Alan Dzagoev

With CSKA in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Alan Yelizbarovich Dzagoev
Date of birth	(1990-06-17) 17 June 1990 (age 22)
Place of birth	Beslan, Soviet Union
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	CSKA Moscow
Number	10
Youth career
2000–2005	Yunost Vladikavkaz
2005	Konoplyov Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2007	Krylia Sovetov-SOK	37	(6)
2008–	CSKA Moscow	102	(26)
National team‡
2008–	Russia	19	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:41, 24 March 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 04:38, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Alan Yelizbarovich Dzagoev (Russian: Алан Елизбарович Дзагоев, Ossetic: Дзæгъойты Елизбары фырт Алан, Dzæhojty Elizbary fyrt Alan romanized as Dzagoyev; born 17 June 1990) is a Russian international association footballer of Ossetian descent who plays for CSKA Moscow.

After joining Krylia Sovetov-SOK in 2006, he remained there for two seasons before transferring to CSKA Moscow. Following a successful debut season in the Russian Premier League, he won the award for Best Young Player in the league and made his way into the national team. Despite his young age, he is already regarded as a star in his native North Ossetia.^[1]

Early life[link]

Dzagoev, the younger of two sons of Yelizbar (who is commonly referred to as Tariel) and Lyana, was born and raised in Beslan, North Ossetia–Alania, to which his family, ethnic Ossetians,^[1] moved in 1989.^[2] He played football on the streets with his brother Gela right up to the second grade of elementary school, when their mother, a passionate football fan, brought them to the Terek Beslan youth team.^[3]

In 2000, Dzagoev moved to Vladikavkaz to play for a local youth team, Yunost. As their team used to attend Alania Vladikavkaz matches, he became their fan. He describes Valery Gazzaev, an Ossetian footballing legend who later became his coach at CSKA Moscow, as his childhood hero, also stating that Evgeni Aldonin and Frank Lampard were role models for him.^[3]

In July 2005, Dzagoev joined Konoplyov football academy.^[4]

Club career[link]

Krylia Sovetov-SOK[link]

From January 2006 to December 2007, Dzagoev played for Krylia Sovetov-SOK of Russian Second Division (Ural-Povolzhye zone). He made his professional debut on 29 April 2006 in a 1–2 home defeat against Tyumen.^[5] He appeared in 37 matches and scored 6 goals for the team.

CSKA Moscow[link]

Dzagoev signed for CSKA Moscow before the start of Russian Premier League 2008 season.^[6] His first appearance was as a substitute in a match against Luch. A couple of games later, he appeared in the starting lineup in the home match against Khimki and managed to score a goal and two assists. He was also a starter when the team won Russian Cup 2007-08 final. In the round 13 game against bitter rivals Spartak Moscow, Dzagoev made 3 assists, helping CSKA to secure a 5–1 victory, and since then he became an undisputed member of the first eleven. Dzagoev was also the man of the match when he scored 2 goals in a 3–1 away victory against UEFA Cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg.

At the end of the Russian Premier League 2008, Dzagoev was chosen as Best Young Player of the Year by Russian Football Union.^[7]

In October 2008, it was reported that Real Madrid were interested in signing the player. Dzagoev has played down these rumours, saying that he expects to remain at CSKA for longer time while also admitting that should he move abroad, he would prefer a transfer to the English Premier League.^[8]

Dzagoev scored from a very tight angle during a Champions League match against Manchester United on 4 November 2009, which finished 3–3.^[9]

On 2 December 2010, Dzagoev provided an assist for Sekou Oliseh and later added a cool finish as CSKA defeated Lausanne Sports 5-1 in their penultimate group game, securing first place in Group F of the Europa League.^[10] In the final group game against Sparta Prague on 15 December, Dzagoev scored the opening goal as CSKA dropped their first points of their European campaign, succumbing to a 1-1 draw.^[11]

On 24 September 2011, Dzagoev scored the winning goal of a 3-1 Premier League victory over Volga Nizhny Novgorod.^[12] Three days later Dzagoev scored a 45th minute goal against Internazionale and a later strike from Vagner Love put the hosts level until a late strike from Mauro Zarate gave the Italians a 3-2 victory.^[13] Dzagoev provided the cross from which CSKA debutant Pontus Wernbloom netted the equalizer in their 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in the their first leg Round of 16 clash on 21 February 2012.^[14]

