Надежда Панферова

Igor Vladimirovich Akinfeev (born 8 April 1986) is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains CSKA Moscow.

He has spent his entire career at CSKA, making more than 600 official appearances. He has won six Russian Premier League titles and six Russian Cups, as well as the UEFA Cup in 2005. He is a record holder for most games played in the Russian top-level league at 503 (as of 11 December 2021).

A full international for Russia between 2004 and 2018, he earned 111 caps and was selected in their squads for four UEFA European Championships and two FIFA World Cups. He was named captain of Russia in March 2017, after the retirement of his predecessor Vasili Berezutski.

Akinfeev is a member of the Lev Yashin Club and has kept more clean sheets in Russian football than any other goalkeeper.

Early life

Igor Akinfeev was born on 8 April 1986 in the town of Vidnoye in Moscow Oblast. When he was 4 years old his father sent him to the Sports school of CSKA. He has been a goalkeeper since his second training. As a member of the junior CSKA Moscow team he won the Russian Junior Championship in 2002.

Club career

Akinfeev made his professional debut for CSKA Moscow at the age of 16, saving a penalty kick and keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win over FC Krylia Sovetov Samara. He broke into the starting line-up at the age of 17 in 2003, winning the club's first Russian Premier League in the same season. In 2005, CSKA won a treble of the Russian Premier League Russian Cup and UEFA Cup. During this season, Akinfeev played in all 19 of CSKA's European matches, including the 2005 UEFA Cup Final, which the Army Men won 3–1 against Sporting CP at their opponents' Estádio José Alvalade. In 2006, he won a third Russian league title and second Russian Cup with CSKA and was awarded the Zvezda trophy, for the year's best football player from the former Soviet Union.

In the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, Akinfeev went 362 minutes without conceding a goal until Ricardo Quaresma scored past him for FC Porto in his team's fifth group match. This began a record breaking run of 43 consecutive matches without keeping a clean sheet in the Champions League. His Champions League run without a clean sheet finally ended 11 years later, when CSKA Moscow beat AEK Athens 2–0 away in the qualifying stages of the Champions League on 25 July 2017; prior to the match, Akinfeev's last clean sheet in the Champions League had come against Arsenal in November 2006.

In May 2007, Akinfeev sustained a knee injury which kept him out for the remainder of the 2007 Russian Premier League season. CSKA ended the season third in the league behind city rivals Spartak Moscow and champions Zenit St. Petersburg. Akinfeev returned for the 2008 season, starting in all 30 league matches and winning the Russian Cup. In 2009, he again started all 30 Russian Premier League matches and kept a clean sheet in the 1–0 Russian Cup Final defeat of league winners Rubin Kazan.

In May 2011, Akinfeev captained CSKA to a fifth Russian Cup of his career. In 2012–13, CSKA won their first Russian Premier League title in seven years, with Akinfeev named Russian Footballer of the Year. Akinfeev also saved Yuri Zhirkov's kick in CSKA's penalty shootout win over Anzhi Makhachkala in the 2013 Russian Cup Final.

On 1 February 2014, CSKA Moscow announced that Akinfeev had extended his contract CSKA until the summer of 2019. In 2013–14, Akinfeev won a fifth Russian Premier League title. On 14 May 2014, he overtook Lev Yashin as the goalkeeper with the third-highest number of clean sheets in Russian football. On 14 November 2015, he broke this clean sheet record with his 233rd career shutout in the Russia national football team's 1–0 win over Portugal.

In August 2018, Akinfeev extended his CSKA contract to last until 2022.

In December 2018, Akinfeev earned his 300th clean sheet, becoming the first Russian goalkeeper to do so.

On 14 August 2021, he played his 489th game in the Russian top tier, repeating the record previously set by Sergei Ignashevich. In his next game on 21 August 2021, he set a new record with 490.

International career

Akinfeev made his debut for the Russian national team in a friendly match against Norway, which Russia lost 2–3, on 28 April 2004, aged 18 years and 20 days. He thus became the third youngest player to compete for Russia after Eduard Streltsov and Sergey Rodionov and the youngest international footballer ever in the history of the Russian Federation.[19] He was later included into the Russian UEFA Euro 2004 squad as the third choice goalkeeper behind Sergei Ovchinnikov and Vyacheslav Malafeev.

