CSKA and Spartak veteran Valery Masalitin told RB Sport that he does not consider the transfer of midfielder Jesus Medina from the army team to Spartak a betrayal, because the player is not a CSKA graduate.

On Monday, the 26-year-old Paraguayan signed a contract with Spartak until 2026.

“Medina is a man without a name, without a tribe. He is not a graduate of CSKA. The guest worker just came to earn money. Wherever they gave more, there he went.

– So, there is nothing symbolic in his transition?

– Absolutely not. The man wanted to earn more. He said that he would only play in CSKA. But then they offered twice as much money – the man forgot himself and ran. What respect can be for him? None.

He is not a graduate of CSKA. There used to be coven workers, now guest workers. Such people did not leave traces in CSKA and will not leave in Spartak. There will be an offer from Zenit – and they will run away. If in his place there was a conditional Igor Akinfeev, it would be nonsense. And in six months, no one will even remember about this guest worker.

This Medina must still withstand the competition in Spartak. Now he will play five or six games and deflate. Look at the statistics: he came to CSKA with Carrascal and Yazici. We played five games under Berezutsky and were blown away. The same thing happened then under Fedotov. He doesn’t want to play the position he was put in. But the question is: why Spartak and not Europe, if you really want to play? From the sporting side, there is nothing in this transition. The man just pecked at the money.

Is this not a betrayal for you?

No, not betrayal. He has nothing to do with CSKA. Even in the case of Mario Fernandez, things are different. How can one treat Medina if he is not responsible for his words? You need to forget about him, erase him from memory.

– Remember your transition from CSKA to Spartak.

I didn’t leave directly. Then I just left CSKA. To keep fit, I had to train, I did it with Spartak. And by the will of fate then signed a contract.

– Was there any negativity of the sports community in your direction then?

– Not that it wasn’t. They played calmly. CSKA treats me normally. There was no malice. That’s how the circumstances came about. There were changes in the team: Gennady Kostylev came and brought his guys, put them to play not according to the sports principle. I didn’t like it, I wanted to go abroad, I looked for options and kept in shape at Spartak. Then I left CSKA, not Spartak.

How did the fans react to this?

“Everyone who understood this situation was fine. I didn’t do it out of spite. I only left because I wanted to play. By the will of fate, he ended up in Spartak. Nothing to regret. Of course, I received “crosses”, there was a serious injury. But it happens in football.

– Even despite the principles and hostility of the teams, was there any negativity?

“At the time, everything was fine. There were no such wars between the clubs, everything was perceived normally. Those who were in the know understood that I had to maintain my shape.

Medina has been playing for CSKA since January 2022 and managed to play 45 matches for the army team, in which he scored 12 goals and gave 10 assists.

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