Spartak Moscow sign Russia captain Shirokov
By Dmitriy Rogovitskiy
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia team captain Roman Shirokov has joined Spartak Moscow as a free agent, club owner Leonid Fedun said on Friday.
The 33-year-old midfielder, who missed the World Cup finals in Brazil due to injury, has moved to the capital from St Petersburg where he had spent six years playing for Zenit.
Shirokov, who helped Zenit win the Russian Premier League twice and the UEFA Cup in 2008, has signed a two-year deal with the option to extend his contract for a third season.
"Even five years ago I wanted to sign Shirokov, however, at that time we didn't get a chance," said Fedun, speaking to ITAR-TASS news agency.
"I'm happy now it happened. Before signing, the player flew to Switzerland and talked to head coach Murat Yakin. I hope Roman will quickly recover from his injury and help the team in a short time."
Russian Footballer of the Year in 2012 and 2013, he also won the Russian Cup, Russian Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup with Zenit, playing 201 matches and scoring 43 goals for the club.
Shirokov, who has 41 Russia caps and 12 international goals, is expected to be fit again in October after suffering an Achilles tendon injury.
Russia, who will host the 2018 World Cup finals, failed to qualify from their group in Brazil, scoring two goals and picking up two points from three games.
Spartak finished sixth in the Russian league last season, missing out on European qualification.
(Reporting By Dmitriy Rogovitskiy; Editing by Rex Gowar)