His major competitive debut was on 30 March 2005, in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Estonia and he was later promoted to Russia's first-choice goalkeeper after a long-term injury to Malafeev. Akinfeev kept his first choice place under Yuri Semin and later Guus Hiddink. On 6 May 2007, Akinfeev suffered a knee injury in a 1–1 draw against FC Rostov which put him out of action for four months. As a result, he lost his first choice position to Vyacheslav Malafeev and later Vladimir Gabulov. He returned to the Russian national squad in early November but was deemed unfit for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel. Akinfeev later re-established his first choice place for Russia at UEFA Euro 2008, and played every match as the nation reached the semi-finals.

He was confirmed for the finalized UEFA Euro 2012 squad on 25 May 2012, but Malafeev played all of Russia's matches and the nation was eliminated in the group stages. On 2 June 2014, Akinfeev was included in Russia's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad.

In Russia's first group match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup against South Korea, Akinfeev fumbled a long-range shot from Lee Keun-ho, dropping it over the line to give the Koreans the lead. Russia then went on to equalize, and the match finished 1–1. The final group stage match between Algeria and Russia on 26 June ended 1–1, advancing Algeria and eliminating Russia. A win for Russia would have seen them qualify, and they led the game 1–0 after six minutes. In the 60th minute of the game, a green laser was shone in Akinfeev's face while he was defending from an Algerian free kick, from which Islam Slimani scored to equalise. Both Akinfeev and Russian coach Fabio Capello blamed the laser for the decisive conceded goal.

On 27 March 2015, in a Euro 2016 Group G qualifier away to Montenegro, Akinfeev was struck in the head by a flare launched from the crowd, 20 seconds after kick-off. The game was called off for 35 minutes while he was treated, and resumed with his substitution for Yuri Lodygin. It was eventually abandoned after a brawl, while Akinfeev was taken to a Podgorica hospital with a neck injury and light burns. Akinfeev played his third UEFA European Championship for Russia at UEFA Euro 2016 as the national team finished bottom of Group B with only one point from three matches.

He was selected as captain for Russia's 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup campaign on home soil and kept a clean sheet as the Russian's defeated New Zealand 2–0 in the tournament's opening match. On 21 June, in Russia's second group match, a 1–0 defeat to Portugal, Akinfeev won his 100th cap for the national team.

On 11 May 2018, he was included in Russia's extended 2018 FIFA World Cup squad. On 3 June 2018, he was included in the finalized World Cup squad. Akinfeev was later instrumental in the Russians knocking out Spain in the Round of 16, being elected Man of the Match and saving two penalties in the shoot-out, ensuring a Russian victory.

On 1 October 2018, he announced his retirement from the national team.

Style of play

Regarded as a promising talent in his youth, Akinfeev's precocious performances as a youngster earned him comparisons with former esteemed Russian goalkeepers Lev Yashin and Rinat Dasayev. In 2005, UEFA's Pavle Gognidze praised Akinfeev for being a "cool-headed" goalkeeper in spite of his young age, commenting: "On top of confidence, Akinfeev can also boast cat-like reflexes and excellent aerial ability while he is quick off his line to deal with crosses and through balls. Handy with his kicks, what makes him so remarkable for his age is his positional sense – so well developed that the ball seems drawn towards him." Former goalkeeper and CSKA's goalkeeping coach at the time, Vyacheslav Chanov, also added: "Igor is a real goalkeeper, it's in his character and attitude. Since the age of four he only dreamed of becoming a goalkeeper. He's very confident. I think he also tops all Russian goalkeepers in the length and precision of his goal kicks. With his right, he kicks 90 metres, with his left 80 metres."

Philipp Bedros Kirkorov (born 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer. He is a five-time winner of the "Best Selling Russian Artist" title at the World Music Awards ceremonies.

Biography

Philipp Kirkorov was born on 30 April 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. His father, Bedros Kirkorov, is a Bulgarian-born singer of Armenian descent. In 1984, he entered the Gnessin State Music School, graduating with honors in 1988. His musical style is mainstream Russian pop music with various Western influences and, like many Russian pop stars of the 1990s and 2000s, he frequently collaborates and records duets with other Russian pop artists. His mother, Victoria Markovna Kirkorovа, (née Likhachevа) is of Russian, French and Romani descent.

