"I missed the Russian language"
A year ago, Anton Miranchuk decided to move to Europe. And as an option to continue his career, he chose the Swiss Sion, which was eliminated from the Super League back in the 2022/23 season. He managed to play 25 matches abroad, scored two goals and provided three assists. And already at the end of August this year, Miranchuk unexpectedly transferred to Dynamo, despite the fact that he had another year of contract with the Swiss team.
In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, the midfielder of the Russian national team explained the reasons for his choice, and also spoke about life in Switzerland and the closest rivals of the national team.
When I joined Sion, I didn't know about the departure of the team
— Why did you decide to come back? What was the trigger to make such a decision?
— I had another year of the contract, initially I planned to finalize it. But the fact that Valery Georgievich [Karpin] headed Dynamo played a role. I understand that with him I can become a better player. I want to try to achieve results with the new team.
— Before returning, did you have an option only with Dynamo?
— I signed a contract with Dynamo, I don't want to talk about anything else.
— How were the first days after returning from Switzerland?
— I haven't exhaled yet, I haven't come to my senses. I've only been in Russia for a week, but there are three matches at once, the national team. I need to breathe, it's been a busy and crumpled week. I missed my country, my speech, and my family. Now I'm in the place where I wanted to be. But I'm not ready to summarize my time in Switzerland yet.
— Have you managed to solve all the household issues?
— There are a lot of them, moving takes both time and effort. My family, my wife, my relatives helped me — there was no way without it. We are always together, it keeps us going.
— Is the Russian language the main thing you miss?
— One of them. It's a trivial thing, but when you speak your native language... For example, after the game, you can discuss some points, share your thoughts - this is very important. And there you are not in your environment, people may not fully understand you.
A person knows how to adapt. At first it was hard to accept some moments, but a year goes by and it gets easier. Moscow is a megalopolis, and in Switzerland, where I lived, it is a small, albeit cozy city.
— Can we compare it with the Moscow region?
— No, it's completely different. Montreux has a very beautiful promenade, playgrounds, but everything is measured and calm. We still have a life going on.
— Why did you choose Sion a year ago?
— I don't want to open this story again, sort it out. What happened has already happened. I'll draw conclusions in 10 years, when I'm done with football. Then I will be able to answer myself whether I did the right thing or not. There are also points that I don't want to voice right now.
— When you were driving, did you regard this as a springboard for joining a stronger team?
— Of course, I thought that I would go to a team where I would flourish and progress, learn something new. I had ambitions, I wanted to change something for a long time. It turned out what it turned out to be. Probably, when you're 25, you're young and without a family, that's one story. But my wife and children are completely different. The language barrier also has an effect. It was only a year later that I began to understand some words, open up in communication with the guys, and fully adapt. My advice is to go when you're younger. Although someone can argue and say about Arsen Zakharyan. It's hard to guess what this will lead to.
— If Dmitry Barinov, who is associated with a possible transfer to AEK, asks you for advice on a possible transfer, what will you tell him?
— We exchanged a few words. I told him this: we need to go to the club that has the task of fighting for something. When I joined Sion, I probably didn't fully know that the team had been eliminated earlier, what places it occupied. And if you go to your coach, who knows you, if this team has big tasks, why not?
— Can we say that your move to Switzerland is an opportunity to change the situation and just live in another world?
— There is life outside of football, and this is a huge factor. We have seen so many beautiful places, lakes, and mountains in a year... We learned a different culture, although I didn't know much about Switzerland before that. In such conditions, you develop as a person, as a human being.
— First, the president of Sion compared you to Zidane, and then he said that you didn't like running. Why has the opinion changed so much?
— He's an adult, he has his own club, he decides what to say. I can't tell him, "Don't say that, don't." But look at the numbers of my running job. Football is now focused on physical fitness everywhere, everyone needs to run. I took his words with a chuckle.
— Back in the days of Yuri Semin, you spent hours running around the field without a ball.
— And now the training camps are heavy, it's like this everywhere! The words of the president of Sion were not supported by anything. First of all, this is not athletics. Secondly, you need to know where to run. But I absolutely do not want to promote this topic — I am grateful to the president that we got together, that I was at Sion.
— Don't you feel disappointed in you?
"I don't think so." Initially, there were big words. Over time, communication with the team and the team became warmer and better.
— What did you like the most about Switzerland?
— For example, we had bus trips — I was constantly looking at incredibly beautiful places. Landscapes, sunsets, views — it's just wonderful. It's trite, but the products and roads there are very good.
— Did you feel that Switzerland is an expensive country?
— They paid a lot of money for housing. Yes, even going to the store is already quite a lot of money. I know the stories of guys who traveled across the border of France or Italy to buy groceries a week in advance: prices differ twice!
"You haven't been riding?"
— No, it's too time-consuming. We found some options to buy everything in Switzerland.
