Yuri Zhirkov is one of the best left-backs in Russian football. During his sports career, he managed to win many trophies of various levels. For some time he played in the championship of England.
Early years
The future football star was born in Tambov in 1983. The Zhirkov family lived very poorly, and sometimes there was not enough money even for food. Little Yura did not like to stay at home and often played football with friends. Later, he will begin to practice this sport in the section. At the age of eleven, the guy goes to the Youth Sports School "Revtrud". It was during that period that the boy decides that he wants to connect his life with football.
In 1994 there was a tournament for children. The future player of the Russian national team played it very well, and according to the results he was recognized as the best. Despite this, he absolutely did not stand out from other children and often remained on the bench. Although Yura loved football with all his heart, he was no longer sure that this sport was exactly the one that would help him succeed in life. After school was over, Zhirkov entered the school. He combines his training at a vocational school with training for the youth team of the Tambov Spartak. In 2001, he first gets an application for the team for the season. Exactly thenYura becomes a professional footballer.
Adult career
From 2001 to 2003, he regularly plays for his native club. From an unknown player of the youth team, he grows into one of the most promising football players in Russia. In 2004, he moved to CSKA, where he will spend the best years of his career. With the army team, Yuri Zhirkov will win a lot of trophies, including the UEFA Cup. Over the five years spent in Moscow, the athlete will participate in almost one and a half hundred fights and score fifteen times with effective actions.
In 2008 there will be information that the English team is interested in the player. This was due to the fact that the Russian team held an incredibly successful European Championship. Already in 2009, the defender moved to Chelsea. Unfortunately, he will not be able to prove himself in the main team of Londoners. The reason is that the best player of the championship, Ashley Cole, played at the position of the left back. Yuri Zhirkov will completely lose the competition to the Englishman and will be on the bench. The Russian will spend two years in England, after which he will return to his homeland. There were rumors that he would move to CSKA, but the army team could not fulfill the terms of the star player's contract. In the end, he becomes an Anji player. At that time, the Makhachkala team gathered world football stars in its composition and counted on getting into the Champions League. Zhirkov will spend two years in the Dagestan team and will be a stable player in the first team.
In 2013, the club started having financial problems. The President decides toinvitations of eminent players and relies more on their own pupils. Yuri was forced to leave. He was not left without a team for a long time, because he immediately joined Dynamo from Moscow. He spent three seasons in the camp of Muscovites, but was forced to leave. At the beginning of 2016, the thirty-two-year-old athlete becomes a Zenit player. According to unofficial information, the amount of compensation amounted to one and a half million euros.
Career in the Russian national team
Before you get an invitation to the first team, an athlete like Yuri Zhirkov had to play for the youth team for a year. The football player was first called up under the banner of the national team in 2005. Since then, he has been a permanent base player. As in the club, he takes the position of left back. The Zenit player managed to play at the European Championship in 2008, at the World Championship in 2014, and also at the continental championship in 2012.
He has sixty-seven matches for the national team. At the gates of an opponent, he managed to distinguish himself only once. In a word, this is a very promising athlete.
Private life
Yuri Zhirkov managed to achieve a lot as a footballer. His biography will be considered complete only after he manages to get acquainted with his life outside of football.
The athlete has been dating a girl named Inna for a long time. In 2008, young people decided to legalize their relationship. In the same year, the couple had their first child. Two years later, a second child was born. In 2015, the athlete became a father for the third time. Atthe football player has two brothers and a sister, whom he tries to help in every possible way.
Yuri Zhirkov's wife is quite a famous person. In 2012, she became the most beautiful girl in the Russian Federation. A year later, she took part in a number of popular TV shows.
Achievements and awards
The player has a lot of awards, because he played exclusively for the strongest teams. Yuri is a two-time winner of the Russian championship. Four times won the Cup of Russia. Won the UEFA Cup once. He became the champion of England and got the Super Cup of this kingdom. With the Russian team, he became the bronze medalist of the European Championship.
Undoubtedly, Yuri Zhirkov is a living legend of Russian football and an idol for many young athletes.
