Vasily Baranov / Photo: © Getty Images / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
Vasily Baranov has not appeared in public for many years, although the RFU really wanted to see him at the match of legends.
The soul of the company and the master of free kicks Vasily Baranov changed his life dramatically after the end of his career. The four-time Russian champion in Spartak bought a house near his native Gomel and rejects all press offers for an interview. But the fans of the “red-whites” would be happy to listen or read about his life.
Baranov was not the talent of all Russia, even Oleg Romantsev spoke in plain text about his mediocrity. But, despite this, Vasily was able to fall in love with the fans with humor and a cannon strike. And how hard he teased his teammates, ex-Spartak players still remember.
The RFU wanted to invite him to the upcoming match between the legends of Spartak and Zenit, but even such an authoritative organization failed.
Why did the Belarusian midfielder disappear?
Baranov’s partner in the national team Andrei Ostrovsky said that Vasily could have drunk beer the day before, and run around like an elk at the match. Dmitry Parfyonov noted that he had never seen such two-core football players with horse health.
Yes, Vasily really adored beer, to such an extent that he once flooded the base with it. Once with Robson, they decided to cool the drinks and put them in the shower, the labels got wet and slipped from the bottles into the drain. Thus, the Spartacists flooded the whole floor. At this time, the players were training, so they learned about the incident only when an employee of the base ran onto the field. Romantsev kicked Vasily out of Tarasovka, but the very next day Baranov trained with everyone. Eloquence was developed by the Belarusian at the maximum level.
They generally had warm relations with Robson. Now Baranov would have gone to court for such jokes, but then it was the other way around – the Brazilian was teased because of the color of his skin, and he laughed the most.
– Favorite feature – Robson told Baranov: “Brother, brother”, and he told him: “You are not my brother …” And further in the text. Everyone laughed, and most of all Robson. Moreover, he specifically said this to Baranov, so that he would answer him like that. Vasya teased everyone. Yuran called Khokhl, someone snub-nosed, someone black. No one has ever been offended, ”Eduard Mor, a permanent expert of Match TV, shared his memories.
But Roman Pavlyuchenko, who, under Baranov, was just taking his first steps in Spartak, recalled Vasily’s manner of communicating with the young like this:
– Vasya drove everyone. This is a separate issue. He poisoned the young, the guys were afraid to make a mistake in training. If you make a mistake, then that’s it, Vasya will credit you in full. He did everything with a joke, in fact he is kind, good, cheerful. Didn’t beat anyone. But he could morally destroy with words, – said the forward.
Insider Ivan Karpov in his telegram channel said that the RFU plans to find Baranov and invite him to the match of the legends of Spartak and Zenit, which will be held on July 8 on the eve of the battle for the Russian Super Cup. But, apparently, even such a large organization with many connections failed to get through to Vasily. On July 2, the RFU published a list of participants in the retro match, and Baranov is not there. The last short interview of Vasily is dated 2016.
– I don’t miss football. He is shown on TV all the time, why miss something? I don’t keep in touch with any of my old friends. I don’t know how it happened. Everyone has a job, everyone is busy. And I don’t want to distract anyone. Moreover, they are all in Russia, and I am in Belarus. And what about me to write? Why remember the old days? It’s all in the past. And personally, I’m not interested in telling something, said Baranov.
It is known that he lives in a village near Gomel, is engaged in business and has two children. He also loves fishing, but he did not fall for the proposal of the RFU. The mystery of his disappearance has not yet been solved. Well, maybe someday it will be possible to talk to the former merry fellow.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.
Akron head coach Zaur Tedeev reported that his club is looking for reinforcements in the attack line.
Togliatti team after 18 rounds RPL they occupy ninth place in the rankings.
Tedeev said:
The sporting part acts as much as possible, doing everything that depends on them. Our desires do not always coincide with our abilities. But we hope to gain something and find a player who strengthens our attacking game. The team has a face. We just have to move forward, think only about victories.
Source: Soccer Ru
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.
Forward of the Senegalese national team Sadio Mane recognized as the best player of the Africa Cup of Nations which concluded on Sunday.
The Senegalese team defeated Morocco 1:0 in the final. At the end of regular time, the Senegalese, dissatisfied with the penalty awarded to them, left the field, but soon it was Mane who brought the team back and the match continued. Morocco missed the penalty and the match went to extra time, where Teranga’s Lions won.
In total, Mane played 7 matches at the tournament, scored 2 goals and made 3 assists.
Source: Soccer Ru
I’m a sports enthusiast and journalist who has worked in the news industry for over 8 years. I currently work as an author at Sportish and my work focuses mainly on sports news.
This summer, the 23rd FIFA World Cup finals will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico. All professional football players, without exception, dream of playing in this tournament, from stars such as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to players whose names are not well known to the public (perhaps only for now).
However, some star and very famous football players are at risk of missing the next World Cup. The reason for this is health problems…
Age: 23 years old
Citizenship: Croatia
Club: Manchester City
Joschko Guardiol, the key defender of Manchester City, who has been playing for the “citizens” since the summer of 2023, suffered a serious injury recently – in the match against Chelsea in early January 2026, which ended with a score of 1: 1. As a result of the medical examination, a fracture was detected in the fibula bone of Guardiola’s right leg. Manchester City doctors immediately announced to the technical staff and club management that they could no longer trust the Croatian player at the end of this season. Yoshko’s estimated recovery time is approximately four months. However, this is the most favorable prognosis as recovery may take five or six months.