In 1988, Kirkorov met Russian singer Alla Pugacheva for the first time. She invited him to take part in her New Year's concert show. The following year, Kirkorov toured and performed with Pugacheva in Australia and Germany. He was also a finalist in the Russian national "Song of the Year" competition.

In 1990, Kirkorov won the Grand Prix in the competition "Shlyager-90" (Hit-90) in Leningrad with the song "Nebo i Zemlya" (Sky and Earth). In 1992, his music video to the song "Atlantida" was selected as "Music Video of the Year". His popularity began to spread outside of Russia and he toured in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Israel.

In 1993, he won the Russian Ovation award for "Best Singer of the Year" and also scored a win at the Bulgarian international singing competition Golden Orpheus. The following year, he unveiled his new solo concert program, titled "Ya ne Rafael" (I am not Raphael), which included cover songs by Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka and Elvis Presley. He also recorded "Ya podnimayu svoy bokal" (I raise my glass), which he said was a love letter to Alla Pugacheva.

In 1994, he proposed to Alla Pugacheva and she accepted. On 13 January the couple announced their engagement in Moscow. On 15 March the marriage was registered in St. Petersburg by then-mayor Anatoly Sobchak. On 15 May the wedding of Kirkorov and Pugacheva took place in Jerusalem. Kirkorov represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 held in Dublin with the song "Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" ('Lullaby for the volcano') and finished in 17th place. He co-wrote the Belarusian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, "Work Your Magic" for Dmitry Koldun, wrote the 2008 Ukrainian entry "Shady Lady", performed by Ani Lorak, and also co-composed Moldova's Eurovision entry for the 2021 contest, "Sugar", which was performed by Natalia Gordienko. He was also a judge in the second season of Music Idol in Bulgaria. Kirkorov makes a cameo in Verka Serduchka's video "Do Re Mi".Other than his native Bulgarian, he is fluent in Russian, and is proficient in Spanish and English.

He became a father in 2012. His daughter, Alla-Victoria Filippovna Kirkorova, was born in Miami. He decided to call her Alla-Victoria after Alla Pugacheva and his mother Victoria.

In December 2012 he signed an open letter criticizing a St. Petersburg bill banning "homosexual propaganda", along with pop stars like Dima Bilan and Valery Syutkin.

Public image and controversies

Kirkorov has maintained a "bad boy" public image for most of his career and has caused a number of media controversies.

The most notorious scandal followed an incident in Rostov-on-Don on 20 May 2004. At a press conference he insulted (using Russian obscene language) Irina Aroyan, a female journalist who had asked why so many of his songs were covers of American and European hits. During the ensuing discussion, Kirkorov eventually told Aroyan that he was "tired of her pink blouse, her tits, and her microphone" and demanded that she leave the room immediately. When she eventually did, his bodyguards attacked her outside and destroyed her tape recorder. The incident led to a major response and discussions in the mass media. On 11 August 2004, Kirkorov was found guilty of insults (article 130 of the Russian penal code) and was fined 60,000 rubles (about 2000 US dollars at the time).

At a pro-Viktor Yanukovych candidacy concert during the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election Kirkorov's father, Bulgarian singer Bedros Kirkorov, mistakenly called on Ukrainians to vote for the opposing candidate Viktor Yushchenko – to wild cheers from the audience.

There was also an incident where Kirkorov sent his guards to attack the Russian rock singer and DDT band frontman Yuri Shevchuk after their emotional skirmish in a public place (as known, Shevchuk keeps no guards of his own). The reason for the argument reportedly were Shevchuk's offensive statements against Kirkorov, his wife, and his alleged lip-synching.

On 15 May 2009 Kirkorov resigned as head of the Russian jury at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, which has a 50% say in who will be national Russian Eurovision representative, after having been seen posing for cameras with Greek entry Sakis Rouvas and having dinner with Norwegian entry Alexander Rybak. Furthermore, Kirkorov admitted that he and Rouvas had been personal friends for years. Since the integrity of the jury was deemed damaged, Kirkorov had little option but to resign once these stories had been made public.

