Midfielder Marat Izmailov - pride Russian football... Millions of fans come to the matches with his participation to enjoy the wonderful and impeccable game. Izmailov is an ideal example for young people in Russia who are passionate about football.
The secret of success
It is not uncommon for football fans to go to a match to watch only one midfielder play. Among them are Andrey Tikhonov, the legend of Russian football, and Marat Izmailov.
Few people know that the young midfielder stepped into big football right from the yard. He did not have a professional coach, and the future champion received the necessary skills in the game with his peers. It was in the courtyards that the young man polished his football skills.
The young footballer appeared in the Russian national team in the 62nd minute of the match with Greece. His game caused a storm of emotions in the stands, and Marat quickly received a well-deserved standing ovation. What does he owe his success to?
His game is often called "drunken". Izmailov adheres to a strict training regime, in addition to this, he has a goal. Marat wants to become not just a famous midfielder, but a footballer with a capital letter. He knows how much he needs to eat, drink, rest and exercise. The young man carefully works out each blow during classes and studies in detail the manner of play of his favorite player Diego Maradona.
Promising footballer
Marat Izmailov has skills that not every player can show off. He is able to run a long distance, skillfully beat the defenders and make an accurate shot into the goal. His energy and professionalism can only be envied. That is why Marat was awarded the title “The Hope of Russian Football”.
In 2000, Izmailov became a member of the Lokomotiv club, which immediately began to claim the champion title. As part of the club, our hero played 167 matches, scoring 26 goals. In 2007, the young player moved to the Sporting Football Club (Portugal). There he immediately showed an excellent game, and the management of Sporting bought a transfer for him. The Portuguese sports press has repeatedly reported that Izmailov is the best and most promising football player. In 2012, Marat moved to the Portuguese club Porto.
Who is Izmailov playing for now?
As a member of the Sporting Club, Marat suffered a knee injury. The culprit was constant intense training and great physical exertion.
Izmailov underwent knee surgery in Germany, after which it took him 3 months to recover. Due to injury, the player had to spend about 9 months without football. But Marat admits that all this time he came to the sports base of the Porto club, which for him is a kind of family. In addition, the Porto membership changed the famous player's attitude to football and broke some of the stereotypes that had been held.
Football fans are interested in where Marat Izmailov is playing now. It is known that at the beginning of 2014 Main coach club "Gabala" (Azerbaijan), invited the famous football player to his team, in connection with which negotiations began with the president of "Porto".
On January 31, 2014, the ex-midfielder of the Russian national team officially transferred to Gabala on loan. Recently, the media leaked information that the footballer will return to the Portuguese club Porto after the failed Azerbaijan Cup final match between Neftchi and Gabala.
Can Marat return to the Russian national team?
Many fans want to see the famous midfielder in Russian football. But Marat Izmailov, whose photos never cease to appear in European sports magazines, admits that he is not thinking about returning to Lokomotiv yet. The footballer notes that he is comfortable in Lisbon, but he wants to move forward on the career ladder. The midfielder is impressed by Spanish football matches, especially the Games of Examples.
Marat does not want to stop there and continues to improve his skills. In an interview, Izmailov admitted that he is not indifferent to Italian football, and if he has the opportunity to become a member of the Italian football club, he will not miss it.
Personal life
The famous football player is romantic at heart. He believes in fate. This also applies to personal life.
Marat does not like parties and noisy parties. He prefers to replace them with training and honing his football prowess. Therefore, it is quite problematic for girls to get acquainted with a famous athlete, because he rarely attends social and entertainment events. However, the footballer was able to find his soul mate.
In 2004, Marat appeared at the birthday party of Irakli Pirtskhalava with Zhenya Loza. The girl has just started her acting career, but has already managed to fall in love with many viewers. Fans of the football player were sure that Evgenia Loza and Marat Izmailov would soon legalize their relationship. But the footballer carefully concealed his personal life and even denied rumors about his affair with a Ukrainian actress in an interview.
Then there was information that the Russian midfielder has a common-law wife, whose name is Kristina Rozova. She is from Bryansk and is several years younger than Marat. The footballer took her from her hometown to Portugal.
True, later the press reported that Marat Izmailov and his wife Yevgenia Loza were expecting a daughter. By the way, the Ukrainian actress also does not cover her personal life. The celebrity couple does not indulge fashion magazines with joint photographs.
