Goalkeeper Perm "Amkar" Alexander Selikhov gave an interview to the newspaper "Sport-Alliance".
Alexander Selikhov. Date of birth - 05/07/1994, height - 190 cm, weight - 79 kg.

Didn't think about football
- Where he was born? Where did you study?
- Born in the village of Naryshkino. I studied there until the fifth grade. Then he moved to school number 34 in Orel.

- What do your parents do for work?
- Parents are completely ordinary people. Mom works in a store, and dad is a taxi driver.

- So your parents have nothing to do with sports?
- Dad understands a lot about football and tells me some points. He is an ardent fan of the Eagle football club and the Permian Amkar. Dad played hockey in the winter and football in the summer for district teams. Then such a combination was a fashionable trend.

- When did you start playing sports? Did you immediately choose football? Did you play other sports?
- I owe my career to my second cousin Maxim Provalenov and my father. Until the age of eleven, he chased the ball in the yard in his native Naryshkino and did not think about big football. But at some point, my brother decided to send me to a sports school. To be honest, I didn’t really want to - either I was afraid, or I didn’t believe in myself. But he and dad insisted. My first coaches were S. A. Mezhuev and V. I. Zotova. After some time A. V. Glazkov came. As for doing other sports, I was only passionate about football and didn’t think about anything else.

- The position of the goalkeeper is not very attractive. In street football, this role is usually assigned to the weakest players. Why the goalkeeper?
- You can say that it was the same with me, only in the yard I was the smallest in age, so I had to take gloves and stand on the gate. When I came to the Youth Sports School No. 3 for the first training session, I was confused and could not decide where to play. At the second lesson, V.I. Zotov gave gloves and I stood at the gate. It was like that (laughs).

Where are the strong goalkeepers?
- After the Oryol Youth School No. 3, Moscow Spartak was waiting for you. How did you get there and why didn't you manage to stay?
“Then I was 12 years old. Four guys from our team were called up to the children's football league team. After that, we were invited to a two-week training camp in Sochi with Spartak. We showed ourselves there on the good side, and they took us. Why didn't you manage to stay? First, they told me through the teacher that I was expelled. I came to the management and they told me that there are goalkeepers stronger than me, only now I don’t see these strong goalkeepers.

- After Spartak, the St. Petersburg Smena appeared in your life.
- I did not want to return to Orel. A couple of months later they were invited to view in St. Petersburg. After two practices and one game, they told me they would call later. Since they had a change of leadership there, they called only a month later and told me to come.

- On various sites they write that you are a pupil of the "Change", while they note that you did not stay in St. Petersburg due to problems with housing and violations of discipline?
- I left there in my senior year, so I think that I am a student of both Oryol and a little St. Petersburg football. As for the question of my parting with Smena, I can confirm that there were indeed violations of discipline. I didn't go to school sometimes, that's all. I was expelled, and if I am expelled from school, then they don’t provide housing. I was told that I could stay, but the apartment had to be rented at my own expense. There was no money then, but I analyzed everything and drew conclusions. This won't happen again. I'm not offended at Zenith at all, but yes, at myself.

- Why did you decide to go to Orel? Don't you regret that you didn't stay in St. Petersburg near Zenit?
- I really wanted to play in my hometown. Also at that time, my father had health problems. He understood that he needed to be there to help him. Of course, it is very unpleasant that I did not manage to stay in St. Petersburg, but this is only my fault. Before his debut in the main team of Amkar, he regretted that he could not stay in the Zenit system, but now he is gone.

There is something to remember
- In 2011, you got into the Orel squad and in the same season played the first match in a green and white T-shirt.
- Yes. It was in Kaluga. The coach was Igor Luzyakin. We played a draw - 1:1. There was no particular joy from this result, because we missed two points. At the same time, I was well aware that I had opened the door to professional football.

- The federal press wrote about you for the first time after the match with the Tula Arsenal, which played in the third division, and you played for the Orel double. After the match, the Tula player Yegor Titov spoke flatteringly about your game in a post-match interview.
- Then Arsenal had a very good team. Filimonov, Parfyonov, Kovtun, Khlestov, Evseev and Titov played in the Tula team. There were 15,000 people in the stands. Before the game I was very worried, but when I heard the starting whistle, I calmed down. Now Evseev is the coach of Amkar, so we have something to remember (laughs). I also remember how Parfyonov parried a penalty.

- You played ten matches for Orel. Which one do you remember the most?
- In my opinion, I played the best game at home, when in Orel we played with Kaluga for the Russian Cup, however, we lost then in extra time - 0:1.

Family ties
- While playing for Orel, you had a loan spell at Amkar. What for? Why did you decide that it was better to be in the youth team of a Premier League club, and not in a second division club?
- I trained with the main team, and got game practice in reserve. I think that this is how you have more chances to reach a high level. The main goalkeeper can get injured or go through the cards, then the changer has a chance. If I had trained only with a double, then maybe I wouldn’t have gone to Amkar, but I clearly understood where I was going.

- Then Cherchesov trained the Permians, and his son was your competition. Were there any concerns about this? Satisfied with the rental?
- I came to coach Rustem Khuzin, and six months later Cherchesov took over the team. I really enjoyed working with Salamovich. Cherchesov is a competent specialist. As for his son Stas, we worked with him as usual. He did not receive any privileges. With his arrival, nothing has changed for me: as I was the third goalkeeper, so I have remained so. When the lease ended, Salamovich called me to his place and told me to rest, that the club needed me and he was waiting for me.