International career[link]

Dzagoev with the Russia national football team in 2011

After a string of impressive performances at club level, Dzagoev was called up to Russia squad for 2010 World Cup qualification match against Germany scheduled for 11 October 2008.^[15] He made his debut as a half-time substitute, at age of 18 years and 116 days,^[16] thus becoming the youngest outfield player ever to compete for Russia, and second youngest overall after his CSKA teammate Igor Akinfeev.^[17] Dzagoev nearly earned the team a crucial away draw as he flicked the ball past Germany's goalkeeper René Adler but hit the bar.^[18]

After the game, Russia manager Guus Hiddink stated, "He's gelled into the team very well... Alan is a really clever player with the ability to make a killer pass and stretch the play. He proved that in Germany once again."^[19] However, Dzagoev himself, being unhappy with the defeat, labeled his debut "a flop".^[19]

He scored his first international goal on 8 October 2010, in a 3-2 away victory over the Republic of Ireland in the qualifying round of Euro 2012.^[20] He was confirmed for the finalized UEFA Euro 2012 squad on May 25, 2012.^[21]

Personal life[link]

Dzagoev is known to be a modest and hard-working person who is very passionate about the game and is always seen encouraging other players from his team to work harder in order to win.^[22]

Career statistics[link]

Statistics correct as of matches played 20 January 2012

Statistic appearances in CSKA[link]

Statistics correct as of matches played 20 February 2012

Honours[link]

Club[link]

• CSKA Moscow
  • Russian Cup:
    • 2007–2008
    • 2008–2009
    • 2010–2011
  • Russian Super Cup:
    • 2009

Personal[link]

• Best Young Player in the Russian Premier League: 2008

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Alan Dzagoev

• Alan Dzagoev at National-Football-Teams.com
• Profile at CSKA Moscow site
• Profile at RFPL website
• cskainfo.com profile

v t e Russia squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Akinfeev 2 Anyukov 3 Sharonov 4 Ignashevich 5 Zhirkov 6 Shirokov 7 Denisov 8 Zyryanov 9 Izmailov 10 Arshavin (c) 11 Kerzhakov 12 A. Berezutski 13 Shunin 14 Pavlychenko 15 D. Kombarov 16 Malafeev 17 Dzagoev 18 Kokorin 19 Granat 20 Pogrebnyak 21 Nababkin 22 Glushakov 23 Semshov Coach: Advocaat

Jakub Błaszczykowski

Błaszczykowski with Poland in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth	(1985-12-14) 14 December 1985 (age 26)
Place of birth	Truskolasy,[1] Poland
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Borussia Dortmund
Number	16
Youth career
1993–2002	Raków Częstochowa
2002	Górnik Zabrze
2003	KS Częstochowa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2004	KS Częstochowa	24	(11)
2005–2007	Wisła Kraków	51	(3)
2007–	Borussia Dortmund	141	(14)
National team‡
2004	Poland U19	8	(0)
2005–2006	Poland U21	3	(1)
2005	Poland B	1	(0)
2006–	Poland	50	(8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 May 2012

Jakub Błaszczykowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjakub bwaʂtʂɨˈkɔfskʲi] ( listen); born 14 December 1985 in Truskolasy^[1]), also known by his Bundesliga shirt name Kuba, is a Polish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Borussia Dortmund. He is the captain of Poland national football team.

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Jakub Błaszczykowski was raised in Truskolasy near Częstochowa. When he was 8 years old, he and his older brother Dawid began training at Raków Częstochowa.^[2] At the age of 11, he lost his mother in a family tragedy and was then raised by his grandmother.^[3] With the encouragement of his uncle, Jerzy Brzęczek, a former captain of the Polish national football team, he decided to resume training at Raków Częstochowa a year later.^[3] In 2002, he transferred to Górnik Zabrze but was unable to break through at the club. In early 2003 he joined KS Częstochowa and played in the Polish fourth league until the end of 2004. His uncle then helped him get a trial at Wisła Kraków where he impressed then-manager Werner Lička.^[3]

Wisła Kraków[link]

Błaszczykowski quickly broke into Wisła's first team, with his first league appearance coming on 20 March 2005 against Polonia Warsaw. By the end of the season, he was an established part of Wisła's starting eleven. With Wisła he won the Polish Ekstraklasa title in his debut season, and they were runners-up the following season. Additionally he won Canal+'s "Football Oscar" for the best midfielder in the Polish top division.