Devout muslim
Yuri Semin, head coach of the Lokomotiv club, once said that Izmailov has a gift for improvisation. It was in this that he saw the potential of his ward.
The footballer himself admits that he believes in only one higher power - the one Allah. Marat Izmailov and his family converted to Islam. The athlete does not forget to visit the mosque and reads prayers in Arabic. Marat believes that faith helps him in difficult times.
It is known that Izmailov does not drink or smoke, as the Koran prescribes. However, the footballer emphasizes that such abstinence is explained not so much by religious dogmas as by sports discipline and the desire to stay in good physical shape.
Curriculum Vitae
- Marat Izmailov was born on September 21, 1982.
- Hometown - Moscow.
- Graduated from the Moscow State Academy of Physical Education.
- The future champion entered the football school at the age of 5.
- He is a pupil of FShM "Torpedo".
- Member of the clubs Lokomotiv (from 2000 to 2007), Sporting (from 2007 to 2012), Porto (from 2012 to 2014), Gabala (since 2014).
- He played 35 matches for the Russian national team, and 2 matches for the Olympic team.
- He is the champion of the country (Portugal).
- Participated in the 2002 World Cup, European Championship 2004, 2012.
- Married to Ukrainian actress Evgeniya Loza. Have a daughter.
Major achievements
The Russian midfielder in a short time was able to achieve success in his career and worldwide fame:
- In 2002 and 2004. he became the champion of Russia.
- In 2001, the footballer was awarded the title of Silver medalist of the Russian Championship, and in 2005-2006. - Bronze medalist of the Russian championship.
- Owner 2003; Commonwealth Champions Cup 2005; Portuguese Cup 2007, 2008; Portuguese Super Cup 2008.
- In 2004 he took part in the European Championship in Portugal, and in 2002 - in the World Championship in Japan and South Korea.
- In 2001, he was recognized as one of the best footballers, received the "Sagittarius" award in the nominations "Hope of the Season", "Most Valuable Player", "Best Attacking Midfielder".
Early years, childhood and family of Marat Izmailov
Marat Nailevich Izmailov was born on September 21, 1982 in the city of Moscow. His family has Tatar roots, however, despite this, our today's hero spent most of his life far from Tatarstan. As for playing football, Marat began to play with the ball, like many other boys, already in early childhood. Game number one from an early age was the main passion of his life. A talented boy laid out all 120 percent on the field, and therefore very soon his parents sent him to the football section.The first professional team in a player's career was the Moscow Torpedo. Marat Izmailov played in the double of this club for several years, and in 1999 he even managed to win the Russian Championship among players born in 1982 with his team.
After this striking success, representatives of the Moscow Lokomotiv, which at that time was considered one of the most ambitious clubs in the Russian championship, drew attention to the player. In the spring of 2000, Marat Izmailov signed a long-term contract with the railroad and joined the club.
Professional career of footballer Marat Izmailov
Surprisingly enough, however, Marat Izmailov managed to make his debut with Lokomotiv in the same season. In October 2000, our today's hero came on as a substitute in a friendly match against CSKA Moscow and was noted for his active actions on the field.Izmailov's double for Sporting in 1/2 League Cup | 30.01.08 |
However, in the 2000 season, Marat Izmailov entered the field relatively infrequently. The young promising player spent most of that year in the backup squad, but the next year he still managed to catch the fancy of the coach of the main team.
Marat Izmailov at Lokomotiv
In the 2001 season, the talented midfielder became the main team player for Moscow Lokomotiv. That season, the player played 29 matches on the field, in which he managed to score nine points on the "goal + pass" system. It is quite remarkable that in the same season Marat Izmailov managed to get into the symbolic list of the 33 best players in the Russian championship. Somewhat later, three awards "Sagittarius" also appeared in the player's collection, for victories in the nominations "Most Valuable Player", "Best Attacking Midfielder" and "Hope of the Season". Team successes were also added to the prestigious personal awards - second place in the Russian championship and victory in the country's Cup.Thus, the player could have taken his first full-scale season at Lokomotiv into an asset without any doubts.
Marat Izmailov's first goal for Porto
On August 15, 2001, our today's hero made his debut in the Russian national team in a match against the Greek team. Subsequently, Marat Izmailov spent thirty-three more matches for the national team and even managed to be noted in the world championship. However, at some point, injuries stood in the way of the player.
