Alan Dzagoev’s Glass Ceiling – Rise and Fall of Russia’s Original Wonderkid

Danny Lewis

25th June 2018 | 10:43 PM

Four years ago, there were very few Football Manager saved games without Alan Dzagoev in it. In 2018, in what should have been his breakthrough year, the wonderkid is struggling to catch a break.
Alan Dzagoev's Glass Ceiling - Rise and Fall of Russia's Original Wonderkid
Art by Satwato.

On the evening of June 14th 2018, almost every Russian involved in football in any capacity was elated. This was because they were part of a historic night for Russian football, their national team beating Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the opening match of a World Cup they were hosting. Whether it was a fan jumping with glee in celebration, Aleksandr Golovin standing with his chest puffed out and arms out wide after scoring a brilliant free kick having also assisted twice, or President Vladimir Putin smugly shaking the hand of FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, they were all thoroughly enjoying themselves. For Alan Dzagoev though, this night will be remembered as the one in which his chance to represent Russia at a World Cup hosted by his home nation was cruelly and prematurely taken away from him.

The midfielder, adorning his country’s number nine shirt, had looked impressive in the early stages of the match. His driving runs and passing range had threatened a shaky defence and he was clearly having a ball – when Yury Gazinsky headed in the opener, Dzagoev was one of the first to celebrate with him. However, in the 24th minute, while sprinting to overlap Fyodor Smolov, he crumbled to the floor holding his hamstring.

It was immediately obvious that his match was over and probably his World Cup; it was later confirmed he would miss the two remaining group matches at the very least (though MRI results showed he is likely to miss the entire tournament). As Dzagoev limped off the field of play to the sombre applause of Russian supporters, he looked like a crushed man. With a grimace on his face, he clapped back but the weight of disappointment was clearly and understandably taking its toll on him – though this comes from more than that one moment, even if this injury did accentuate it.

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