In 2016, Rubin Kazan added a number of newcomers, including Maxim Lestienne. By the age of 24, the Belgian midfielder has already managed to add the game in the championships of Belgium, Holland and Italy to the list of his achievements, and now the midfielder expects to succeed in the Ruby squad as well.
Muscron's upbringing
Maxime Lestienne was born on June 17, 1992 in Mouscron, Belgium. From the age of 4, the young midfielder became interested in the most popular game in the world, began to go to football school. Having gone through all the stages of training in the system of the Muskron club, Maxim entered the youth team, often training with the main team. The debut in professional football took place for the midfielder on December 20, 2008 - in the framework of the Jupile League, the Belgian came on as a substitute for 10 minutes in a victorious match against Brugge. Later, as part of the championship, the player received a little more time, but he was still far from a regular game in the starting lineup.
Next season the coaching staffbegan to trust the talented footballer more often, and during the entire championship one could often see Lestienne in the application for the match. For Mouscron, the Belgian played 18 matches that year, however, despite the successful performance of the midfielder, the club could not cope with existing debts, and the entire squad was disbanded.
Star hour in Brugge
Having received the status of a free agent, Maxime Lestienne, a football player who has already appeared in the Belgian youth team, could choose his new place of work. Among the clubs that made an offer to the player was English Everton, but the midfielder decided to stay in his homeland, signing a contract with Brugge in January 2010.
As part of one of the most famous Belgian clubs, Maxime Lestienne showed his talent in all its glory. Having made his debut in the "black and blue" at the end of January, as part of the cup meeting against "Gent", already on March 31 he managed to open an account with goals for a new team - in a duel with "Cortrait" the Belgian scored one of three goals for "Brugge".
Every year the fame of the young Belgian talent spread more and more throughout Europe. In the 2011/2012 season, Lestienne became one of the key players in the team, regularly appearing in the starting lineup, becoming the silver medalist of the Belgian championship following the results of the championship. In the summer of 2012, the leadership of the Russian club offered 12 million euros for the transfer of a player to CSKA Moscow, but the player refused the transfer. As a result,After playing two more seasons for Club Brugge, Maxim decided to try his hand at the new championship.
Arab rent to Europe
Unexpectedly for many, Maxime Lestienne chose the Qatari "Al-Arabi" as a new club, which immediately gave the player on a one-year loan to the Italian "Genoa". In Serie A, the midfielder made his debut on September 21 in a match against Lazio, and the first goal - only six months later - on May 23, the midfielder hit the gates of Inter. In total, while playing in Genoa, Maxim took part in 24 meetings, scoring three points.
Returning after the expiration of the loan at Al Arabi, the midfielder was sent to Europe - the Dutch PSV became the new club for one year. Having played his first match in the Eredivisie on August 11, three weeks later, on the 30th, Lestienne also opened the score by participating in the victory over Feyenoord. In September, the midfielder met with CSKA and two goals against the "army" upset the Muscovites with his absence from the Russian club. At the end of the season, Lestienne won the title of Dutch champion, as well as the owner of the country's Super Cup.
Moving to Russia
In the summer of 2016, a month after returning to the Qatari club, Rubin published the news that the legendary Maxim Lestienne was joining Kazan, whose photo with the club's T-shirt confirmed this fact. However, due to problems with documents, the Ruby could not include the player in the application for the season.immediately.
As a result, the midfielder's debut took place only on September 12 in the match against "Ural" - coming on as a substitute in the second half, the Belgian scored his first goal, ensuring a confident victory for the Kazan club. By the winter break, the 24-year-old midfielder came up with an asset in 9 matches, having in the piggy bank one scoring hit and a transfer for Rubin. The Dragons coaching staff is counting on a talented player and expects him to make a major breakthrough in the second half of the season to be in the European Cup zone.
International successes
Maxim has been involved in matches of the national team of various age categories since 2007. Every year, speaking at various competitions, the midfielder confirmed his high level of skill and professionalism. However, the latter, as 2013 showed, was in doubt, according to the Belgian Football Federation. In September, a decision was made to suspend the player from participation in national team matches for six months, for the reason that Maxime Lestienne's girlfriend was with him in the room on the eve of the European Championship qualifying match against Italy - in that game the Belgians won with a score of 1: 3. The midfielder was also included in the extended list of the main team, but so far he has not managed to make his debut in its composition.