The same situation existed at the club. In Lokomotiv Moscow, Marat Izmailov had a great first half of the 2002 season, but almost completely missed the second half due to a serious injury. He was often treated, and therefore performed in the "railroad" with long breaks. But despite this, Marat Izmailov still managed to achieve a lot with Loko.
Twice he became the champion of Russia, twice won the Super Cup of the country. During Izmailov's performances with Lokomotiv, the club was left without medals from the Russian Championship only once. In total, our today's hero played 167 matches with the railroad, in which he scored 26 goals.
Change of clubs
Despite all the past successes in 2007, Marat Izmailov lost his place in the main team of Lokomotiv and spent a lot of time outside of football. He lost confidence in himself and, having lost the competition to more "trauma-resistant" players, found himself in a deep reserve. As a result, in the same year the Moscow club gave the player on loan to Sporting Lisbon. And, surprisingly, it was in the stronger Portuguese championship that the midfielder managed to find himself again. 
In the first season, the player took part in 23 matches of his team, in which he scored four goals. In just a few matches, the Russian managed to become a style-forming player of the team and firmly gain a foothold in the main team. As a result, in the same year, Sporting completely bought the rights to the player.
As part of the club from the capital of Portugal, Marat Izmailov spent a total of five seasons. During this time, he became one of the main favorites of the local public, and at the same time the leading player of the entire team. However, here too, injuries did not always bypass the player. In the 2010/2011 season, the player played only three matches on the field due to serious injury. But later he still managed to return to the field.
Marat Izmailov at present
During the years spent at Sporting, Izmailov managed to become the owner of the Portuguese Cup and two Super Cups. He was the leader of the team, but in 2012 he decided to leave the club due to a conflict with the management. During this period, information began to appear in the press that the coach of Kazan "Rubin" Kurban Berdyev was interested in the player. But in the end the player ended up not in Russia, but in another Portuguese club - Porto. As a result of the deal, Marat Izmailov was exchanged for defender Miguel Lopes. Thus, the player found a new club.Once at Porto, our today's hero immediately won the championship and the Portuguese Super Cup. In the same period, the talented midfielder again began to be called up under the banner of the Russian national team. The new coach Fabio Capello drew attention to the player, and Marat managed to return to the team, in which he had not played for six years. It is noteworthy that, according to many experts, such a break was rather strange, because the midfielder's play was never satisfactory.
Today Izmailov continues to play for Porto and the Russian national team.
Personal life of Marat Izmailov
Marat Izmailov is married to a Ukrainian actress named Evgenia Loza. They have a daughter.But he is still a Russian only by passport.
Izmailov twice became the winner of the national championship as part of the Moscow Lokomotiv, turned out to be the champion of Portugal, playing for Porto, and won the cup of this country together with Sporting Lisbon. The professional biography of Marat Izmailov could have looked more impressive, since his talent allowed it, but frequent injuries intervened, due to which Marat was nicknamed the "crystal player".
The future football star was born in Moscow in 1982. The boy's father was an ardent fan of the "game of millions", so Marat's first toys were balls, first colorful for children, and then football. The child first received a professional ball from his father at the age of three, so by the age of five he already knew how to handle it well. While Izmailov's peers played in the sandbox or with toy cars, the boy stuffed the ball and developed his hitting technique.
In those days, they were admitted to the football section only from the age of seven. But the coach of the Moscow Lokomotiv school decided to make an exception for Marat: although the boy was two years younger than his teammates, he was not inferior to his colleagues in speed and physical fitness. Later, the teenager moved to another club, the Moscow Torpedo, where he played for the youth team. But by the beginning of the XXI century Izmailov returned to the Lokomotiv, who raised the young man, having signed a professional contract and became a player of the backup team. In parallel with this, the young man received higher education at the Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture.
Football
The first gold medals, albeit youth medals, were won by footballer Marat Izmailov as part of the Moscow Torpedo team. And already as a "railwayman" he made his debut in the adult championship. This happened in the fall of 2000 in a match against the capital's CSKA. A year later, Izmailov won the Russian Cup, in the final of which Lokomotiv beat Anji Makhachkala in a penalty shootout. During the fight, Marat made an assist. At the end of the season, the player was recognized as the best attacking midfielder, most valuable player and the hope of the season.
