Alexander Panov was born on September 21, 1975. He spent his childhood in his native city of Kolpino (Leningrad region). It was at the place of birth that he received his most famous nickname - the Kolpino Rocket.
Young years
What was Alexander Panov like in his youth? The biography tells that Alexander belonged to the category of those children who are commonly called difficult teenagers. He started smoking and drinking early.
What did Alexander Panov do? Football was his only passion that changed his life. His first team was Izhovets, which was coached by a wonderful children's mentor V. I. Timoshenko. It was this person who managed to discern a huge talent in Alexander.
Having successfully proved himself in Izhovets, Panov moved to the youth team of the main club of St. Petersburg - Zenit.
Club career
The first season at Zenit Panov spent in duplicate. Gradually, he began to adapt to the new environment, progressing in technique and understanding of the game. Playing for the second team of Zenit in the second league, the young striker managed to score 16 goals in 24 matches andway to become the best goalscorer of the championship. It is not surprising that the very next year (in 1994) Alexander becomes a player in the foundation of the St. Petersburg club. In the 1994 Russian Championship, the young forward played 25 matches, in which he was able to "sign" 4 times at the opponents' goal.
However, the coaching staff of "Zenith", despite quite acceptable indicators for the start of a career, decided to refuse the services of a striker. Alexander spent the next season as part of Dynamo Vologda. In this club, he was never able to break into the main team, appearing on the field for the entire championship in only 3 matches, in which he failed to score with a scoring blow. Therefore, in 1996, Panov continued his career in the Chinese Championship, in the ranks of the Baokang club. The talented striker just flourished in his new position, demonstrating phenomenal performance - in 12 games, Alexander managed to score 19 goals.
Such a successful performance by Panov in the Chinese championship did not go unnoticed by Zenit coach Anatoly Byshovets. He decides to return Alexander to the St. Petersburg club. Panov's return to Zenit turned out to be very successful - he became the main player in the team. From 1997 to 2000, the striker played 90 matches in the Russian Championship, in which he managed to score 25 times.
The striker's high-class play attracted the attention of European football breeders. In 2000, Panov agreed to continue his career in the French Saint-Etienne. Unfortunately, numerous injuries did not allow Alexander to play in a new club - inIn 16 matches, he was able to score only one goal. After another unsuccessful attempt to play in the European Championship as part of the Swiss Lausanne, the footballer decides to return to Russia.
From 2003 to 2007, Panov changed teams quite often. During this time, he managed to play for St. Petersburg and Moscow Dynamo, Zenit and Moscow Torpedo. The 2003 season was especially memorable for the striker, when, playing in the first league for Dynamo (St. Petersburg), he was able to score 23 goals in 36 matches.
In 2007, due to age and numerous injuries, Panov had to actually end his career. In 2010, Alexander made an attempt to return to big football, scoring 2 goals in 8 matches for Torpedo, but these games were the last in his professional career.
Team performances
After an impressive performance in the Chinese championship and a successful return to Zenit, Panov received his first call-up to the Russian national team. He played his first match for the main team of the country on November 15, 1998 against the vice-world champions of the Brazilian national team. The game ended with a score of 5:1 in favor of the ball magicians.
Of course, the most memorable match for Alexander was the game in the qualifying tournament for Euro 2000 with the French team. The reigning world champions at that time were defeated at their native Parc des Princes with a score of 3:2, and Panov managed to score a double against Fabien Barthez.
Alexander was one of the main candidates for a trip to Euro 2004, howeverreceived an offensive injury in a friendly match against the Austrians 2 weeks before the start of the championship. This game was the last for Panov in the Russian team.
Always an impeccable game pleased the fans Alexander Panov. The photo in the article shows us how wonderful he is with the ball. In total, the striker played 17 matches at the level of national teams, in which he scored 4 goals.
Trophies and Achievements
Alexander Panov is a footballer with several prestigious individual awards:
- Best scorer and best player of the First Division (2003).
- League 2 top scorer (1993).
- Sagittarius Award (1999) as the best forward of the year.
- 1 in his position in the list of 33 best players of the Russian championship (1999 and 2000).
As part of his clubs, Alexander was able to win only one significant trophy - in 1999, being a player of St. Petersburg "Zenith", he lifted the Cup of Russia over his head.
Problems
According to a number of reputable sports publications, after the end of his professional career, Alexander fell into a deep depression. Articles about his excessive addiction to alcohol repeatedly appeared in the press. However, now Panov declares that he managed to overcome a bad habit and completely concentrated on amateur performances in training young football talents.
Also, the former forward works as an analyst on a number of betting sites.
Alexander Panov Football School
Panov has repeatedly said that Russian football needs to be developed from the very bottom. The long-standing dream of the Kolpino Rocket was to open its own football school. Recently, he was able to realize it - together with his friend and partner Alexei Cherenkov, he founded a football school called "Panther".
Financing of the project almost completely fell on Alexander himself and his partner. Currently, the former striker of the Russian national team is looking for sponsors for the development of a children's football school, noting that at this stage stable financial injections are needed.
Alexander sees his main task as distracting children from the negative influence of the street and establishing the training process. Currently, there are several groups in different cities. Children of various ages come to the Panthera, from 4 to 16 years old.
Unfortunately, Panov's football school does not yet have its own training base. Now there are active negotiations with the management of Oka, which has several football fields in Stupino.
Panov also notes the importance of building stadiums and playgrounds for amateur and children's football. He believes that only by developing the infrastructure of children's football can the overall level of Russian sports be raised.
Alexander Panov Football League
The founders of the football school "Panther" also organized the football league of Alexander Panov. The main reason for its creation wasthe conviction of the hero of our story that the training process in children's and amateur football must necessarily be combined with various tournaments.
Under the auspices of the Panov Football League, championships are held for players of all ages. Particular attention is paid to championships for children's, women's and veteran teams. Tournaments are held in 5v5 and 8v8 formats. Competitions are held at various venues.
At the moment, Panov is actively inviting football officials and territorial leaders to cooperate in the development of his project. So far, an agreement has been reached on assistance with the leadership of the Amateur Football League.
Family
Panov met his wife at school. An exemplary girl named Galya immediately won the heart of a future football star. It was she who later became his wife. Now a happy married couple is raising three sons - Timofey, Nikita and Kuzma.
Alexander Panov is a football player who managed to achieve a lot in his life. And to this day he is active, full of vitality and energy. We can only wish him success!
