"If Spartak invites me to play for him, I will change my mind about ending my career"

Last week, the Russian Football Union (RFU) was active at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), where the star ex-players of the national team held autograph sessions and even played a gala match. Denis Glushakov, the former captain of Spartak Moscow and Khimki, was among the participants of these events. In an interview with Izvestia, he spoke about the imminent end of his career, shared his opinion about the bankruptcy of Khimki, the extension of Spartak's contract with Deyan Stankovich, and told how the head coach of the national team and Dynamo Moscow, Valery Karpin, had changed since their time together at Spartak.

— Were you surprised by what happened to Khimki?

— Life situation. As they say, anything can happen. You can see for yourself what has happened to Khimki lately — the functionary had some problems (in December, Khimki investor Tufan Sadigov was detained by law enforcement agencies, and later released from custody. — Izvestia), then the club had them. It all snowballed up. I think if the region wanted to help Khimki in any way, it would have helped. As a result, what we have is what we have. Now Russian football will be without Khimki. But most of all, I feel sorry for the children who trained at the club's school. I am most interested in how the issue will be resolved with them.

— Do Khimki still owe you any money after returning to the club last year?

— Only bonuses for the games that I played at the beginning of last season. The rest was settled.

— When you briefly returned to Khimki last summer and autumn, did you feel that the club might have such problems?

— No, absolutely not. I didn't feel anything. Until the end of the year, when everything happened, when the hype around Sadygov began, nothing was felt. From there, from the situation with Tufan, everything went well.

— In addition to the situation with the children from school, it is also worrying that the football players, coaches and staff will not receive the money they were supposed to receive for their work.

— I do not know if they will be given to them or not. Probably, some money will be returned in installments. The club probably has some human qualities and will do all this. Khimki employees need finances — each of them has a family and children. We understand that they earned this money for a reason, just like the players.

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— After the termination of your contract with Khimki, you stated that you plan to end your football career. Is there any certainty about what you will do next?

— For now, we need to announce our retirement, and we'll have to tell you about it soon. And then we'll see.

— Since you have not yet definitively announced your retirement, is there a chance that you will change your mind?

— Yes, of course. If Spartak calls and says, "Come and play for us," then I will. I'll get in shape, just give me two weeks (smiles).

— Considering that you played in the second league for Spartak Kostroma for six months last year, we need to clarify: are you ready to continue your career only at Spartak Moscow?

— Of course, we are talking only about Spartak Moscow. Stop traveling around Russia (smiles).

— How did that six-month trip to Kostroma come about, considering that you had previously spent two high-quality seasons in the RPL when you first joined Khimki?

"Nothing." As you can see, I went to the second league after the RPL, but then I returned to the Premier League for a while, signing a contract with Khimki again. So I didn't care where I played. At least I can play beach soccer and come back. Or play in another team and get a call-up to the national team. If you love what you do, play football and give your best on the field, that's the most important thing. Then you can continue to perform.

— Is your love for your business not so great now that you're close to retiring?

— No, I just accepted the situation. I don't want to go anywhere away from my family. I have many children, and my son was born recently. It's worth going somewhere if there's a good, high-quality challenge. But I've already let go of this story, I'm calm about the imminent end of my career. I've already rebuilt from a state where I thought I couldn't do without football. Now I understand that I can do something else.

— From the family's point of view, was Khimki an ideal option in terms of logistics?

— Both in terms of logistics, and in terms of the fact that I was supposed to head Khimki-2. But other people went further when Tufan wasn't there. Therefore, it was not possible to become the head coach of Khimki-2, although it seems that everything was agreed upon at the board of directors. But the beauty of Russian football is that it is unpredictable. There are some people, there are others. You have to be prepared for everything.

— Have you decided for yourself that you are going to train?

"I don't know yet. Although there is already a category A coaching license, you can work as a head coach in the second league. One club even offered me this job — I won't name it. In general, if there was a team suitable for the task in the second league, then you can take on this case. And I don't want to go there just to practice and smear my name. I'd rather train my children for my own pleasure and gain experience.

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— Are you ready to become an assistant coach?

— I would go as an assistant. It depends on which team and where it will be located. Of course, I would have worked as an assistant and head coach. But for now, everything should settle down. We must come to this.

— Let's summarize your career?

— I am happy with my career. I'll tell you more about it later. But I'm happy. If many other players, even those who are currently playing in the national team, achieve what I have achieved, then God forbid. It's going to be great. But I'm generally fine. I can't say that I'm unhappy about anything. Yes, you can say that somewhere I wanted more, to play longer in the national team, to go somewhere to Europe. But these are all illusions. As they say, the richer you are, the happier you are (smiles).

— Was there a real option to go somewhere to Europe?

— There was a chance to leave Lazio a long time ago. Back in the days when I played at Lokomotiv. But it didn't work out. In principle, I do not regret it.

— Valery Karpin has become the head coach of Dynamo Moscow and for the first time since 2014 he will coach a club competing for trophies in the Russian Premier League. You worked with him at Spartak 11 years ago, when he was fired. In your opinion, how has it changed since then?

— I think I've become wiser. But he remained with the same charisma. With the same rod. He even retained many of his ideas. Although it is clear that there are innovations, and his coaching staff has been updated. Somewhere something has changed, somewhere it has not.

— Then Spartak went off as a gold contender for the winter break of the 2013/14 season. But at the beginning of spring, there was an away defeat from Terek (0:1) in the RPL, and a relegation from the Russian Cup from Tosno, who played in the second league (0:1 in the additional time), missed the championship victory at home over Anzhi (2:2) and was fired. What caused such a regression?

— There are different situations. Maybe we got physically weak somewhere and didn't train properly. Maybe there are some more points. It's hard to say. Today you win, tomorrow there is a recession, and you are eliminated. Players and coaches have different periods in their lives.

— Do you expect Spartak to be successful in the new season?

— Not yet.

- why?

— There are no transfers, nothing else. I don't see what the progress will be due to yet. It will consistently be in the top five.

— Are transfers necessary even considering how much Spartak spent in the winter?

— We need a general perturbation in Spartak. Not just with the players. There are many nuances. Sometimes illogical transfers, signings. A lot of things have to do with it. You can see all this with the naked eye if you look at the results.

— Were you surprised by the signing of a new contract with Stankovich?

— I was surprised.

— What should I have done?

— Let him work. And then you can extend it six months before the end of the contract (Stankovich's first contract expired in the summer of 2026. — Izvestia). That would be logical. Now let's see what Spartak will have in the first seven or ten games.