Borussia Dortmund[link]

In February 2007, Błaszczykowski signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund for three million euros and joined the Bundesliga side in July of that year. He usually plays on the wing, where he shows his dribbling and pace, but Borussia have also played him at right-wingback on a few occasions.

He scored his first league goal for Borussia on 25 April 2008 in a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.

He wears 'Kuba' on the back of his Dortmund shirt only. Kuba is a diminutive form of Jakub.

In December 2008 he was voted Polish Footballer of the Year.^[4] and a month later, in January 2009 he was voted the best Borussia Dortmund Player of the Year by fans, outrunning Neven Subotić and Alexander Frei. The Polish midfielder garnered more than 35% of the votes cast.

During the 2008–09 season he was plagued by a torn leg muscle.^[5]

Błaszczykowski with Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga title for two seasons in a row in 2010–11 and 2011–12. He also won 2011–12 DFB-Pokal, providing two assists in the final 5–2 victory over Bayern Munich.^[6]

International career[link]

Błaszczykowski playing for Poland

Błaszczykowski debuted for the Poland national football team on 28 March 2006 in a friendly against Saudi Arabia. Although he did not receive a call up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he was an important part of Poland's 2008 Euro qualifying campaign.^[7] He scored his first goal for Poland on 22 August 2007 in a friendly against Russia.^[8]

He was named in Poland's squad for Euro 2008 but withdrew due to injury.^[7]

On 17 November 2010, he made his debut as captain of the Polish national team.

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	22 August 2007	Moscow, Russia	Russia	2–2	2–2	Friendly
2.	11 October 2008	Chorzów, Poland	Czech Republic	2–0	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.	3 March 2010	Warsaw, Poland	Bulgaria	1–0	2–0	Friendly
4.	9 October 2010	Chicago, USA	United States	2–2	2–2	Friendly
5.	10 August 2011	Lubin, Poland	Georgia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
6.	6 September 2011	Gdańsk, Poland	Germany	2–1	2–2	Friendly
7.	7 October 2011	Seul, South Korea	South Korea	2–2	2–2	Friendly
8.	11 October 2011	Wiesbaden, Germany	Belarus	1–0	2–0	Friendly

Statistics[link]

(correct as of 12 May 2012)

Honours[link]

Wisła Kraków[link]

• Ekstraklasa: 2004–05

Borussia Dortmund[link]

• Bundesliga: 2010–11, 2011–12
• DFB-Pokal: 2011–12
• German Supercup: 2008

Individual[link]

• Ekstraklasa Midfielder of the Year: 2006
• Polish Footballer of the Year: 2008, 2010
• Footballer of the Year by the readers of "Sport": 2008,^[9] 2010^[10]
• Borussia Dortmund Player of the Year: 2008^[11]

Personal life[link]

As a child, Błaszczykowski witnessed a tragedy, which had a major influence on his life. When he was eleven years old, his father stabbed his mother to death.^[12] After his father went to prison, Błaszczykowski and his brother were raised by their grandmother. Błaszczykowski said that he owes his successes to the grandma.^[13] Błaszczykowski is a devout Roman-Catholic, who reads the Bible on a daily basis, prays a lot, and participates in the "I am not ashamed of Jesus" project.^[14]

Błaszczykowski and fiancee Agata Gołaszewska were married in June 2010.^[15] Their daughter was born on 20 April 2011.^[16]

References[link]

External links[link]

• National team stats on the website of the Polish Football Association (Polish)
• Jakub Błaszczykowski – FIFA competition record
• Polish league stats on 90minut.pl (Polish)
• Jakub Błaszczykowski at transfermarkt.de (German)
• Jakub Błaszczykowski at fussballdaten.de (German)

v t e Poland squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Szczęsny 2 Boenisch 3 Wojtkowiak 4 Kamiński 5 Dudka 6 Matuszczyk 7 Polanski 8 Rybus 9 Lewandowski 10 Obraniak 11 Murawski 12 Sandomierski 13 Wasilewski 14 Wawrzyniak 15 Perquis 16 Błaszczykowski (c) 17 Wolski 18 Mierzejewski 19 Sobiech 20 Piszczek 21 Grosicki 22 Tytoń 23 Brożek Coach: Smuda