Tarkhanov called Akinfeev the best goalkeeper of the current era

CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev now towers over all the other goalkeepers in the country, former CSKA player and head coach Alexander Tarkhanov told RB Sport.

On Thursday, CSKA beat Krasnodar 3-0 at home in the first match of the quarterfinals of the FONBET Cup of Russia. For Akinfeev, who will turn 37 in April, this match was the 350th in his career without conceded goals.

– Akinfeev remains number one in Russia, this is without any doubt, – Tarkhanov believes. I also like Safonov. But he does not have such experience as Akinfeev. The goalkeeper of “Krasnodar” plays with mistakes. Although somewhat reminiscent of Akinfeev.

– Can Matvey surpass Akinfeev?

– Maybe. But hardly. We’ve had three goalkeepers who are referred to as “super”. The first is Lev Yashin. The second is Rinat Dasaev. And here is the third value – Igor Akinfeev. In general, there are many good goalkeepers in Russia. But Akinfeev towers over everyone. It has always been like this: someone comes first, followed by the rest. Now the best is Akinfeev.

– If Akinfeev had not left the national team and focused on playing for the club, would he have played so stably?

– Well, it’s been so long to play without rest, it’s also hard to keep the bar: the national team – the club, the national team – the club … Apparently, Igor decided that he should pay attention to other things in life – the same family. But the level of Akinfeev’s game remained high, he does not give a doubt about his skill.

Igor Akinfeev made his debut for CSKA in 2003. The football player’s agreement with the Muscovites is calculated until the summer of 2024.

The return game between Krasnodar and CSKA will take place on February 28. Watch the live broadcast on the Match TV and MATCH PREMIER channels. The broadcast starts at 19:25 Moscow time. You can also follow the progress of the game on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.