Golden Rubin. Where and how are the 2008-2009 champions of Russia?
In recent years, fans of Rubin Kazan are waiting for some miracle. But after the dismissal of the mentor of the club Kurban Berdyev, who had been working in the club for many years, the expectations reduced. It is difficult to say whether Rubin will be a champion again. While the team is resting between the second and the third camping, the sports staff of Realnoe Vremya remembers the champions of Russia in the squad of Rubin.
Two walls
In 2008, Rubin started the season with a goalkeeper who had played 10 matches in the Russian Premier League and was easily given by his former club, where he had not leading roles. When he joined the new club, he kept a clean sheet in 13 matches out of 26 in the first season. Then this goalkeeper became one of the best players of the country. Yes, I'm speaking about Sergey Ryzhikov. No one believed in him in Lokomotiv, Vitaly Kafanov, goalkeeper coach of Rubin at that moment, noticed and invited him to join the team. You know happened next. Having played 300 matches at Rubin, now Sergey is a strong N.1 of the squad. As the fans suppose, it is not the limit for him.
At the moment, Sergey Kozko was in the team. He could not participate in many matches during that years but probably helped Sergey with advice. The contribution made by Kozko, when the team just joined the Premier League, is not to be forgotten.
Iron defence
Mainly well-coordinated play in defence guaranteed the title in that years, especially in 2008. Earlier Rubin had a good defence too, but at that period of championship, it became truly solid.
Sharonov and Ansaldi, who demonstrated a high level without putting their mastery in doubt, were the heroes of that defence. Cesar Navas, who came from Racing, Vitaly Kaleshin, loaned from Moscow FC, also joined the team quickly before the 2009 season. In 2008, Dato Kvirkvelia and Stepan Tomas presented spectacles. We should mention Lasha Salukvadze who was an important link of the chain though he did not play often. Rubin kept a clean sheet in 37 matches during two seasons.
Roman Sharonov gave up his career at Rubin. Now he is working as a supervisor of the system on preparation of young football players at Rubin. Cristian Ansaldi belongs to Zenit but was given on loan to Genoa. Cesar Navas joined Rostov as a free agent in the 2015 summer close season. In Rostov, Cesar is a strong player of the first eleven in the team of the ex-mentor of Rubin Kurban Berdyev. Kaleshin also left Rubin as a free agent and joined Kransodar. Now one of the best players is playing the first team of Krasnodar.
Dato Kvirkvelia (don't confuse with Kverkvelia who has cemented a position in the first eleven now) finishes his 'football century' in his motherland in Dila Gori. Stepan Tomas was a scout of Rubin till 2014. He disappeared off the football radar after his dismissal. Lasha Slukvadze is playing in Inter, not that team you think of, but Inter Baku.
'Divine' centre
If their midfiled defence was not the best one of the history, it was one of the best. The trinity of Sibaya, Semak and Noboa presented performances at that moment. Sibaya cemented his position of the holding midfielder, while Semak and Noboa were bright representatives of box-to-box midfielders. This duo scored 19 goals within 2 years in the championship of Russia. Only Gökdeniz Karadeniz, who recently arrived, and Aleksander Ryazantsev were good at playing on these wings. They are the authors of the goals scored in that memorable match of Rubin in the history against Barcelona. Andrey Kobenko, who played with Rubin in 2008, is to be mentioned. He is the author of a wonderful ball scored to the goals of Zenit.
They had a different fate after Rubin. Sergey Semak is an assistant of the head coach of Zenit and the national team of Russia. MacBeth Sibaya returned to his motherland, gave up his career there, so, now he is the head coach of the academy of Supersport United. The rest of the players is still playing. Karadeniz became a legend of Rubin who continues scoring goals for the team and leads it forward. Continuing playing on a level, Cristian Noboa went to Dinamo and joined Rostov via PAOK. However, Ryazantsev and Kobenko's careers were not very successful after when they left Rubin. Aleksander moved to Zenit and lost any playing practice, while Andrey gradually ends his career in a newly formed SKChF Sevastopol. By the way, Kobenko scored the first goal in the official matches of SKChF. It is cool, is not it?
El Chori and Co
Attack was Berdyev's pain in the neck. In my opinion, the team had only two goal machines for a long time – Dominguez and Rondon. In 2009, Aleksander Bukharov suddenly started to score goals (mainly thanks to El Chori). By the way, Aleksander is the best attacker of Rubin at that times. In 2008, he scored 6 balls, in 2009, the number of goals increased to 16. In the 2009 season, he had 16 goals in the Championship of Russia and 2 goals in Champions League under his belt.
We should also noted Hasan Kabze and Sergey Rebrov in the 'champion attack', who were an important link in the chain in Kurban Berdyev's tactical schemes. We don't forget about Savo Milošević, the author of the 'golden goal' in 2008 (after Kabze's pass, by the by).
El Chori is lighting up in Olympiakos scoring absolutely jaw-dropping goals. I think he would not get lost in today's Rubin. Bukharov seems to have resigned to the fact that he cannot repeat that scoring deeds of 2009, so, now not having cemented his position in Zenit, he calmly is playing on Rostov. Hasan Kabze ends his football century in Sivasspor, and his statistics there is quite good. He scored 3 goals in 17 matches of this season (in 2008-2009, he scored only 4 goals in 37 matches).
Sergey Rebrov's football career is very interesting. Having returned to Dinamo Kiev in 2009, he gradually started to train and became the head coach of the team. So, now he is moving the Kievans to the champion title. Dinamo also reached the 1/8 of Champions League, and many people estimate their chances to play with Manchester City as two equally strong teams.
Meanwhile, Savo Milošević is working as the vice-president of the Executive Committee of the Football Association of Serbia and in its Urgent Issues Committee. Savo is also a member of the Football Union of Belgrade. It is seen that he is treated with respect in his motherland. In addition, he was an assistant of the head coach of the national team of Montenegro in 2011-2012.
'It is our everything!'
A person all loyal fans of Rubin like. A person who raised the Kazan club from the first division and won the bronze medal of the Premier League in the same season. A person who is building a new suburban top club in Rostov. Yes, I'm speaking about Kurban Berdyev. It is certainly the best coach of Rubin in its history. However, Nikolai Sentyabrev's efforts are not to be forgotten.
His coaching staff should be noted as well: Vitaly Kafanov, Aleksander Matsyura, Yakub Urazkhatov. Yuri Solano, the interpreter of the team, played a major role. They all are working with Berdyev in Rostov.
Kafanov discovered Sergey Kozko for the world of football for 12 years of work and then helped Sergey Ryzhikov in becoming a top goalkeeper. In Rostov, he held a position of goalkeeper coach combining it with his work in the national team of Kazakhstan. Moldavian coach Aleksander Matsyura joined Rubin in 2006. He was responsible for methodical work and helped Berdyev with building the tactics of the team. It is thought that his function in Rostov-on-Don will be the same.
Ecuadorian Yuri Solano came to Rubin in 2003 in the first season of the Kazan club in the elite. The head coach of the Kazan players Kurban Berdyev needed an interpreter because of the appearance of a large group of foreign players. The interpreter worked in the club till 2015. It should be said that in Rostov, Solano is working not only as an interpreter but also a real coach in Berdyev's team and will be his assistant. Solano never hid his coaching ambitions.
