"There are relatively many mediocre foreigners in the RPL"

Fyodor Smolov, one of the most famous Russian football players, created his team SMOL SQUAD and played at the "WINLINE Street Soccer" tournament. The team took the third place. Following the results of the competition, Izvestia and Sport-Express talked with Smolov about his professional future, the limit on foreign players, and his return to the Russian national team.

— How do you like street soccer?

— It's a good idea. We talked with the organizers, and I think we need to change the rules a little bit. During the tournament, due to the fact that there was an expanded application, the guys who play futsal were added. This platform is familiar to them, they understand everything. It turns out that this tournament is no longer so much for pleasure as for the result. Some kind of hack: everyone starts arguing, hitting each other. I don't think it's really about street soccer. As it is, it's a great tournament, a great organization.

— You've tried media and street football. Plus you're hosting a podcast on RPL. Do you have a feeling that you've tried a lot lately?

— Definitely, and it can not but rejoice. There is something to do. Let's put it this way: less free time, less reflection.

— How long will the cooperation with the "Brock Boys", for whom he played and scored in the FONBET Cup of Russia, last?

— We have an agreement that applies only to the Russian Cup. This is a gratuitous story.

— So you won't be waiting for you anywhere else besides the Russian Cup?

— No, don't wait.

— Journalist Ivan Karpov wrote that Smolov's earnings in the media space are even higher than in his professional career. Is this really a comparable salary?

— No, not comparable.

— The Ministry of Sports is tightening the limit on foreign players, plus it wants to introduce a tax on foreigners. Your attitude?

— There are two sides of the coin here. On the one hand, there are relatively many mediocre foreigners in the championship right now. They do not make it stronger and hardly create competition for young Russians to develop.

But this, in principle, is not entirely related to the limit, but rather to the qualifications of those people who bring these legionnaires. Given our suspension, the absence of international matches, and European competitions, it is possible that the tightening of the limit has logic, but it probably should have been done earlier, when everything was just beginning.

— Do football players need to read books? The Minister of Sports also proposed such an idea.

— You need to read regardless of the type of sport. But I don't think it should be a mandatory program. Everything is individual. Everyone spends their leisure time as they see fit.

— Doesn't it feel like the Ministry of Sports is very firmly involved in football?

— There is. But this once again confirms that football is the most popular sport in the country.

— You mentioned your intention to train with Dynamo. Will you?

"Not anymore. I'm currently training with the Brooks. At the first stage, they sort of coordinated training sessions with Dynamo, but then they overplayed something.

— The "Brooks" also signed Ari. How do you like this gain?

— great. He keeps himself in shape, so I'm not worried about his physical condition.

— Dzyuba had a farewell match in the national team. Wouldn't you like the same? Maybe he asked?

— No, I would not like to. Artyom's story was more about the scoring record. I don't think the Russian national team is the place to hold farewell matches for anyone. No matter how great an athlete you are. Even Lionel Messi is playing his farewell match in the qualifying tournament. They don't give him a farewell match within the national team. This is wrong.

— And if we are returned to international competitions, do you assume that you will return to the national team?

— If I'm in some kind of frenzied form and Valery Georgievich Karpin wants to call me...

— Are you still pursuing a professional career?

— I won't answer that question.

— Share at least a little how things are going.

— There are some suggestions. I speak.

Are you ready to move to another country?

— Yes, I am considering this in the first place.

— Will Saudi Arabia be suitable?

— Yes, it is impossible. It's a different world, different money. No one watches the Russian championship and does not know the Russian football players.

"But you have a name."

— Well, it probably could have been possible at the peak of my career. There were negotiations even about three years ago, it seems to me.

— We have a whole team in Turkey now under the leadership of Juran, Cikia went there...

— We're watching them.