I'll break my nose
- The lease is over. I had to return to the Eagle, but you did not stay here. Why?
- In January 2014, I returned from a loan at Amkar, but Orel did not take me to the training camp, and then did not declare me for the season. At the same time, the management refused to sell me to other clubs, setting a very high price. And there were offers, including from one Premier League team. I filed a complaint with the Dispute Resolution Chamber, Eagle did not like it, after which an unpleasant moment occurred.

- You came to the club to get a mark in the labor on dismissal, and in response one of the Orel employees broke your nose?
- This is a scandal that everyone probably knows about. I'm tired of commenting on it. There is no sense from this. I think that's why there is no football in Orel. All bad things have to be accounted for. Everything returns.

Return
- After that, you moved to Amkar. There were no offers from other clubs? Why did you choose a Premier League club, because it is much more difficult to break into the base there than in the FNL or PFL team?
– Goalkeeping coach Vladimir Sychev worked at Amkar, with whom I have been in touch for these six months. He was waiting for me to solve the problems with Orel. I liked everything in Amkar during the lease, so I decided to go there. And I will not hide the fact that, in fact, there were no other specific proposals, although many showed interest.

- You came to Perm in 2014 and until August 28, 2015 you were marinated on a bench. Have you thought about changing clubs?
- Thinking about renting. There were five options with the FNL. Goalkeeping coach Sychev stopped me and did not let me go, for which I am now very grateful to him. He seemed to know that soon I would enter the field at the base.

age problem
- We will talk about your exploits in Amkar a little later. What can you say about the call to the youth team? Did he come as a surprise to you?
- I received my first call-up in November 2014, where I played the first match for the youth team against Ireland. Then the match ended with the score 2:2. I was happy to debut. It is a great honor for me to play for my country.

“Now the youth team is in crisis. You know the picture from the inside. What's happening?
- As you know, Khomukha used to coach the youth team and under his leadership they played in two finals of the European Championships. Now he calls in the youth team most of the players born in 1996, with whom he went through fire, water and copper pipes. There is a certain division in the team - there are players born in 1996 and all the rest who come for the quantity. Apparently, the coach decided that he could go through the qualifying round with the younger guys. So far, things are not going very well. We have guys who play in the Premier League and look very decent. But the call of the players to the national team is the decision of the coach, because he is responsible for the result.

- What do you think, who is stronger, your youth competitor Mitryushkin or Selikhov?
- I am pleased with my performance, and then let the coaches decide for themselves who is stronger, and football experts compare.

Against tigers
Let's get back to club business. Your debut in the Premier League fell on the game with Rostov. Did you expect to be among the top eleven?
- The day before the game, head coach Gadzhiev approached me and asked about my psychological state. I said I feel great. Nevertheless, I did not expect that I would be in the starting lineup. I went to the installation and saw myself at the base. Joy and pride were burning inside, but it was necessary to tune in to the match. I sent a text message to my father and started preparing.

- Amkar lost your debut match, but you collected a good amount of press. What did Hajiyev say after the match?
- It was very embarrassing. Hajiyev didn't tell me anything personally. He always demands from the players that they give their best on the field, and then you can get gratitude.

- You already have 10 matches in the Premier League. Is the game against Zenit your best match so far?
- Your information is wrong! I played ten games in the Premier League and one in the Russian Cup. At the moment, the most significant for me is the meeting with Zenit, because, you can say that I am his pupil. By the way, before this match, after the warm-up, goalkeeping coach Sychev and I went to the stands. I ask him: “How to go out to play now, because the “Zenith” will have Hulk, Witzel, Danny on the field? They are world class stars." Sychev reassured me, said that they are also people, that they also make mistakes and worry. True, after the match he came up to me and said: “San, I’m sitting here, looking and thinking, that’s where I threw you? I didn’t even give a knife to the tigers in a cage.” In general, I think that I played well, but there were mistakes.

- Is it the main feat to save a penalty kick from the player of the Brazilian national team Hulk?
- For me, yes. Better rewards and not come up with. Partners, probably, went for a week and teased. By the way, in that match Gadzhiev told me for the first time that I was doing well. Ryazantsev said after the game: “Do you want to go straight to the first team?”

- In the Premier League, you have already saved two penalties. Can you be called a penalty shooter?
- I've already been shot five penalties. Reflected two. So I wouldn't call myself a master. It’s just that I’m looking at who takes the penalty how, so I’m ready to repel, well, without luck, nowhere.

I remember who I crawled with
- Amkar is playing unstably this year. What do you associate it with?
- Our game is stable, but the result is unstable. We gave a lot of points ourselves, because of ridiculous mistakes. Plus, the composition is often rotated. At the same time, I am sure that we will spend the rest of the season better.

– Amkar's insecure play in defense made you famous in a couple of months, and your saves in Orel, and in other cities, people watch with bated breath. Poor defense for the goalkeeper - another chance to excel?
- Now there are no matches in the Premier League where the goalkeeper will not have a chance to excel. It's just that some people have more moments, and some have less. It is better that our gates do not have them, because if not
missed, so you haven't lost.

