Denisov Vitaly Gennadyevich (born February 23, 1987, Tashkent, USSR) is an Uzbek footballer, a defender. He played for clubs in Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan; in 2006 he spent a season at Nizhny Novgorod's Spartak on loan from CSKA.[1]

Early career

He grew up in a football family: his father, Gennady Denisov, was a player for Tashkent's Pakhtakor.[2] Vitaly began playing football at the Pakhtakor youth sports school, then continued his training at Moscow's Akademik.[1] In 2003 he moved to CSKA, but almost immediately suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal and was sidelined for about six months. After recovering, he played for the army club's reserve team and made two appearances in the Russian Cup, but was unable to break into the first team because of the stiff competition.[2]

At Nizhny Novgorod's Spartak

In 2006, CSKA loaned Denisov to Nizhny Novgorod's Spartak, which was then playing in the First Division of the Russian championship.[1] He began the season with the team as a left midfielder, and by the end of the season had moved to left back.[2] In total, Denisov made 36 league appearances and 3 Russian Cup appearances for Spartak, scoring 1 goal.[3] Despite the team's poor performance that season, the player gained the playing experience he needed.[2]

Dnipro and the return to Russia

When his loan ended, Denisov did not return to CSKA: in January 2007, Dnipro of Dnipropetrovsk bought out his rights in full and signed him to a three-year contract.[2] His debut in the Ukrainian top division took place on March 3, 2007, in the match Dnipro vs. Illichivets (1–1).[2] For almost six seasons, Denisov remained the club's first-choice left back, playing 135 matches and scoring 2 goals, and he also played for Dnipro in the UEFA Cup.[1][3]

On January 14, 2013, the player signed a contract with Moscow's Lokomotiv as a free agent — negotiations with Dnipro over a new agreement had reached a deadlock.[2] Denisov scored his first goal for Lokomotiv on August 5, 2013, against Krasnodar.[1] Over various seasons he appeared in the Premier League, the Europa League, and the Russian Cup; in the 2015/16 season he played 29 league matches for Lokomotiv.[3] He later played for Krylia Sovetov, Rubin, Rotor, Tom, and Baltika.[3]

The Uzbekistan National Team

Denisov made his debut for the Uzbekistan national team in 2006.[1] He took part in the 2007 and 2015 Asian Cups, playing in every match of both tournaments.[1] In 2013, he was named Uzbekistan's Footballer of the Year.[1] His honors include the Russian Cup and the UEFA Cup, won with CSKA in the 2004/05 season.[2]

Sources

  1. startfootball.info — Denisov Vitaliy Gennadyevich — photos, videos, biography of the footballer
  2. profi-forex.org — Vitaliy Gennadyevich Denisov
  3. news.sportbox.ru — Denisov Vitaliy Gennadyevich — Defender — Denisov Vitaliy
  4. fkamur.narod.ru — Match report: 05/08/2006. "Avangard" Kursk — "Spartak" Nizhny Novgorod — 4:0
  5. asdap.ru — Denisov Vitaliy Gennadyevich
  6. drop43.narod.ru — Personal website — Team