Being Brazilian and being elected the best player in a foreign league is not for everyone, especially in Europe. And that’s what happened in the 2022 Russian Championship: a Brazilian was elected the great star of the competition.
The same athlete is already getting used to this type of award, as he was also elected the best player in the Brazilian Championship, when he defended the colors of Red Bull Bragantino, in 2020.
Claudinho was elected the star of the Russian Championship
We’re talking about Claudinho, a 25-year-old midfielder for Zenit. The player is used to being the great star of the tournaments in which he competes in. That is because he was elected the star of the 2020 Brasileirão, when he played the tournament for the first time for Bragantino, and now he did the same with his Saint Petersburg club. : was elected the star of the Russian league in his first season in the country.
Born in Guarulhos, in Greater São Paulo, he started his career at Corinthians, in 2015, and appeared as a highlight for football during his time at Bragantino, between 2019 and 2021. After being champion of the 2020 Olympic Games – which was played last year – with the Brazilian under-23 team, he was announced hours later by Zenit. The transfer value was €12 million (R$76 million at the time).
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Zenit were champions of the Russian Championship for the 9th time in 2022. This was the fourth consecutive title for the team, which also has Brazilians Douglas Santos (left-back), Wendel (midfielder), Yuri Alberto (center-forward) and Malcom (winger).
The top 10 of the awards
The vote to elect the great star of the Russian Championship was made by the very players who competed in the competition. Other Brazilians, who also defend Zenit, were in the top 10 and stood out in the tournament. Check out the list below.
Claudinho in the selection
Claudinho has minimal chances of defending the Brazilian team in this year’s World Cup. That’s because the player, despite being champion of the 2020 Olympic Games with the under-23 team, never entered the field for the main team.
He was even called up by coach Tite, in August last year, but was only on the bench in the qualifiers against Chile, Argentina and Peru.
Other Brazilians Elected Stars in Russia
This was not the first time that a Brazilian player was named the best player in the Russian Championship. In other awards, such as that of the local newspaper “Sport-Express”, players from Brazil were privileged to receive this honor.
In 2005, midfielder Daniel Carvalho, ex-Internacional, was elected the star of the Russian league, when he defended CSKA Moscow. Vagner Love, ex-Corinthians, who was Daniel’s teammate in Russia, won in 2008. Hulk, now an Atlético-MG player, was elected the star of 2015, when he defended Zenit’s colors.
About Zenit
Zenit is one of the most successful clubs in Russian football history. Founded in 1925 in Saint Petersburg, the club plays their games at the Krestovsky Stadium, which has a capacity of 68,000 fans.
The current Russian four-time champion – and who has already won the tournament on nine occasions – has also shone on international soil: he was champion and champion of the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2008.