- Began to recognize on the streets? Glory does not press? Aren't you afraid to catch star disease?
- In social networks, congratulations or words of support are very often sent. Began to recognize on the streets. I will not hide that it is very pleasant. And star disease is not about me. I always remember those with whom I crawled.

- In Orel, more than 1,000 people rarely go to football, but sometimes full stadiums gather at Premier League clubs. Is it better for you to play with a large crowd of spectators or in a chamber atmosphere?
- Of course, with a large crowd it is better to play. Fans are adrenaline, these are emotions. I love fans!

Akinfeev's replacement
- Your teammate Georgy Peev has repeatedly stated that you will become Akinfeev's replacement. Ready?
- It is the matter of time. We need stability. I can vouch for myself that I will work one hundred percent so that Zhora is right.

- That is, Orel will have a representative at the 2018 World Cup, and, perhaps, at Euro 2016?
- We'll wait and see. But I would really like that.

- And what is the most important thing for a goalkeeper? What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- I was convinced that psychology is the main thing for a goalkeeper. I don't know my strengths. Let coaches and football experts analyze it. I know that I need to work on the right choice of position, I would also like to add a little more in the jump.

Need to change
- In Orel, the situation with football is not the best. Do you think your home team has a chance to get out of the swamp? What is needed for this?
- Of course, there is a chance to get out, but we need to rebuild the club, starting from the head, to look for problems in the team's management. A lot of players and coaches have already passed through the Eagle. Nothing changed. So the problem is not with them. You need to talk less and do more.

- Do you keep in touch with the current Orel players or with those with whom you played for the green-and-white club?
- Sometimes we write off. At a meeting, they are glad to each other. When it's time for the holidays, we are going to play with the Oryol guys on the field of the Children's and Youth Sports School No. 3. Always in touch with Max Shirokov and Fuad Karimli. They are my childhood friends.

Belenov is the best!
– What do you do in your free time?
- I go to the cinema, to the shops. I often attend matches of the Perm hockey club in the VHL. It should be noted that team events, paintball, trips to the theater and so on are often held in Amkar. I got used to Perm. I like living here, but the weather here is always bad. I also like to read in my free time. Now the handbook "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini. As for music, there are no special preferences. I like the tuber.

- Who is the best goalkeeper in Russia and the world?
- The best goalkeeper in Russia - Belenov. The best goalkeeper in the world is Buffon. The Italian has long proved everything to everyone. But now there is no idol. Maybe when I was a kid, but not now. As for the outfield players, I really like Cristiano Ronaldo's style of play. Favorite club is Real Madrid.

- Now many people are talking about the naturalization of foreigners. Do you support such an initiative? Do you need Lokomotiv goalkeeper Glerme of the Russian national team?
- I think that naturalization is a player's weakness. It turns out that where he was born, he was not useful there, but we need him? If Guilherme wants to play for the national team so much, then he had to be closer to Brazil, to prove himself. But this is my opinion. I think that even if he received Russian citizenship, it will be very difficult for him to break into the base of the national team.

- What are your plans for the future?
- I want to play football.

- When will you be seen in Orel?
The season ends on the third of December. After that I will go on vacation to the Dominican Republic. I will be in Orel on December 16th. I will definitely meet everyone.

On March 23, the Russian national team will play the first match this year: in Moscow, Stanislav Cherchesov's team will face five-time world champions Brazilians. And already on the 27th in St. Petersburg, our players will play with the French.

What will be the composition of the Russian team for these matches can only be guessed. Only the position of the main goalkeeper is not in doubt: Stanislav Cherchesov has repeatedly said that he fully trusts Igor Akinfeev.

But there is no certainty about who is the closest replacement for the army goalkeeper. One of the candidates for this role is Alexander Selikhov, who recently confidently copes with his duties in the Moscow "Spartak". Unlike his colleagues Andrei Lunev and Vladimir Gabulov, Selikhov has not yet played for the national team. And the guy got only the second time in his career. How he went to this, Alexander told the correspondents of "RG".

Psychology Akinfeev

You were again called up to the Russian national team. Do you think you deserve it?

Alexander Selikhov: That's what the coach decided. Personally, I am very glad, because I really went to this, aspired. Cherchesov does not hide the fact that Akinfeev is number one in the national team.

That is, if you enter the field, then only in case of force majeure ...

Alexander Selikhov: Somehow I don't think about it. My job is to play, train, show my level. And then it all depends on the head coach and the circumstances. There are injuries, other moments. I have no problems in this regard: Akinfeev is stronger and therefore he plays.

Is it possible to break into the base because of his wide back?

Alexander Selikhov: T hard, of course. But no one is irreplaceable: someday someone will replace him.

You once said that you admire Igor's psychological stability ...

Alexander Selikhov: Yes, I would take psychology from him. And experience. After all, he has already played at various tournaments, and no decisive matches put much pressure on him. In this regard, he feels absolutely calm, and, look, he is having a great season.

By the way, do you know him?

Alexander Selikhov: We had a cool story. After the match in August, when we lost to CSKA, I asked Akinfeev for a T-shirt. Yes, he says, they will bring it to you now. In the end, no one brought me anything. And now, in December, before the game at our stadium, we again meet with him in the under-tribune room. He told me: "San, hello! I remember about the T-shirt, I'll give it back after the match." And indeed: the administrator of CSKA brought it to me later. To be honest, I was very surprised. I think this case shows what kind of person Igor is.

Do you collect T-shirts? What can you name the most valuable?

