Aleksei Vladimirovich Berezutski is a Russian football coach and a former player who played as a centre-back.
Career
Club
He began his professional career in 1999 at the age of 17 at Torpedo Moscow, graduating from the club's famed academy. He is now playing for CSKA Moscow. He tends to play as a central defender but he can play as fullback, wingback, defensive midfielder or even as a winger. He is a defender who can join attacks from the wing. He scored CSKA Moscow's first goal as they came from behind to win the 2005 UEFA Cup Final. Following his side's Champions League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 3 November2009, Berezutsky tested positive for the banned substancesudafed. The two players were provisionally suspended until the case was heard by the European governing body's disciplinary committee on 17 December, according to a UEFA statement. It was later revealed that they had taken a cold medicine which had not been reported, and both players were suspended for 1 game, which was applied retroactively. In 2014, he scored a 90th-minute equaliser against Roma in the Champions League. He officially announced his retirement from playing on 21 July 2018.
International
Berezutski is a Russia national football team regular, making 32 appearances since 2003. Aleksey took a big part in Russia's second goal against England in a vital euro 2008 qualification match which Russia won 2–1. He was on the attack and took a shot from just outside the box which Paul Robinson could only parry away. Roman Pavlyuchenko then quickly ran to it and touched it in to the net. Aleksei was selected Russia's captain for the 0–3 friendly defeat against Romania, though it was speculated that Hiddink only gave him the captain's armband so he could differentiate between Aleksei and Vasili. He was confirmed for the finalized UEFA Euro 2012 squad on 25 May 2012. On 7 March 2018, he officially retired from international football.
Aleksei started to play football in sport school Smena in Moscow, before moving to Torpedo's academy. He is married and has a daughter named Alyona. His identical twin brother, Vasili, is also a professional footballer, coming through the Torpedo academy alongside his brother, who he played with at CSKA too.
