The conqueror of world football from Russia: the main facts about PSG goalkeeper Safonov

French football club Paris Saint-Germain drew with Bayern Munich on May 6 and reached the final of the UEFA Champions League for the second year in a row. The Parisians' goal was defended by Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, and following the results of the return matches of the UEFA tournament, his rescue after a shot by midfielder Jamal Musiala was among the best. Izvestia has collected the TOP 5 facts and the main achievements of the goalkeeper in his entire career.

Historical record: the first Russian in the Champions League final twice

Safonov became the first Russian football player in history to reach the Champions League final twice. In the return semi-final of the 2025/2026 season against Bayern Munich, the Russian goalkeeper deflected five shots and helped his team achieve a 1-1 draw. According to the sum of two meetings, the Parisians won with a score of 6:5 and won a ticket to the decisive match, where they will meet Arsenal in London on May 30 in Budapest. A year earlier, in the 2024/2025 season, Safonov had already won the main European cup as part of PSG - in the final, the Parisians defeated Inter 5-0, and Safonov spent the entire match on the bench.

High point: four consecutive penalty shootouts in the final

Last December, in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against Brazilian Flamengo, Safonov achieved an achievement that no goalkeeper in the history of FIFA tournaments has ever achieved. In the penalty shootout, he deflected four shots in a row, which brought victory to his club. This match instantly made the Russian an idol of the Parisian fans. The president of the International Football Federation (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, in turn, published a photo of Safonov, and the former head coach of Moscow "Locomotive" Yuri Semin called Safonov's outstanding game the result of his hard work.

Personal benefit against Chelsea and recognition in France

In the 1/8 finals of the Champions League 2025/2026, Safonov destroyed the hopes of Chelsea in London. Having played an outstanding match, he not only made a number of spectacular saves, but also gave an assist to Hvich Kvaratskhelia with the score 0-0, marking the beginning of the defeat of the guests. After this game, the French media started talking about the fact that the departure of Luc Chevalier's competitor from PSG had become inevitable, and Safonov himself had become the undisputed number one of the team. L'Equipe recognized the Russian as the best player of the match against Chelsea, in which Safonov deflected nine shots on goal, keeping the goal "dry".

The best goalkeeper of the RPL and nerves of steel

Safonov's career is often described by a story about nerves of steel and the ability to progress at the top level. And its foundation was laid back in Russia. After completing his appearances for Krasnodar, he played 175 official matches for his hometown club, scoring 53 crackers and becoming the best goalkeeper of the Russian Premier League (RPL) at the end of the 2023/2024 season. This background helped him confidently enter a new club and give Russian fans the opportunity to watch his compatriot play in one of the strongest clubs in the world.

The first issue of PSG: a dry series and uncompromising competition

Having started the 2025/2026 season as a replacement for Frenchman Luc Chevalier, Safonov managed to win the competition. By April 2026, he had played 13 matches in Ligue 1 and in seven of them (53.8% of games) he left the gate "locked" — this is the second indicator in the French championship. After the game against Angers on May 5, Safonov brought the number of "dry" matches in the season to 11, which allowed him to beat Chevalier in this indicator. In early May, his streak of 19 consecutive games in the starting lineup was interrupted only due to rotation, which finally confirmed his role as the main goalkeeper of the French grandee.