Theoretically, if Guardiol returns from hospital towards the end of May, he will have the chance to be included in the Croatian national team at the 2026 World Cup. Of course, the centre-back will have to go abroad without training and far from the best conditions, but… Without Josko, the Croatian national team will definitely lose a lot, because by the age of 23 Guardiola had already made 46 appearances and scored 4 goals for the “checkers”.
Age: 30 years old
Citizenship: Japan
Club: Monaco
Takumi Minamino may not be a world football star, but he can certainly have such status in his native Japan. In the past, the winger had a two-and-a-half-year contract at Liverpool, but Takumi never managed to become a key figure for the Reds. As a result, Minamino has been playing in France since the summer of 2022 for Monaco, which paid a large sum of 15 million euros to the British for his transfer.
In Monaco, Minamino is constantly a key player, but on December 21 last year, in the 5th round match of the French Cup against Auxerre (2:1), the Japanese midfielder was injured, and then doctors determined that it was a rupture of the cruciate ligament in the knee. The normal recovery time in such cases is 6-9 months, effectively ending Takumi’s hopes of playing in the 2026 World Cup. It will be a real miracle if the midfielder, who played 73 times for Japan and helped the Blue Samurai defeat Brazil 3-2 in a friendly match in October, continues to take part in the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Age: 26 years old
Citizenship: Ghana
Club: Monaco
Mohammed Salisu, Minamino’s teammate and one of the strongest players in the current Ghana national team, also risks not being able to play in the 2026 World Cup. The former football player from Southampton, for whom Monaco paid 15 million euros in August 2023, was injured in early January this year and it is very possible that he will not be able to go to the USA, Canada and Mexico as a player for the national team.
Doctors diagnosed Salisu with a cruciate ligament tear in his knee. In theory, this could mean that Muhammad will miss slightly less than he would with a rupture… But in the near future, Salis will need to undergo several additional examinations that will help determine the severity of his injury and what treatment would be more appropriate to choose. And there is a risk here that further examination will reveal that the African has more serious injuries than currently expected. Then he will definitely not be able to play in the 2026 World Cup, but so far doctors have not specified a specific time frame for recovery. It is clear that we are talking about months, not days or weeks…
Age: 29 years old
Citizenship: Denmark
Club: barcelona
The Danish national team has not yet qualified for the 2026 World Cup. In March, this team will first have to play against North Macedonia and, if successful, in the play-offs against the winner of the Czech Republic-Ireland double. However, the Danes are seen as the favorites by many, but they will definitely have to earn a ticket to the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico without key defender Andreas Christensen.
The 29-year-old Barcelona defender, who lost his role as an important figure in the Blaugranas in recent years largely due to frequent health problems, suffered a partial rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at the end of December last year and preferred a conservative treatment method. This in theory leaves Denmark with a better chance of continuing to play at the 2026 World Cup in the summer if they manage to qualify.
Age: 27 years old
Citizenship: Brazil
Club: Real
On December 8, 2025, it was learned that Eder Militao, the defender of Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team, was injured. It was related to a muscle tear in his left thigh, which resulted in doctors deciding it would take around four months for the Brazilian player to fully recover. In fact, we should see Militao on the football fields at the beginning of April, two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
It would seem, what is the risk of Eder missing the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico? The problem is that Militao has literally become “glass” in recent years. It haunts injury after injury. Muscle injuries and cruciate ligament problems in the knee have almost become a “chronic” for the Brazilian defender; Therefore, no one has confidence in Militao’s real playing conditions and abilities to go to North America in the summer. It is worth noting that Eder played four matches for the Selecao in the 2022 World Cup; two in the group stage, 1/8 against South Korea in the final (4:1) and 1/4 against Croatia in the final (1:1, 2:4 – on penalties).
Age: 26 years old
Citizenship: Holland
Club: Bournemouth
Bournemouth and Netherlands midfielder Justin Kluivert, the son of legendary former Orange forward Patrick Kluivert, may also join the sadness of those who will miss the final part of the 2026 World Cup due to health problems. Justin had surgery on his problematic knee on January 4 and now doctors will try to get him back on his feet as soon as possible so that Kluivert can continue to be useful to both Bournemouth and the Dutch national team.
Predictions so far are that Justin will return by April. This will allow the football player to realize his dream and play in the World Cup, especially since Justin took part in six matches and made one assist. But you can think as far ahead as you want and, more importantly, how Kluivert’s recovery process will actually progress after he missed a total of two calendar months last year due to various injuries and health problems…
Age: 22 years old
Citizenship: England
Club: Chelsea
Young defender Levi Colwill was seen by many observers as one of the key figures in the process of rejuvenating the England national team squad. Colwill made his debut in the “three lions” camp in October 2023 and was expected to go to the 2026 World Cup as he was the best player for his hometown Chelsea last year and is currently valued at up to 50 million euros on the Transfermarkt portal, but…
In August 2025, Levi tore his “crucifixes”, so he was away from football for a long time. Latest predictions suggest Colwill’s recovery is expected in late May or early June, making it extremely unlikely that this will contribute to the Chelsea center being recalled to the England squad for the 2026 World Cup. In the end, Thomas Tuchel in the USA, Canada and Mexico will need the most prepared football players who can finally seriously compete for the championship and are not limited to elimination at an early stage or a brave fight almost to the end, but without winning the cup. We would like to remind you that Football England was waiting for its second championship because it won its first and first in the 1966 World Cup.
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Renato Sanchez signed in Paris for five years
In transfer alert at Olympiakos for additions and concessions
Fenerbahce – Eintracht 1: 1: The Germans took 1st place in the Olympiacos group
Without Nainggolan and Samata, the 11th team from Antwerp
Europa League
Atalanta announced the acquisition of Boga
Fears that Zapata will be out for 4 months
Except for the rest of January, Sean was injured