Alexander Selikhov: Here, probably, Akinfeevskaya can be attributed to the most valuable. Firmino from Liverpool is, Rico, the goalkeeper of Sevilla. Whoever I like, I ask for a T-shirt. I have a few T-shirts, only about 50 pieces.

Are there any unusual, exclusive T-shirts?

Alexander Selikhov: Don't even know. There is a shirt of Martin Jakubko from the Slovakian national team. Who played with me in Amkar.

In the Russian national team, Alexander Selikhov again met with Stanislav Cherchesov, with whom he had previously worked in Amkar. Photo: Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Cherchesov has not changed

You have known the head coach of the national team since he coached Amkar...

Alexander Selikhov: We can say that we constantly intersect. He has a son, Stas, with whom we are one year old. We were together in Spartak and in Amkar. When Stanislav Salamovich came to the club, somehow everything immediately became more disciplined. The workouts were intense but interesting. Personally, I enjoyed working at that time with great pleasure.

How was your meeting in the national team?

Alexander Selikhov: When I was called for the first time, I went into the locker room, met the goalkeeping coach Gintaras Stauche, who was at Cherchesov's headquarters. "Well," he says. "Didn't think we'd meet like this again?" And you? Alexander Selikhov: And I told him: "I thought that we would not meet at all!"

Has Cherchesov changed a lot since Amkar's times?

Alexander Selikhov: Something new must have appeared in the training process, but in human terms it remained the same. And that's good, I think.

Playing in “Amkar”, Selikhov rose to the status of team captain. Photo: Vladimir Fedorenko / RIA Novosti

Know the fear

Let's get to Spartak business. Really ?

Alexander Selikhov: It will be very hard. We no longer have a head-to-head game with Lokomotiv in reserve and now we need to expect that they themselves will stumble. It is clear that you also need to remember about yourself.

Last year, you yourself were in the place of Loko. What is psychologically easier? Lead or catch up?

Alexander Selikhov: When you are in the lead, you have the right to make mistakes. And now such a density, all point for point we go. You play in a draw, you fall out of the top three. We will fight to the last.

Who do you consider the main competitors in this pursuit?

Alexander Selikhov: CSKA is doing very well, Krasnodar is a playing team.

Alexander Selikhov: I wouldn't guess.

You almost immediately dropped out of the Europa League, but CSKA, for example, is still in the cage. Does it really give you any advantage in terms of freshness, physical fitness?

Alexander Selikhov: Don't know. Maybe they really accumulate some kind of physical fatigue, flights. Perhaps it will have an effect. But I would prefer to play in European competition. Europe is Europe.

Do you support Russian clubs in European competitions?

Alexander Selikhov: I always support Russian clubs. I'm Russian. If we are out, then let them win. This is in our hands. Not specifically even to Spartak, but to all of Russia.

I agree that Spartak was not quite ready for the Champions League?

Alexander Selikhov: In principle, we went through the tournament normally, we felt the level. It was good experience. I hope we do better next time.

What exactly is this experience?

Alexander Selikhov: Well, we played with Liverpool. This is not Zenit or CSKA - a completely different level. Everything must be done quickly. Run, think.

Who else?

Alexander Selikhov: Kombarov, Glushakov.

You said that you took an English-Russian dictionary with you to the training camp. Pulled up your tongue?

Alexander Selikhov: Not that I didn’t pull it up, I didn’t even open this dictionary (laughs). Laziness. I know common phrases, some football terms. I can buy a can of soda.

You can go to some courses, now there are a lot of opportunities ...

Alexander Selikhov: It's true. But here I come home after training at 16 o’clock, and I understand that I am so lazy. That is, even open a book. Recently I started reading a book, I read one page, but I had to leave Bilbao. And I forgot it there.

What book was it?

Alexander Selikhov: It is called "I want and I will." About psychology.

So you're interested in psychology?

Alexander Selikhov: Yes, how it all works. Well, history.

In his native Orel, Alexander Selikhov quickly became a celebrity, but remains a modest and friendly person. Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

I want to open an arena in Orel

The Oryol media read an agitated note about how the work of the local shopping center was "paralyzed" due to the crowd that came to your autograph session. Are you in Orel, so you're a celebrity?

Alexander Selikhov: Really didn't expect it to be like this. When I entered the mall, I was shocked. You know, sometimes they write, asking for an autograph for their son, something else. It was for such people that I arranged an autograph session. I decided to bring everyone together. I felt sorry for this store. Because there the aunts stood and watched how everything falls, someone yells (laughs).

And in Moscow?

Alexander Selikhov: Yes, but I try not to shine too much.

Do you drive a car?

Alexander Selikhov: Yes. But sometimes, if there are traffic jams, I go down to the subway.

You started your career in FC Orel. It was not the most pleasant period in your life. You have repeatedly told how the club did not let you go to Amkar and built various intrigues. Are you following the fate of your own team now?

Alexander Selikhov: I recently visited their site. I found out that they are looking for some kind of sponsor. I understand that the region will not allocate finance. Maybe some money is given to the KFK team (Russian championship among amateurs - Approx. "RG").

Have you been contacted for help?

Alexander Selikhov: No.

What if they apply?

Alexander Selikhov: Watching who. There are just a lot of people I can't stand there.

Apparently these are the ones with whom you yourself once had to deal. Are they still in the club?

