, Alba and Busquets are playing. It didn't work out very well: two defeats (0:1 and 1:3) and relegation from the CONCACAF Champions League. But after the match, he posted a photo on social media with the Argentine and the caption "They have eight Golden Balls between them."

After a difficult start (0+0 in the first four matches) Suleymanov had a bright moment: he scored a goal and provided four assists in six games. Shapi recently scored another goal, and both of the player's goals in the MLS turned out to be very beautiful: the debut one was curled from a free kick from the sharpest angle, and the second one was a signature left-handed shot from behind the penalty area into the far corner of the goal.

The situation for our winger's team in the championship is not the most pleasant: third place from the end in the Western Conference and six points before entering the wild card zone, where the eighth and ninth teams will play off in a face-to-face match. There is still time — there are 12 games left until the end of the regular season.

Daler Kuzyaev (Le Havre)

After six months on the bench, I decided to leave the club.

In 2025: 53 minutes in early January

Things got really sad for Dahler in France. After a strong start to the season (11 appearances in the first 13 rounds), Kuzyaev dropped out of the main squad. In Le Havre's first match in 2025, the Russian midfielder started the match against Marseille, but was injured in the 53rd minute and left the field ahead of schedule.

This was Daler's last appearance for Le Havre. An ankle injury knocked him out of action for two months, and in early June, the club officially announced that it would not extend the contract with the midfielder. Le Havre miraculously remained in Ligue 1 for the next season, but without Kuzyaev's active participation.

The player does not want to return to the RPL, and continuing his career in Europe remains a priority for Dahler. According to Sport24 insiders, Kuzyaev's representatives are working on options with mid-level players from the Spanish, French and German championships.

Stuck in Iran: how the conflict in the Middle East affected Russian football

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Nikita Khaykin ("Buda-Glimt")

I spent a historic season, in a new one I'm dragging again

In 2025: 20 matches, 7 to zero

The Russian goalkeeper literally led his team to the semi-finals of the Europa League with his own hands. And it's really not just a turn of phrase: in 1/4 with Lazio, Khaykin deflected two shots in the penalty shootout. This is a truly legendary achievement, because Norwegian clubs have never been at the 1/2 stage in European competitions. However, it was not possible to impose a fight on the future trophy holders there — 1:3 and 0:2 against Tottenham.

Nikita started the new season in the Norwegian championship well again: five "crackers" in eight games. And Bude-Glimt is going for the third championship in a row: they took the title in 2023 and 2024.

Fedor Chalov (PAOK)

He did not meet the expectations of the fans, could not become the main striker, but he should stay in the team for the next season.

In 2025: 16 matches, 1+3

The only goal in the new year was scored by the heel of Lamia, a hopeless outsider from last place. This is probably the only bright flash of Fedor at the end of the season. Even Chalov's entry into the championship playoffs with the club from the fourth place cannot be called a success, because exactly 12 months ago PAOK took the Greek gold.

Fedor did not become the main striker of the team either. There are only 16 exits at the start of 40 games in all tournaments. And in 2025, he appeared from the very first minutes only three times. The Russian finished the season on a terrible streak of eight matches without scoring goals. He pleased the fans with only two assists in the playoffs - AEK and Olympiacos.

The head coach of the Greek team, Razvan Lucescu, trusts Fedor and will probably keep him in the main squad for next season. According to rumors, it was the Romanian specialist who wanted the Russian striker last summer.

"I gradually realized that I was ready to work at the club again"

Valery Karpin — about the choice in favor of Dynamo, matches with Nigeria and Belarus, and questions about labuba

Leonid Slutsky (Shanhai Shenhua)

One of the contenders for the championship. He's still second, but he's four points ahead of the defending champion.

In 2025: 18 matches, 12 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses

Slutsky's Shanhai has not lost nine consecutive games in the Chinese championship, but the first misfire that occurred in early May in a match against Chengdu Rongcheng dropped the team to second place in the table. Such a powerful density in the Chinese championship!

In the penultimate round of the first round, Shanhai lost again. This time, one of the outsiders of the Shenzhen Peng City tournament. But Slutsky's team is still one of the favorites for the championship — 32 points each with Beijing Guoan, and they are second only to the leader in goal difference.

By the way, the reigning champion Shanghai Port is still on the fourth line. Leonid Viktorovich drew with them (1-1), having already snatched points in the classic way at the end of the meeting.