Kazan “AK Bars” with a voluntary victory over “Tractor” (4:3) started the pre-season tournament at home. On August 11, the team of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov has a meeting with Lokomotiv, and there it is not far before the official start of the KHL season – on the first day of autumn Kazan will play with CSKA in the opening cup.
“” met with the main star of “AK Bars” Alexander Radulov, who, by the way, scored a brace against the Chelyabinsk team, and talked about Zaripov’s farewell match, current form from Khudobin, and also – suddenly! – the excitement around Messi, the league intrigue in the RPL and his favorite role in football.
“Zaripov’s Goosebumps Match”
– On Thursday, Ak Bars played a spirited pre-season game against Traktor (4:3). Kazan won, rebounding 0:2, and you scored twice. Is it important to show character even in pre-season?
Yes, it’s always nice to win. The main thing is that the fans liked the game. The match turned out not to be so easy, because we are playing under load. We have to break down, get ready. But the most important thing is ahead.
– Have you again prepared for the season with the famous physical preparation trainer Dmitry Yashankin?
— Yes, we have worked together now and last year. I like it a lot, and it’s a shame that I couldn’t work with him sooner. But the most important thing is that we have found each other now. Thank you so much. Smart guy, awesome guy. What is important is that he does not stand still, constantly learns, brings something new into the training process. Working with him is very interesting.
– How do you find Danis Zaripov’s farewell match? It was a touching game.
“Everything was very well organized. You yourself saw that a full hall gathered, people came from different cities. But there was a difficult situation with tickets, there were a lot of applicants and someone couldn’t get in – they only watched on TV.
A big thank you to Danis for his great career and for bringing everyone together for his match. It’s really super. At one point, I even got goosebumps. Everyone knows what Zaripov has done for hockey. May God grant him good luck in everything, health, and may everything work out in all new ventures.
“You see what Spartak is doing now, don’t you?”
– Your teammate in Dallas, goaltender Anton Khudobin has yet to find a club in the KHL. But the start of the championship is not far away.
– A very good goalkeeper, and he has proven it many times. I spoke with him, and even during Zaripov’s farewell match I found out from Sanya Semin how Anton was doing in Krasnoyarsk. So Khudobin is in good shape, he trains a lot with the Major League team. He knows what he needs to prepare. I wish him to find a club soon. I have no doubt that he will show and prove to everyone. I know how Khudobin can play. The main thing is that he is healthy – the time will come and we will see him again.
– You recently went to the Rubin game. Are you addicted to RPL games?
“I love football as a sport in general. If I had the chance, I would go and play on the pitch myself. It’s just that now that you’re getting older, you have to be a little more careful to your body, but football is very traumatic.
But I love watching it when I have free time. Especially after the World Cup in Russia, when you have good stadiums everywhere, you can go and see good matches. I am always supportive.
– Who in the new RPL season will be able to interrupt the hegemony of Zenit, who have won five titles in a row?
– Well, you see what Spartak is doing now, right?! Plays very well, takes first place in the table. Yes, he misses a lot of things, but he wins. Here in the cut there was recently an extravagance with Nizhny Novgorod (5:4). Of course, I would like the champion to change. But everything is in their hands. Go out and defeat Zenit if you want to take the gold. What is there to say?
“Messi is my favorite footballer with Maradona”
– Leo Messi has moved to Miami – is he already on his way from the fair?
– Well, how can he go if he makes doubles in almost every game? Did you see how Messi was substituted and half the stadium was gone? Or vice versa: Leo is gone and half the stadium is back.
There’s a lot of hype around Messi, and for me he’s my favorite player. I can put him on a par with Maradona. I love them both, I can’t separate them.
– Is it possible to be the best soccer player in the world playing in America?
– Why not? Leo has already won everything, including the world championship. Now I went to a new league – to elevate football in the United States. Crowds gather there. Imagine how many children watch him play. How they fall in love with this sport, want to become great players like this, and we will see a football boom. It’s great when one person can make such a difference.
– I remember how such a boom started in the United States after the home World Cup in 1994. And there will also be the 2026 World Cup.
“Do you remember how Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto’o came to Russia?” Then there was a football boom in Russia, and that was cool too. Of course, it’s not Messi, but also great cool players. I think it’s great when you can see these guys in action.
– How did you relax this summer? Have you visited your beloved Italy, watched football?
– I was in Italy, but there was no more football there – a break in the championship. I played a few times myself, we had a hockey team game in Moscow. We went out on real pitch, not artificial, I really liked it – my legs didn’t even hurt after the game.
Do you only play football in attack?
Why not? I can stay at the door. I love this business!
– You are like Igor Akinfeev.
Well, I’m still a long way from it!
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