Alexander Selikhov: I don't know who's in charge now. But there are a lot of people out there that you'd better stay away from.

Do you feel that after you became a recognizable player, your word began to carry weight?

Alexander Selikhov: Don't know. In general, I like to keep to myself. I want to open the arena myself. I do not know when it will be possible, but I would like to in the near future. That such, a small field was. Big is expensive. I want the kids to go there. The main thing is that the arena is not called by my name. I don't want to advertise. Recently, they asked me to hold a tournament on my behalf.

Orel?

Alexander Selikhov: Yeah. I am always ready for children. But I don't want everyone around to say: "Selikhov, Selikhov." Therefore, my arena will be just an Oryol arena for children.

You admitted that you once went to the hairdresser with a photo of your idol, ex-Spartak goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa. Whose photo are you walking with now?

Alexander Selikhov: With his. I chose where it turned out fine and I go (smiles). It’s hard to explain all these thinnings in a barbershop. It's easier to show.

Dossier "RG"

Alexander Alexandrovich Selikhov Born on April 7, 1994 in the village of Naryshkino, Orel Region.

He began his career in the team "DYuSSh-3" (Eagle). Played for clubs: Spartak (2006-2008, 2017-present), Zenit (2009-2010), Eagle (2011-2014), Amkar (2013-2016).

In August 2017, for the first time, he was included in the extended squad of the Russian national team to participate in the training camp in Novogorsk.

Champion of Russia (2016/17) and winner of the Russian Super Cup (2017).

Announcement for the match

The first calendar match this year for the Russian national football team will be special. At the Luzhniki stadium, where the World Cup final will take place this summer, Stanislav Cherchesov's team meets with the most titled team in the world and one of the favorites for the 2018 World Cup, Brazil. The starting whistle will sound at 19.00 Moscow time.

Around the "Luzhniki" still lie meter-long snowdrifts, but in the bowl of the stadium - a real spring. The view of the green, perfectly even lawn clearly cheered up our players, who were able to train on it yesterday.

The field is in excellent condition. Thanks to those who prepared it, - the head coach of the national team Stanislav Cherchesov smiled. - For today it is one of the best, based on what can be at this time of the year. I was in a good mood during the training. I think that the players too.

Defender Fedor Kudryashov, who was sitting to the right of Stanislav Salamovich, nodded in agreement: "A wonderful stadium. After the reconstruction, it has become much more comfortable. Now there are no running tracks, stands at a different angle. I hope that they will fill up at the match and will warmly support us."

The head coach of the Russian national team Stanislav Cherchesov will have to decide who will replace the injured players in the match with Brazil. Photo: Sergey Mikheev / RG

The players really will not be left without attention. As reported by the acting President of the RFU Alexander Alaev, about 60 thousand tickets have already been sold. "This is already a very worthy figure. We will be glad to everyone," he stressed.

Playing with such an opponent is an important test not only for the team. In fact, this is a dress rehearsal for all Luzhniki before the World Cup. According to Alaev, a large-scale rehearsal took place the day before, during which all crucial questions for the organizers were worked out.

Yesterday everyone rehearsed, all the moments were taken into account. Both the Moscow services and the stadium services, as well as the organizing committee, the Russian Football Union - all work in harmony. They figured out to the millimeter how everything should be organized. The task is to rehearse the entrance to the stadium, the evacuation from the stadium, all the routes, the transport scheme that will work at the World Cup. I'm sure everything will go smoothly.

If in matters of organization there is confidence that everything will really turn out well, then it is more difficult with the players. At least no one can guarantee a victory here - even without their main star Neymar, the Brazilians are very strong. No wonder they went through the qualifying round best of all in South America and were the first in their zone to secure a trip to Russia for the World Cup. The absence of Neymar, according to Cherchesov, should not affect the strength of the opponent.

They don't have one of the best players in the world. But that doesn't mean anything. The Brazilians have a sufficient set of quality players. I think they will solve the problem of his absence, - said the head coach of the Russians. - Brazil is a five-time world champion. This is a fact, and he says that in this country they know how to play football.

The personnel problems of the Russian team, by the way, are much more serious than those of competitors. Due to a torn cruciate ligament, defenders Viktor Vasin and Georgiy Jikia, as well as forward Alexander Kokorin, were out of action for several months. And of those 28 players who are at the disposal of Cherchesov now, at least three will not play with Brazil for medical reasons.

Kambolov's gluteal muscle has been tormenting him for two days, and he won't be ready for tomorrow's game. Kuzyaev and Ignatiev are making big steps forward. We thought they would be ready. They are almost ready, but we will not risk them. There are a couple of questions about Dzagoev and Zhirkov. And the rest are ready to play, - this is how Stanislav Salamovich described the situation yesterday.

It turns out that the composition of the Russian national team in Luzhniki will be experimental in any case. That was confirmed by the head coach. Of course, not specific. "We will play this match for the first time," Cherchesov admitted.

However, the Russian team is no stranger to both personnel losses and battles with the world's leading teams. Lately our players have played with Belgium, Portugal, Argentina, Spain. And in all these matches they looked decent, losing only to the current European champions, the Portuguese 0:1. The last meeting with Brazil, which took place in 2013 in London, by the way, ended in a 1:1 draw. Let's hope that tonight our players will give a reason for joy.

