"Wendell was the main ringleader for us"

Having defeated Rostov away (1-0) in the final round, Zenit regained the championship title, which it lost to Krasnodar a year ago. Prior to that, St. Petersburg had been the best team in Russia for six seasons in a row. For defender Yuri Gorshkov, who joined Zenit from Samara's Krylia Sovetov two years ago, this gold was the first in his career.

In an interview with Izvestia, the 27-year-old football player shared his emotions from winning the title, spoke about the leadership qualities of Brazilian midfielder Wendel and explained why the loan of Colombian striker John Duran did not meet expectations.

— What are the emotions from the first championship in your career?

— Great emotions. We won. It's great to have a trophy like that.

— Were you surprised when you had such a chance before the end of the round after Krasnodar's defeat by Dynamo Moscow?

— Why are you surprised? Dynamo is a good team. We knew that it would not be easy for Krasnodar. Overall, it was probably a draw game. Dynamo was a little lucky, but that's what happens in football.

— A little less than two years ago, you joined Zenit almost simultaneously with Maxim Glushenkov and Alexander Sobolev. Was it emotionally overwhelming that you were chasing titles, but in your first season the club was left without them?

— No, it's not like we looked at each other and didn't think that we were the reason. Overall, Zenit scored 66 points last season, which would have been enough for the championship this year. It's just Krasnodar's merit that for two consecutive championships the fight for gold has been going on until the very end, until the last round. Usually 62-64 points were enough for the championship.

— Do you have any special emotions from this championship than those Zenit players who have seen the team's previous trophies? Did you feel that it was more difficult for them to find motivation?

— To be honest, no. Look, for example, at our foreign players, at their joy at this championship, at how they celebrated it. Judging by the way they worked hard and trained during the season, it was clear that this gold was very important to them. They never got tired of winning.

— Even for Wendell, who was late for packing after his vacation once again?

— Wendell, on the contrary, was our main motivator and ringleader. It felt like he wanted to win more than anyone.

— At the same time, there was no such feeling from John Duran, who came to you in the winter, scored only two goals, lost his place in the squad and left the team a round before the finish of the championship. How did they react to his departure?

—No way. Calmly.

— After three months of Duran's stay in the team, did you understand what kind of player he is?

"Honestly?" If he wants to, he's a very strong player. That is, when Duran was giving his best in training, everyone understood why he was playing in England, why serious clubs in Europe were interested in him. But if there is no desire, then, accordingly, it does not look at all.

— Is there any understanding why he basically has no desire to play in any club in a row?

"I don't have any." I think you should ask him that. But on the whole, his qualities were visible. If he wants to.

— Is it disappointing that we didn't play as much as we wanted to this season? Is there a goal now to become a champion as a foundation player?

— How much did I play? Eight or nine matches is a third of the championship. Probably, many expected that I would play less. For myself, of course, I think that's not enough. But the main thing is that we won the championship. Everyone has made a part of their contribution.