Marat Izmailov with Lokomotiv It was difficult to expect a more significant start in his career, besides, next year Izmailov became the champion of the country. But in subsequent years, the gifted athlete alternated a brilliant game with severe injuries. Marat put on again in 2004 gold medal Russian championship, but by 2007 he lost his place at the base of his native club and was forced to leave for Sporting Lisbon. In the new team, the Russian quickly became a leader, showed a confident game and was among the popular players in the eyes of the fans. Izmailov won the Portuguese Cup and two Super Cups with Sporting, played in the Champions League. But the idyll was again disturbed by injuries: the player was forced to lie on the operating table due to a knee problem.
The midfielder turned out to be the most rated club in Portugal - Porto from the city of the same name. The footballer with the team won the championship and the Super Cup, but, despite a long contractual agreement, went on loan to the Azerbaijani club "Gabala", which was headed by a coach well known to Marat. Russian star helped teammates to win bronze medals, and then joined Krasnodar, which gained momentum, and again on loan.
Here he again won the bronze, after which he left football for a year due to problems in his personal life. They said that Izmailov had already finally “hung up his boots,” but in the summer of 2016 the footballer signed a full-fledged contract with Krasnodar and entered the new season as a full member of the team.
Marat Izmailov also tried his hand at the Russian national team. In 2001, the athlete played for the youth team, and then was called up to the main team. With them, the footballer played two matches at the 2002 World Championship and two matches at Euro 2004.
Eight years later, in 2012, Marat appeared on the field in a friendly match against the Uruguayan national team as part of the preparation of the Russian national team for the 2012 European Championship. He came out to compete with the Polish national team at Euro, replacing at the 79th minute. In the match with Greece, the coach released the young man onto the field, replacing Alexander Anyukov at the end of the game. So he wanted to strengthen the attacking segment of the national team.
Personal life
About the personal life of Marat Izmailov, like a show business star, there are a huge number of conflicting rumors. According to some media reports, the footballer has been married to a Ukrainian actress for many years, although no evidence of this has appeared. Later there were rumors that the couple had children.
Later, the artist told why many believe that Evgenia Loza and Marat Izmailov are wife and husband. The fact is that many years ago at a birthday party, celebrities were introduced to each other. Then a joint photograph was taken. And since a football player usually does not attend social events, a giant rumor was born from one single photo of Marat Izmailov and Yevgenia Loza, the echoes of which are still heard.
On some sites today you can find information that a football player is married to an artist. In addition, the couple allegedly has a daughter growing up. And due to the fact that the actress also hides the private side of life, this rumor is mistaken for the truth.
At another time, the name of Marat was associated with a gymnast and a resident of Bryansk Kristina Rozova, with whom he was most likely in a de facto marriage. Who is Marat Izmailov's wife today and whether their wedding took place has not been officially established, since the football player of Krasnodar and the Russian national team still hides the events of the private side of life. But from fellow athletes, for example, from former coach the current team, it became known that the star had two children. Moreover, due to the fact that the youngest son needed urgent surgical intervention, Izmailov missed the 2015/2016 season.
It should be added that Marat not only avoids noisy parties and social events, but in fact never became a participant in high-profile scandals. The midfielder observes the regime, leads healthy image life, he is responsible for spiritual life: the football player converted to Islam and, as a devout Muslim, regularly visits the mosque and reads the Koran.
The only case when the name of Marat Izmailov flashed in an unpleasant episode occurred in 2012. The commentator allowed himself only on the grounds that he does not agree to return to the Russian championship for a fabulous salary, but prefers to continue playing in Portugal.
Today, the footballer continues to remain silent about the family. Marat does not have an Instagram page, but he has a personal website where only news about the player's football career appears.
Marat Izmailov now
In March 2017, Marat Izmailov terminated the contract with football club Krasnodar by mutual agreement. But in an interview, the player shared that working with the Krasnodar team was the best in the athlete's career.
In June of the same year, Izmailov moved to Ararat as a free agent. The young man entered the Russian championship four times, scored two goals, and in September again terminated the contract, also by agreement of both sides. The news appeared on the athlete's official website. In the conversation, Marat thanked the club and noted that he was leaving for personal reasons. Later, in May 2018, the footballer shared in an interview that he had a warm relationship with the team.
From an April conversation with a journalist, it became clear that there is no big football in the life of Marat Izmailov today. The man is busy with questions and problems for which there was not enough time before.