Recall that already on Tuesday the Russian team will meet with another top rival. In St. Petersburg they will meet with France.

At one of the youth tournaments, he was noticed by the scouts of the Moscow Spartak, and was invited to the team in 2006. He spent 2 years at the Red and White Academy: from 12 to 14 years old. In 2008 he lost the competition to other goalkeepers. Almost immediately I went to see the St. Petersburg "Zenith" and began to study at the academy of blue-white-blue. After spending two years in a boarding school, he was expelled from the team for school absenteeism, so he returned to his native Oryol, where he began his professional career at the local club Rusichi.

For six months he played for the double of the Oryol team in KFK, later he made his debut in the PFL for the main team in the match against Kaluga. In 2013, Amkar Perm took the player on a six-month lease. As part of Perm, he played 17 matches for the youth squad. The management of the Oryol club wanted to profitably sell the footballer, asking Permians for an unrealistic amount for the goalkeeper, so after the end of the lease period he returned to Eagle.

"Amkar"

Six months later, Selikhov's contract with Orel expired, and he returned as a free agent to Amkar as the third goalkeeper. The main goalkeepers of Perm at that time were Roman Gerus and Dmitry Khomich, but when they were both injured, Selikhov played for the first time in the Russian Championship on August 28, 2015 against Rostov (0: 1). Selikhov received favorable reviews for the match. He missed the next match of the championship against Kuban, but then the Perm coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev made him the main goalkeeper of Amkar. In the second match in the Premier League, Selikhov saved a penalty from Zenit's Hulk, which helped the team take away a draw from St. Petersburg. Selikhov played his first match to zero on November 2 at home against Terek. At the junction of the autumn and spring parts of the championship, he gave out a series of three dry matches: against Krylia Sovetov (away), CSKA (at home) and Anji (away). March 18, 2016 did not miss a single ball from the leader of the championship "Rostov" (0:0). In total, in his debut season in the Premier League, he played 23 matches and, according to many versions, was in the top three goalkeepers of the championship.

On April 20, 2016, in the semi-finals of the Russian Cup against Zenit, in the post-match penalty shootout, he managed to repel Artyom Dziuba's kick, and also scored one of the penalties himself, but this did not help Amkar reach the final (1:1; 3:4 on pen .).

"Spartak Moscow

On November 22, 2016, it was announced that Selikhov had signed a 4.5-year contract with Spartak Moscow, which entered into force on December 6. The amount of the transfer, according to unofficial information, amounted to about 3.5-4 million dollars. In the new club, he took the 21st number, since the number 57 (in honor of the Oryol region), under which Selikhov played in Amkar, was busy, but the next season he took the 57th number. Zenit was also interested in the goalkeeper. He made his debut for Spartak on May 13, 2017 in the first match after the club won the championship - in the away match of the 28th round against Amkar (1:0).

Initially, Selikhov was not the main goalkeeper of the team, being an understudy of Artyom Rebrov and having played several matches for Spartak-2. On September 26, 2017, in the Champions League match against Liverpool, Rebrov was injured and Selikhov came on as a substitute

Admit it, a surname a year ago Selikhov hardly said anything to you. For example, I am speaking quite sincerely, I have never heard of such a footballer. He appeared in the Premier League suddenly and out of nowhere. But from the first matches he played so brightly that he attracted the attention of not only Perm, but also larger football centers. Here you are, and a living refutation of the stereotype that Russian football is allegedly poor in talent. They just need: a) to want, b) to be able to find and bring to the master.

“There was a grudge against Spartak”

- As a teenager, serving balls to Pletikosa in Luzhniki, did you ever dream of being in his place?
- Actually, yes. Really like. I was in Spartak and, of course, I wanted to play for this team.

- Was the competition high for your age?
- Two goalkeepers. Then another one came and I was told to pack my things.

- Without explaning the reason?
- First, through the educator, they conveyed that I was expelled. I went to the management to find out the reason. “A stronger goalkeeper has come to your place,” - that's all the explanation.

- Is this “stronger goalkeeper” playing somewhere now?
- As far as I know, no.

- How long have you been a Spartacist?
- About two years - from 12 to 14.

- Did you live in a boarding school?
- At the apartment. Three or four people plus a teacher.

- Educator?
- Well, yes. Most often it was the mother of one of the players. Cooked, washed, cleaned. At the same time, she looked after us.

- Did one of the neighbors get out into the people?
- Artyom Timofeev is still in Spartak. Maxim Shirokov plays in Khimki. Since our age, Samsonov and Khomukha have remained in the club. The rest dispersed - some in the second league, some in the FNL. Someone has finished.

- I can imagine what it's like to hear at the age of 14 that you are superfluous.
- There was a resentment, but I did not give up, I returned home, to Oryol, and continued to do what I loved.

“From “Zenith” expelled for absenteeism”

- There and found an invitation from another academy, St. Petersburg?
- I went to see St. Petersburg right after Spartak. The coaches liked it. They said that after the reorganization of Smena into Zenit, they would contact me. A month later they called: "Come." And I already promised my coach, Orlovsky, to help the team in several tournaments. I had to postpone the move for six months.

- How did things develop in St. Petersburg?
- In the football aspect, everything was normal. Trained with a double. But not for long. I was also expelled from Zenit.

- And from there for what?
- For discipline. Skipped classes at school. Well, they turned me out of the boarding school. They said: you can stay in the team, but now rent your own housing.

