Former Arsenal striker, Andrey Arshavin to retire at the end of the season

 Andrey Arshavin, one of the greatest and most enigmatic footballers Russia has ever produced, has announced that he will retire at the end of the season.


The 37-year-old, who currently plies his trade in Kazakhstan for FC Kairat, indicated that the country’s cup final on November 24 would be his last game of football.

Arshavin first began playing football in his hometown of Leningrad at the age of seven. Even then, he was much smaller than his peers, and he was often overlooked by team coaches as a result. However, his natural talent, combined with encouragement from his father, himself an amateur footballer, pushed him to secure a contract with local side Zenit.

He made his first-team debut for Zenit in 2000, coming on as a substitute during an Intertoto Cup match against Bradford City.

He reportedly joined Arsenal for £15 million (€16.5m) was finally hammered out on deadline day in early February, Arshavin eagerly signed off on the deal, becoming Arsenal’s record signing.

He enjoyed some early success in north London. In particular, in April 2009, Arshavin put in possibly the most memorable performance of his entire career against Liverpool at Anfield, scoring all of his side’s goals in a thrilling 4-4 draw. He added another two goals to his tally, along with seven assists, helping Arsenal to end the season in the Champions League spots.

Although he made over 90 appearances for the club, those moments of brilliance grew fewer and further between. By the time of his other defining moment in an Arsenal shirt – a sumptuous strike to gift Arsenal a first-leg victory over Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the Champions League last 16