The young man said that the player's friend, belt wrestler Damir Shiapov, was unfairly sent to jail. And Marat is trying to get his comrade out with the help of an adequate investigation.
Thanks to an interview with the famous football player, Damir's case received wide publicity. In the same conversation, Marat expressed regret that he had to fight an unscrupulous system, although earlier the player zealously defended Russian laws, saying that there was justice in the country.
Awards
- 2000-2001 - Russian Cup, 1st place
- 2001 - Championship of Russia, 2nd place
- 2002 - Championship of Russia, 1st place
- 2003 - Russian Super Cup, 1st place
- 2004 - Championship of Russia, 1st place
- 2005 - Russian Super Cup, 1st place
- 2005 - Commonwealth Champions Cup, 1st place
- 2006-2007 - Russian Cup, 1st place
- 2007-2008 - Portuguese Cup, 1st place
- 2007 - Portuguese Super Cup, 1st place
- 2008 - Portuguese Super Cup, 1st place
- 2012-2013 - Portuguese Championship, 1st place
- 2013 - Portuguese Super Cup, 1st place
- 2013-2014 - Azerbaijan Championship, 3rd place
- 2014-2015 - Russian Championship, 3rd place
Marat Izmailov is a Russian footballer, midfielder of Krasnodar and the Russian national team, one of the most popular players in the RFPL in the 00s, two-time champion Russia as part of Lokomotiv. Izmailov graduated at the Torpedo school, but began his professional career at Lokomotiv. Having played one season in the second team of “steam locomotives”, Marat made his way to the starting line-up and in 2001 was nominated for the title “Hope of the Season”, “Most Valuable Player” and “Best Attacking Midfielder”. Due to severe injuries, he was unable to reach his full potential, having played 167 matches in Loko over 8 years. From 2008 to 2013 he was a player of Sporting Lisbon, however, he could not play here either due to injuries and personal problems. After a short break in his professional career, he joined Krasnodar in 2014. In 2016, he signed a full-fledged contract with the team for two years. For more than ten years, Marat wore the jersey of the Russian national team, with which he played at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, 2012.
- Full name: Marat Nailevich Izmailov (Marat Nail uğlı İzmaile)
- Date and place of birth: September 21, 1982, Moscow (USSR)
- Role: attacking midfielder (winger)
Marat Izmailov's club career
"Locomotive"
Marat was born in Moscow, at the youth level he managed to play with Lokomotiv and Torpedo. With "torpedo soldiers" born in 1982, he became the champion of Russia in 1999. He was also twice recognized as the best striker of the youth championships of the country in different age categories. In the spring of 2000 he returned back to Lokomotiv, making his debut for this team in a friendly match against CSKA. During the next season, he helped the team win the Russian Cup, scoring an assist in the final match against Anji. In the same season, he became the vice-champion of the RPL and was included in the symbolic list of the 33 best football players in the championship. Marat won the Sagittarius award in the nominations for Best Attacking Midfielder, Most Valuable Player and Hope of the Season.
Subsequently, Marat continued to progress by leaps and bounds, twice becoming the champion of the country. In the 2003 season he played 27 matches and scored 5 goals. He played ten more matches in the Champions League. In addition, he was included in the symbolic list of the 33 best players in the league three times. However, soon the player began to suffer from injuries, which will remain his faithful companion and main enemy until the end of his career. By the 2007 season, Izmailov, who was the star of the entire championship a couple of years ago, was loaned to Sporting Lisbon with a buyout option for 4.5 million euros.
Sporting
In Sporting, Izmailov was able to return to the previous levels, at least with regard to constant playing practice and the quality of the game. In his debut season, he played in 23 Sagrish League matches and scored 4 goals. He played 13 more matches in the League Cup and the Portuguese Cup, and played 11 meetings in Eurocups. The first trophy of Izmailov in this team was the League Cup. Shortly after the end of the season, the management of Sporting willingly bought the rights to the player, signing a four-year contract with him. For the next two seasons, Marat demonstrated high-quality and useful play, winning two more Portuguese Super Cups with Sporting, and twice finishing in second position in the championship. However, then the footballer began to have health problems, he was forced to leave the summer training camp in France, and then could not start the 2010/11 season on time.