- How did you manage to put yourself up like that?
- Mistakes of youth - who does not make them ...

- Comrades in the classroom - and you walk?
- That's just the point, that is not present! I sat in a boarding school. Sleeping, exercising. The soul did not lie to study, and that's it.

- Are you from a simple family?
- More than. Mom is a shop assistant, dad is a driver.

Did you regret the missed chance later?
- Sorry... I liked everything in St. Petersburg - the city, the atmosphere. We had a good goalkeeping coach – it was interesting work. They bribed the tasks of Zenith.

- Did you root for Zenit for an hour as a child?
- My father instilled a love for Spartak. I really liked Pletikosa as a goalkeeper. Over time, cooled down to red and white. Childish resentment also affected.

- Now, do you sympathize with any club - except for the Perm one?
- Only European. In Spain they like Real Madrid, in England they like Arsenal.

“In the second league, you quickly “grow with meat”

- What emotions do you feel when you make your debut in the second league at the age of 18?
- I was bursting with pride: I played for my city! With "Kaluga" parted 1:1, I seem to have worked well.

- The next season started worse than you can imagine. Eight goals conceded in four matches.
- Somewhere like that, yes ( grins). Of course, I was wrong, but I did not turn sour. I knew that I had to keep working. Without missing a certain number of goals, you will not become a strong keeper.

- Is the Second League a bad place for the young and the early ones?
- Why? Now the second division is higher than the level of the youth championship. It is more useful for a player from the Premier League, from the FNL, to go on loan to the PFL than to the understudy tournament. Faster "meat overgrown."

Have there been any extreme situations?
- It wasn't on the field. 24-hour bus rides don't count - that's the order of the day. The situation in the second league is more simple. When I ended up in the Premier League, it felt like I was in a fairy tale. Completely different level - in everything. There was no organization at all in Orel. But I played at home, in front of friends and relatives. The second argument is the team. Experienced guys who played in the Premier League, in the FNL, helped us young people a lot.

- After the failures in Spartak and Zenit, did you have a desire to throw football to hell?
- Then no. That's when, after the first lease at Amkar, he returned to Oryol and sat idle for six months, all sorts of thoughts climbed into his head. I really thought I had to finish.

“At the training camp, I “mowed” a lot

- Debut in the "youth team" of "Amkar" you succeeded.
- Yeah, we won 2:0 in Krasnodar, then 3:0 against Alania. The next day I was already sitting on the bench of the first team. Rustem Khuzin included in the reserve instead of the injured Narubin - Gerus to insure.

- Why were you sent off in the youth team game with Rostov?
- Foul of last resort. He ran out of the penalty area and almost tore off the guy's leg.

- Got up?
- Everything is fine. After the game, he approached him and apologized.

- Did the coaches not know that Cherchesov Jr. could not enter the field?
- Stas played later, but only after the season we were informed that he had no right to do so.

- When did Hajiyev start pulling up to the base?
- Last winter. After Narubin left for Tosno, two goalkeepers remained in the team. At the training camp, we played with Roma in turn. To be honest, I messed up a lot. This is probably why Dima Khomich came to Amkar. He had a very strong collection.

- The debut in the Premier League was held in accordance with the saying: "There would be no happiness, but misfortune helped"?
- Until the last moment I was not sure that I would play with Rostov. The chances were 50/50. I thought the doctors would put Roma on her feet. Only at the installation on the day of the match did I find out what was in the squad.

- Legs did not give way?
- Worried, of course, but not to such an extent. He calmed himself: "Just go out on the field and do everything you can." Already at the warm-up, the excitement was gone. It seems to have coped with the installation of the coach.

- How many times have you rewatched Noboa's goal?
- Lot. It was then played in a television screensaver. And if you don't want to, you'll see...

- Could you reflect?
- Can. The defender closed my review. I moved to the right to see the ball, and at that moment the kick came. Didn't even have time to push off. I was more worried about the far corner, and Noboa hit the near one. More and the ball on the outgoing went, with a dump.

"Where are you, and where is the Hulk ?!"

Gadzhiev often puts players in the squad against the former team. Isn't that why they let you out at Petrovsky in September?
- Gadzhi Muslimovich later said in an interview that this played a role in his decision.

- What feelings did you experience when you entered the Petrovsky field?
- Raging emotions! There is a crazy atmosphere at Petrovsky. And how well they sing...
Did you want to prove something to someone?
- Maybe somewhere in the depths of my soul. I wanted to prove to the Amkar coaching staff more that I was not mistaken in me.

- When you saw the Hulk in front of you, did you doubt the reality of what was happening?
You don't even think about it on the field. Yes, Hulk, okay. But you need to do something yourself, and not look at others.

You reacted so calmly to the penalty taken, as if you do this about once a month. Weren't emotions overflowing?
- How they overflowed! It was a moment of happiness. One of the main events of life. It was very important for me to beat off this penalty, to beat the Hulk.

- Have you studied the manner of taking a penalty kick?
- We look at the goalkeeping coach, discuss who beats how. I knew that the Hulk reacts to the movement of the goalkeeper, so I didn’t fall down at random, jumped on the kick.

- Did you receive a wagon afterwards?
- Phone, social networks filled up with messages. Well, teammates went, baited.

- How?
- "Where are you, and where is the Hulk ?!".

