Reborn Zyryanov is looking to star in Hiddink's dirty
dozen
After the tragedy of his wife's suicide Konstantin Zyryanov has rebuilt
his life to focus on football, he tells Jonathan Wilson.
Photo:
It was five years ago last month that Konstantin Zyryanov
hit rock-bottom. He had had a difficult couple of years, losing his brother
and his father, but it all got immeasurably worse when his 23-year-old
wife plunged from the eighth floor of their apartment block in Moscow
while holding the hand of their four-year-old daughter. His daughter died
in hospital that evening, his wife a month later. She had been, the tabloid
Komsomolskaya Pravda reported, drunk. The coroner returned a verdict of
suicide.
'She can't have realised what she was doing,' Zyryanov said. 'A normal
person in a normal state of mind wouldn't have done this.' Generally,
though, he has remained silent on the issue. 'Why should I bring this
story up again?' he said. 'Why should I drag it up for her parents? I
don't want to ramble on in the past. I have a new life now.'
That new life involves a new girlfriend, a new city and a new club. He
met Natasha, who comes from his home town of Perm, three years ago, and,
after Torpedo's relegation last season, he joined Zenit, leaving Moscow
for St Petersburg. His daughter, though, clearly remains very much in
his thoughts, as was made clear after he had scored twice in a 3-1 victory
over Luch-Energie Vladivostok a month ago. 'The first goal,' he said,
'I dedicate to my girlfriend. The second, to a little one who would have
been nine on 14 August.'
Those goals themselves are indicative of Zyryanov's resurgence. For all
the respect he was held in for retaining his dignity in the face of tragedy,
as a player he had been regarded as little more than a journeyman midfielder,
but he is now enjoying a glorious late flowering. Although he was a regular
scorer in his days at Amkar Perm, twice getting into double figures for
a season, he took on a more defensive role at Torpedo, and managed just
nine goals in his seven seasons there.
Under Dick Advocaat at Zenit, though, Zyryanov has been liberated and
has scored seven in the league, as well as a hat-trick against Dinamo
Bryansk in the cup. Russia's coach Guus Hiddink was impressed enough with
what he saw of Zyryanov to give him his international debut last season
- at the age of 28 - in a goalless draw against Spain, and he is expected
to win his sixth cap against England on Wednesday.
There is a weariness about Zyryanov, a combination of modesty and cynicism
that makes him suspicious of talk of new beginnings. 'It's just I've moved
to another position,' he said. 'I play closer to the opposition goal,
so I get more chances and I score more goals. That's the only reason people
think I'm a better player.'
The real crown on what is shaping up to be an annus mirabilis for Zyryanov
would be helping Russia to the finals of Euro 2008 and on that topic he
is uncharacteristically sanguine. 'I'm sure we'll grab second place [behind
Croatia] and will play in the European Championship,' he said. 'We have
a good, good chance - certainly a better chance than Israel and England.'
He is not the only one finding redemption under Hiddink. Stick a pin in
the squad list and the chances are you will find a player who has at some
stage of his career been written off or cast aside. Igor Semshov was once
banned for five games for kicking a referee in the backside. Roman Pavlyuchenko
attacked an opposing coach and was accused of bursting into a referee's
room last year, Dmitry Torbinksy is notorious for his fiery temper. Even
the sleepy-eyed centre-forward Dmitry Sychev served a six-month ban after
taking his former club to court. Little wonder some Russian journalists
have started referring to the Second-Chance Selection, or Guus's Dirty
Dozen.
Zyryanov's take on life has practically become a guiding principle for
the squad. 'A man has one life and you have to live so you will have something
to remember,' he said. 'You cannot look back, but you must go on, whatever
happened. You must enjoy every minute of this life, every second of your
time with relatives and friends. If you do that, then you will be happy.'
, September 9, 2007
Russian ladies dream about happy marriage.
Click on a photo...
