Defender of the Russian national football team Igor Diveyev called the decision to move from Moscow CSKA in St. Petersburg “Zenith” the most difficult in life. He talked about it in his Telegram channel.
On January 11, Zenit announced the transfer of Diveev. The contract with the defender is valid until the end of the 2028/29 season.
“I want to thank the club, which has become my home,” Diveev wrote. “I never thought that a simple boy from Ufa could realize all his dreams here: to rise so high, become a player of the national team, win the Russian Cup and the Super Cup, wear the captain’s armband, charge the whole team with a “bomb” in the locker room and receive the love and respect of a whole army of fans throughout the country. No matter what you think about my transfer, I will always be proud that I became part of the history of a great club. But a footballer’s career is full of decisions difficult. And this decision is probably the most difficult of my life. When the club offered me an exchange I understood that the time had come to move on and the time had come for change.”
“Thank you to the fans, teammates, coaching staff, management and all the club’s employees: you are forever my family, who have shaped me as a player and as a person. I am a professional who will give my all on the pitch playing for a new team, but CSKA it will always be part of me,” he concluded.
Diveev’s transfer should be part of the agreement between Zenit and CSKA. Argentine striker Luciana Gonda, who has been playing for Zenit since 2024, will soon be added to the squad of the military club. The Universal Twenty Two agency, which represents the striker’s interests, confirmed to Sport Express that on Sunday she signed a contract with CSKAcalculated until the end of the 2029/30 season.
Diveev is 26 years old, he played CSKA as of 2019, during this period the player won the Russian Cup twice and the national Super Cup once. Also, together with the club, he became a silver and bronze medalist of the Russian championship. Before moving to CSKA defended the colors of Ufa. The defender played 19 matches for the Russian national team, scoring 1 goal. He took part in the European Championships, which took place in the summer of 2021.
