Igor Kolyvanov is considered the best Russian to play in Serie A

For almost two years now, Russian football has been isolated due to suspensions and sanctions imposed by FIFA and UEFA in the 2022 match. The Russian national team plays exclusively friendly matches against mediocre opponents, which forces some players to renounce Russian sports citizenship in favor of other countries. Russian players continue to compete in European championships, and some are key players in their teams.

Nowadays a Russian footballer in a strong European championship is a rarity, but before everything was different. Russians often went to the strongest European championships and stayed there for a long time, gaining respect and fame among the European football community. One of the Russians who gained fame in the strong European championship was Igor Kolyvanov, the current head coach of the Ivanovo Tekstilshchik. Igor Kolyvanov is the record holder of the Italian championship among Russians for the number of matches played in Serie A. He has 164 meetings and 44 goals.

Italian Corriere dello Sport journalist Massimiliano Martini spoke about Russian football players in Serie A.

“Not a single Russian footballer left his mark in Italy. The best in the game, but not for long, were Kolyvanov and Shalimov. As for the rest, they were average footballers, and Miranchuk’s example proves this,” Martini said.

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