On 3 September 2009 Philipp Kirkorov, clad in his (in)famous 2008 Music Awards 'gold' suit was caught on camera while 'confiscating' the camera belonging to journalist Veronica Kozlova. Since the act could have been interpreted according to the law as a robbery, some reports said the singer was facing 2 to 7 years' imprisonment and a heavy fine. All charges were dropped, however, and Kirkorov stated that his actions were 'provoked' by the journalist. Kozlova was immediately dubbed 'Pink Blouse the Second' by her colleagues and other journalists.

Another incident occurred on 4 December 2010, when he allegedly slapped a female assistant because he was unhappy with the lighting at a concert venue. The woman, later identified as Marina Yablokova, threatened to sue Kirkorov. As a result, Kirkorov fled to Israel and had himself interned at a psychiatric hospital. On 7 December 2010 the singer publicly admitted that he had psychological problems on his official website and apologized to his latest victim.

Russian actor Nikita Dzhigurda during a talk show hinted on non-hetero sexual orientations of several prominent Russian pop stars, including Kirkorov. Dzhigurda concluded with the warning: "Come out! Come out from below ground, before it's too late!"

On 29 November 2016, Russian media reported that Didier Marouani has been detained in Moscow by Russian police on charges of extortion and defamation. The charges were based on a complaint by Kirkorov with whom Marouani had a disagreement regarding a copyright infringement case.

Support for the Russian annexation of Crimea

Due to his public support of the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, Lithuania has blacklisted Kirkorov starting from 19 January 2021, meaning the performer won't be able to enter the country for five years. Several of his concerts had been scheduled in Lithuanian cities that year. On 23 June 2021 Kirkorov was included in the list of "persons who pose a threat to Ukraine's national security" and was thus banned from entering Ukraine for speaking in support of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Irina Aleksandrovna Allegrova (born 20 January 1952) is a Russian singer. She is a People's Artist of Russia (2010).

Biography

Irina Allegrova was born in Rostov-on-Don in 1952. Her father Alexander Sarkisov, an ethnic Armenian, took the surname Allegrov as a pseudonym when he was just 17 and Irina was born with this surname (Allegrova). Her Russian mother was Serafima Sosnovskaya. Allegrova was brought up in a theatrical family with famous people who frequented their house and impressed the young girl. She spent her early life in Baku, Azerbaijan where she studied piano and ballet. Allegrova gave birth to one daughter, Lala, at a young age. She left Lala with her parents and moved to Moscow to become a singer at the age of 22.

In 1985, Allegrova met Oscar Feltsman, who gave her a chance at a solo career and wrote several songs for her. Then, in 1987 she became soloist in David Tukhmanov's band – Electroclub.

Her debut album "My Destined One – Suzheny/Wanderer – Strannik" was written and produced by her neighbor and friend Igor Nikolaev. The album, supported by the single "Wanderer" (1991–1992) became No.1 and stayed No.1 for nearly a full year.

Allegrova's next album was "Ugonschitsa" (1994–1995), which won a Russian Grammy (Ovatsiya) for Best Pop Female Star. She toured the United States after that album's release.

She began to work with Igor Krutoi, changed her hair to her natural brunette, got married, had a grandson, and bought a house on the outskirts of Moscow. Irina and Krutoi released two albums together, "I will disperse the clouds with my hands" and "Un-finished Romance" (1996, 1998).

Allegrova divorced, released a healing-themed album called "Teatr" (Theater) (1999) and went on tour around the world. In 2004, she received a star on the Star Square in Moscow.

In 2005, she began working exclusively with Aleksei Garnizov on "Po Lezviyu Lyubvi (On razor's edge of love) trilogy". A new album was planned for release in late 2005.

She has since written three novellas about love, and created an award ceremony where she and other stars give out the 'Golden Duck' to those journalists who made up the worst lies.

Allegrova announced that in March 2012 she will be retiring and went on a final tour, she is still doing concerts, however, very rarely. At the end of 2013, she released a new song with Russian singer Slava (singer) called "First Love, Last Love". She also made a song for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi for ice hockey with past athletes of the sport.