All this gave rise to rumors about the possible departure of the player from the Lisbon team. According to some reports, the two-time Russian champion Rubin claimed Marat, and the footballer himself was going to sue Sporting for the decision to fine him 2/3 of his monthly salary in the 2009/10 season. Soon, the Portuguese media started talking about a full-fledged conflict between Marat, the management and the coaching staff of Sporting, however, these rumors were not confirmed. In fact, Izmailov was one of the favorites of the local public and tried to quickly heal the “sores” in order to continue playing at Sporting. To do this, he went to Germany, where he operated on the knee with the famous surgeon Ludwig Seebauer.
Marat started the 2011/12 season at half-time in his debut match against Ollanense, scored a goal and brought his team a 1-1 victory. Then he was able to hit the gates of "Maritimo" and "Pasos de Ferreira" in two rounds in a row. In the spring Izmailov scored against Metalist and helped his team reach the Europa League semifinals. In the summer of 2012, the forward was quite unexpectedly called up to the Russian national team and went to his second European Championship. Almost immediately after the end of Euro, Izmailov hinted that he wanted to change his club registration:
- Have you ever had a desire to change the club?
- It was. For various reasons, this could not be done. Right now, the time has probably come to seriously return to this issue.
Izmailov still started the 2012/13 season at Sporting, but did not score a single goal in nine starting meetings. Moreover, in the fall, the footballer was forced to leave for Moscow to solve personal problems, and upon his return he took a vacation at his own expense. In December, the agent said that Sporting's management had decided to part with Izmailov, and that potential buyers included clubs from Spain, Italy, Portugal and Russia. In January, Marat quite unexpectedly began to associate with Porto, the principal rival of Sporting. They wanted to exchange the Russian for the defender of the “dragons” Rolanda, but in the end they were able to capture the “bigger fish” in the person of Miguel Lopes. Izmailov signed a 2.5-year contract with Porto, explaining his decision to join this particular team by his desire to win trophies:
“Everyone knows that Porto are a great team. This is a very large club with a good organization of work. Their results are better than those of other Portuguese clubs. Almost every year they become champions in recent times... I hope to win titles here and make progress. It will be a pleasure for me to play beautiful football that the team demonstrates. "
On January 13, he made his debut in the new team in the most important match of the Sagres League against Benfica. Six days later he scored a goal against Pacos de Ferreira. This ball remained the only one for Izmailov in the "dragons". Until the end of the season, he played in 13 more matches, earned his team a penalty in the League Cup semi-finals and scored an assist against Rio Ave. At the end of the season, he was finally able to win the championship title of the country, and also became the owner of the Portuguese Super Cup. At the start of the next season, Izmailov made his debut match in Eurocups against Austria, but then disappeared from the press radar, again asking for leave at his own expense. Subsequently, he returned to Lisbon, but did not appear at the base of the "dragons".
"Gabala"
In winter, Porto agreed to let the player go on loan. Soon they began to associate him with the Azerbaijani "Gabala". This club rented the player until June 30, 2015, and Gabala's mentor Yuri Semin, who worked with Izmailov at Lokomotiv, was the initiator of the transfer. According to Azerifootball, the forward should have earned $ 150,000 in 4 months. On February 8, Marat made his debut in a new team in a duel against "Karabakh", having spent all 90 minutes on the field. Subsequently, he played in 14 matches and scored 1 goal in the match of the penultimate round against “Baku” (3-1). Thanks to a series of victories of five meetings, "Gabala" took the third place and advanced to the Eurocups.
Krasnodar
In the summer of 2014 he returned to Porto, expressing the hope that he could again gain a foothold in starting lineup"Dragons". However, on July 18, he ended up in Krasnodar on a one-year lease with the option of automatic prolongation. On August 7, he made his debut for the Bulls in the Europa League home match against Gyosgyor. On August 14, he entered the starting lineup of the Premier League match against Spartak and soon scored a goal, which became his first in Russia since 2006. Subsequently, he often appeared in the starting lineup, but scored little. The coaching staff decided to use the strengths of Izmailov and began to release him in the center of the field. From there, the midfielder gave excellent assists, which brought victories against Terek (1-0), Everton (1-0) and Kuban (3-2). Due to injuries, Marat missed several weeks in the second half of the season, but overall left a good impression.
Break and return to Krasnodar
In August 2015, Marat announced the suspension of his career due to his son's illness. At the same time, the owner of Krasnodar, Oleg Kononov, said that the club will definitely try to sign the player after his return to football. During the next season, there was no news from Izmailov, his agent reported on the interest of Kazakhstani and Russian clubs, but these proposals did not suit the player. As a result, the search for a new team was postponed until the summer. In June, Ufa and Krasnodar claimed him, soon the player joined the bulls and signed a new contract for two years.
