Cristiano Ronaldo found out the hard way recently that, no matter how glittering your CV may be, no matter how storied your reputation, clubs will always be wary of throwing wads of cash at a 30-something centre-forward.
Artem Dzyuba is no Ronaldo, of course. But one of the modern-day greats of Russian football will understand how the former Manchester United talisman was feeling when it became apparent that his pulling power was not quite as fearsome as he might have expected following that ill-fated Piers Morgan interview.
Dzyuba, 34, has been without a team since a short-lived spell at Adana Demirspor came to an end in November. Since then, seemingly countless clubs have been queuing up to deny their interest in a man with 30 goals in 55 Russia caps, from Midtjylland to Vitesse Arnhem, CSKA Moscow to Rangers.
“Dzyuba is a high-quality player. Why can’t he find a club?” former Dinamo Moscow defender Vitali Dyakov asks, before immediately answering his own question (Sport24).
“(These days, clubs) mostly sign young players. And even Dzyuba, who is one of the best strikers in the history of Russian football, who won a lot of things, is still without a club.”
Artem Dzyuba was once a Tottenham target
It is only three years since Tottenham Hotspur came calling for the Zenit St Petersburg legend; Jose Mourinho identifying the powerhouse targetman as a short-term replacement for the injured Harry Kane.
“Early January, I flew away on New Year’s Eve. Lying on the beach, (I received) a call from colleagues from the (Jorge) Mendes agency in Portugal,” explains Leonid Goldman, Dzyuba’s agent.
(They said); ‘Kane is broken. Mourinho wants to buy a replacement – Dzyuba’. I called Artem. He did not even believe at first. I said; ‘Everything is extremely serious, go talk to Zenit.’
“Zenit immediately made it clear that they would not let go of their leader in the middle of the season. But the story of Tottenham’s interest is a billion per cent true.”
Three years, of course, is a long time in football. And doesn’t Dzyuba know it. From receiving phone calls from the Premier League and being handpicked by Jose Mourinho to being turned down by clubs on all corners of the continent.
The good news is that, according to Championat, Dzyuba’s long wait for a fresh start could soon be coming to an end. Lokomotiv Moscow are showing serious interest in the four-time Russian Premier League champion.
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