“Belenov will still play in a big club”

- In Orel could you imagine that one day you will go against Akinfeev - and win?
- Maybe only in dreams, in a dream. But I purposefully went to this, gave all my strength in training. I really wanted to get into this stream, to play in the Premier League.

- After the victory over CSKA, did you manage to exchange a few words with Igor?
- We just shook hands and that's it.

- Where was it more exciting to play - at Petrovsky or at Otkritie?
- In St. Petersburg - after all, it was only my second game in the championship. Over time, you begin to perceive certain situations on the field more calmly.

Was it annoying to lose to Spartak?
- And how! We played well, in 10 minutes, in fact, lost. Somewhere they themselves made a mistake, giving the judge a reason to punish us with penalty kicks.

- Wasn't he?
- It seemed to me personally that Ze Luis took the ball to the biceps. Even if unintentionally, a hand is a hand. And when our player Balanovich is kicked in the penalty area on the leg, they don’t put a penalty in the opposite direction. Apparently, in such situations - pressure, Moscow - the judges simply cannot be given a reason to give a reason for controversial penalties.

- Are they strangling Amkar?
- I wouldn't say. There are simply ambiguous situations, as in Moscow. And the judges are real people, they can make mistakes.

- Do you follow your colleagues?
- I watch reviews on TV, and sometimes whole matches if time permits. The game of Belenov from Kuban impresses.

- How?
- Reaction, kicking. With human qualities, as far as I can tell, Alexander is also in order.

- And he also did not stay at Spartak ...
- Somewhere the game can go, somewhere - not to go. I don't think he regrets anything. It seems to me that Belenov will still play in a big club in Russia.

"My landmark is the national team"

You do not hide your dreams to get into the national team. Do you really believe that Akinfeev can really be squeezed out in the coming years?
- At the moment, of course, he is number 1. We'll see what happens next. We have to play and prove.

- Your landmark is the 2018 World Cup?
- My focus is the national team. And whether it will be the 2018 World Cup or the 2022 World Cup is not so important. The main thing is to get in.

- In Europe, following the example of Krytsyuk, would it be interesting to hit the road?
- I admit such a situation, but it's too early for me to think about it. To leave for a stronger championship, you need to show yourself properly at home, in Russia.

Alexander Alexandrovich Selikhov(April 7, 1994, Naryshkino, Orel Region) - Russian football player, goalkeeper of the Spartak Moscow club.

Biography

Born in the village of Naryshkino. Father is a driver, mother is a salesman. He has been playing as a goalkeeper since childhood, since playing football in the yard. At one of the youth tournaments, he was noticed by the scouts of the Moscow Spartak, and was invited to the team in 2006. He spent 2 years at the Red and White Academy, from 12 to 14 years old. In 2008, he lost the competition to other goalkeepers. Almost immediately I went to see the St. Petersburg "Zenith" and began to study at the academy of blue-white-blue. After spending two years in a boarding school, he was expelled from the team for absenteeism from school, so he returned to his native Oryol, where he began his professional career at the local Rusichi club.

For six months he played for the double of the Oryol team in the KFK, later he made his debut in the PFL for the main team in the match against Kaluga. In 2013, Amkar Perm took the player on a six-month lease. As part of Perm, he played 17 matches for the youth team. The leadership of the Oryol club wanted to profitably sell the footballer, asking Permians for an unrealistic amount for the goalkeeper, so after the end of the lease period he returned to Eagle.

Six months later, Selikhov's contract with Orel expired, and he returned as a free agent to Amkar as the third goalkeeper. The main goalkeepers of Perm at that time were Roman Gerus and Dmitry Khomich, but when they were both injured, Selikhov played for the first time in the Russian Championship on August 28, 2015 against Rostov (0:1). Selikhov received favorable reviews for the match. He missed the next match of the championship against Kuban, but then the Perm coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev made him the main goalkeeper of Amkar. In the second match in the Premier League, Selikhov saved a penalty from Zenit's Hulk, which helped the team take away a draw from St. Petersburg. Selikhov played his first match to zero on November 2 at home against Terek. At the junction of the autumn and spring parts of the championship, he gave out a series of three dry matches: against Krylia Sovetov (away), CSKA (at home) and Anji (away). March 18, 2016 did not miss a single ball from the leader of the championship "Rostov" (0:0). In total, in his debut season in the Premier League, he played 23 matches and, according to many versions, was in the top three goalkeepers of the championship.

On April 20, 2016, in the semi-finals of the Russian Cup against Zenit, in the post-match penalty shootout, he managed to repel Artyom Dziuba's kick, and also scored one of the penalties himself, but this did not help Amkar reach the final (1:1; 3:4 on pen .).

In the first half of the 2016/17 season, he continued to play confidently, became the best goalkeeper in the first round of the championship according to many statistical indicators, defended 10 out of 17 matches to zero, conceding only 12 goals.

On November 22, 2016, it was announced that Selikhov had signed a 4.5-year contract with Spartak Moscow, which came into force on December 6. The amount of the transfer, according to unofficial information, amounted to about 3.5-4 million dollars. In the new club, he took the 21st number, since the number 57 (in honor of the Oryol region, under which Alexander played in Amkar), was busy. Zenit was also interested in the goalkeeper.

Personal life

He is married to the master of sports in athletics, the bronze medalist of the 2015 Universiade in heptathlon Anna Selikhova (Petrich).