International career of Marat Izmailov
Izmailov became one of the youngest debutants of the Russian national team, having played his first match at the international level in 2001. In 2002 he went with the national team to the World Championships in Japan and South Korea, where he played two more matches. Two years later, he played at Euro in Portugal, where he again played in two meetings. In 2006, Izmailov continued to play for the national team, but then fell out of sight of local coaches for almost six years. In 2012, he was included in the final application of Dick Advocaat for the Euro, where he played against Greece.
Achievements of Marat Izmailov
"Locomotive"
- Champion of Russia: 2002, 2004
- Silver medalist of the Russian Championship: 2001
- Bronze medalist of the Russian Championship: 2005, 2006
- Russian Cup Winner: 2000/01, 2006/07
- Russian Super Cup Winner: 2003, 2005
- Commonwealth Cup Winner: 2005
Sporting
- Portuguese Cup Winner 2008
- Portuguese Super Cup 2007, 2008
- Vice-champion of Portugal 2017/08, 2008/09
- Finalist of the Portuguese Cup 2011/12
- Finalist of the Portuguese League Cup 2007/08, 2008/09
- Portuguese Champion 2012/13
- Portuguese Super Cup 2013
- Portuguese League Cup finalist 2012/13
"Gabala"
- Bronze medalist of Azerbaijan 2013/14
- Finalist of Azerbaijan Cup 2013/14
Krasnodar
- Bronze medalist of the Russian Championship 2014/15
Individual achievements of Marat Izmailov
- In the lists of 33 best footballers of the Russian championship (4): No. 1 (2001); No. 2 (2003, 2004, 2005).
Marat Izmailov was born on September 21, 1982 in the city of Moscow. His father was an ardent fan of the "game of millions", so Marat's first toys were balls, first colorful for children, and then football. He first received a real professional ball from his father at the age of three, so by the age of five he already knew how to handle it well. While Izmailov's peers spent time in the sandbox or played with toy cars, the boy would hit the ball and develop his technique.
In those days, they were admitted to the football section only from the age of seven. But the coach of the Moscow Lokomotiv school decided to make an exception for Marat: although he was two years younger than his teammates, he was in no way inferior in speed and physical preparation. Later, the teenager moved to another club, the Moscow Torpedo, where he played for the youth team. But by the beginning of the XXI century Izmailov returned to Lokomotiv, which raised him, having signed a professional contract and became a player of the reserve squad. In parallel with this, the young man received a higher education at the Moscow State Academy of Physical Culture.
The first gold medals, albeit youth medals, were won by footballer Marat Izmailov as part of the Moscow Torpedo team. And already as a "railwayman" he made his debut in the adult championship. This happened in the fall of 2000 in a match against the capital's CSKA. A year later, Izmailov won the Russian Cup, in the final of which Lokomotiv beat Anji Makhachkala in a penalty shootout. During the fight, Marat made an assist. At the end of the season, the player was recognized as the best attacking midfielder, most valuable player and the hope of the season.
It was difficult to expect a better start to his career, especially since the next year Izmailov became the champion of the country. But in subsequent years, the gifted athlete alternated a brilliant game with severe injuries. In 2004, Marat again put on the gold medal of the national championship, but by 2007 he had lost his place at the base of his native club and was forced to leave for Sporting Lisbon. In the new team, the Russian quickly became a leader, showed a very confident game and was among the most popular players in the eyes of the fans. Izmailov won the Portuguese Cup and two Super Cups with Sporting, played in the Champions League. But the idyll was again violated by injuries: the player was forced to lie on the operating table due to a problem in the knee.
The next team of the midfielder was the most rated club in Portugal - Porto from the city of the same name. The footballer with the team won the championship and the Super Cup, but despite a long contractual agreement, he went on loan to the Azerbaijani club "Gabala", which was headed by the coach Yuri Semin, well-known to Marat. The Russian star helped his teammates win bronze medals, and then joined the growing Krasnodar, and again on loan.
Here he again won the bronze, after which he left football for a year due to problems in his personal life. They said that Izmailov had already finally “hung up his boots,” but in the summer of 2016 the footballer signed a full-fledged contract with Krasnodar and entered the new season as a full member of the team.
