 Shirokov with Zenit in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roman Nikolaevich Shirokov | ||
| Date of birth | 6 July 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Dedovsk, Moscow Oblast, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Zenit St. Petersburg | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2000 | CSKA-2 Moscow | 54 | (3) |
| 2001 | CSKA Moscow | 0 | (0) |
| 2001 | FC Torpedo-ZIL Moscow | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Istra | ||
| 2004 | Vidnoye | 17 | (4) |
| 2004 | Istra | ||
| 2005 | Saturn Moscow Oblast | 18 | (3) |
| 2006 | Rubin Kazan | 4 | (0) |
| 2007 | Khimki | 27 | (7) |
| 2008– | Zenit St. Petersburg | 129 | (29) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008– | Russia | 40 | (12) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 November 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2013 | |||
Roman Nikolayevich Shirokov (Russian: Рома́н Никола́евич Широ́ков [rɐˈman nʲɪkɐˈlaɪvʲɪt͡ɕ ʂɨˈrokəf]; born 6 July 1981) is an association football defensive midfielder. He currently plays for Zenit in the Russian Premier League and for the Russia national football team. He is described as "a deep-lying midfielder with an aptitude for getting forward to score goals".[1]
Club career
Early career
Before signing for Zenit, Shirokov played for FC Khimki, Rubin Kazan, Saturn Moscow Oblast, FC Vidnoye, FC Istra, Torpedo-ZIL Moscow and CSKA Moscow's farm club.
Zenit
Shirokov started his first season for Zenit as central back, as then-head coach Dick Advocaat was forced to fill the gaps left in the centre of defence after the departure of Martin Škrtel to Liverpool and severe injury to Nicolas Lombaerts. He adapted to the new position fairly well and featured as a centre-back in the 2008 UEFA Cup Final victory over Rangers, pairing with Ivica Križanac. In 2009 he changed his position and started playing in defensive midfield.
International career
Shirokov made his debut in the Russia national football team on 28 March 2008 during a friendly match in Romania.
He was called up for the Euro 2008 and started in the opening group match against Spain, being deployed in the centre of defence as then-manager of Russia Guus Hiddink decided to follow the footsteps of his compatriot Advocaat, thus relegating experiencedSergey Ignashevich to the bench. This move proved unsuccessful as Russia were beaten 1–4 with Shirokov at fault on the number of occasions, including Spaniards' first[2] and third[3] goals. After the game Hiddink slammed his team's performance in defence[4] and revamped the squad, leaving Shirokov out of the first team for the rest of the tournament.
After a string of assuring performances in the centre of Zenit's midfield, he was called back to the national team in 2010 for a friendly against Bulgaria. Shirokov celebrated his return by scoring his first international goal, the only one in the game that finished 1–0. He was confirmed for the finalized UEFA Euro 2012 squad on 25 May 2012.[5] He scored the second goal of Russia's opening game of this tournament against the Czech Republic in a 4–1 win.[6]
Controversy
Shirokov has been criticized in recent years for his language towards fans and opposition clubs. In 2011, before a match he said "Spartak is not an opponent for us." After the match he said "I congrats pigs with deserved loss."
After a match with Slovakia in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers, he called the opponents a "kolhoz (collective farm)"
