Rostov coach Onopko talks about Jonathan Alba: “You can say that he is half-Russian”

Rostov coach Viktor Onopko said on Match TV that Spaniard Jonathan Alba has become one of his own in Russia.

Alba headed Rostov after the resignation of Valery Karpin in February 2025. After the victory over Rubin (2:0) in the match of the 18th round of this season, MIR RPL, the governor of the Rostov region, Yuri Slyusar, announced the extension of the contract with Alba. General Director of Rostov Igor Goncharov in an interview with Match TV said that the agreement is for 2.5 years.

— Jonathan has been in Russia for several years now. He has been working in Rostov for almost eight years. We can say that he is half-Russian. His children speak Russian even better than me. He has already learned the mentality. Jonathan wants the team to have good discipline and atmosphere – this is very important. The guys fulfill all his demands and listen. We convey to the football players that if they comply with the weight and regimen requirements, they can become better,” Onopko said on Match TV.

“Rostov” after 18 rounds ranks 11th in the MIR RPL standings, gaining 21 points. In the first match after the winter break, the team will play on February 28 away against Krasnodar.

Watch live broadcasts of MIR RPL matches on the Match TV and MATCH PREMIER channels, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.