— Have you ever encountered any negativity there because you are Russian?
— In everyday life, no one knows what kind of passport you have. You start speaking in English, they pretend they don't understand you, it's there. But I've never had any problems with a Russian passport.
— Sion faced criticism for coming to St. Petersburg.
— I haven't read the local press. Maybe someone wasn't happy that a Russian was playing in the team. Others may have been unhappy with Sion's trip to Russia. But the way we were received in St. Petersburg... The guys really liked it!
Going out under the Russian flag is a special feeling
— How would you rate the opponents at the September training camp of the national team?
- great! We have already played with Qatar, they are familiar to us. This is the first time, but we're sorting them out, let's get to know each other. It will be interesting to see both your strengths and your rivals. We invite everyone to the matches!
— When you were on the extended list, there was an opinion that it was like watching before joining Dynamo, which is also coached by Valery Karpin. Have you read about it?
— I didn't think about it. Valery Georgievich knows me well from playing for the national team and in the championship. These stories have nothing to do with each other.
— Do the challenge before the suspension and now feel different?
— You get used to everything over time. This is the situation today, and we need to adjust. Tomorrow it will be different, we will adapt. The Russian national team is a team where I am always happy to come. It's nice to see the guys and the coaching staff. Going out under the Russian flag is a special feeling. It doesn't matter if it's an official match or a friendly match.
— Are Karpin in the Russian national team and Dynamo two different people?
— Everyone understands that he has one philosophy. It was the same at Rostov. It's right if everything works. I'll say it's the same person.
Lokomotiv couldn't do anything, I wanted to leave.
— Did you receive a hat from Lokomotiv fans for joining Dynamo?
— There was no such thing. Maybe I'll feel it in a face-to-face game. But when we filmed the announcement of my announcement at Dynamo, we also paid respect to Lokomotiv, Yuri Semin. I am very grateful to Lokomotiv for everything. I always said that I wanted to try to leave— what happened was my doing.
— Did you have a feeling that Lokomotiv sincerely wanted to keep you?
— That's a good question... I think so, they wanted to. I may be mistaken, but according to my feelings, yes.
— When did you receive an offer from Lokomotiv for a new contract?
— It was all talk. I didn't see any paper. Maybe if we wanted to, the paper would have been there the next day. But for me then it was just talking. And they started when my contract was already over. Literally a week before the expiration date. I won't give you the exact date. I haven't seen any papers.
— But in any case, you discussed that you might extend your contract and stay. At what point did you decide you were going to leave?
— I initially told my agent to find me a comfortable club. In the end, it didn't work out that way.
— Did the negotiations with Sion and Loko go on in parallel?
— No, there was no such thing. "Sion" was at the very end. I signed the contract in September.
— You left Lokomotiv for Switzerland on a much lower salary...
— Not much. But the financial factor did not play a role. It all dragged on because I thought they would be able to find something suitable for me. That's all.
— How did you work with Mikhail Galaktionov?
— I had misunderstandings with him at the very beginning, when he first came. He didn't understand me, I didn't understand him. But at the end of my last season at Loko, in the final stretch, I played and felt comfortable. It was as if he trusted me and understood me.
— If the Locomotive came to you now...
— I don't want to think about it. I have already signed a contract with Dynamo.
— They wrote that you were even offered to Spartak.
— I swear, I don't read sports media in principle. Mom can give you something, Grandma can call, ask. And I say, I do not know, I just do not read. I don't want to get into it. I don't have an agent, but a lawyer... How do I say this?
— Lawyer or lawyer.
— Yes, thank God, I don't need a lawyer (Miranchuk knocked three times on the wooden bench on which he was sitting). I get information from a lawyer and try not to get carried away. I have other things to do. For example, family ones.
— What could Lokomotiv have done last summer to make you stay?
— Honestly, nothing — I had a desire to leave. I am grateful to Lokomotiv because this club raised me. He made me who I am to this day.
— In a very long-ago interview, you said that even if you leave Loko, you will definitely return to it later. Do you think you'll come back?
— No one knows what will happen tomorrow. Although it's not even like that... Nothing can be ruled out now. At the moment, I'm trying to think about today and tomorrow, but I'm not looking too far ahead. Today I have a contract with Dynamo, and I am in the national team. I'm happy here at the moment.
— What was Mom's reaction when I told her you were coming back?
— She asked me how the negotiations were going. When she found out that I had signed the contract, she was very happy, to the point of tears. It's important to her that her children are around so that we can spend time together.
— And before meeting with my brother in the national team, when was the last time I saw him? How is he doing in the USA?
— He misses Russia, of course. We've just counted it and realized that we haven't seen each other for a year! It means a lot to us. This has never happened before. We saw each other regularly every six months, even when Lyosha was playing at Atalanta. And now it's a year old... Life somehow separated us, and we miss each other very much. As it is, we talk on the phone every day.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
