He lives his darkest days in his short existence as a professional club. The Russian group that was born in 1991 and 20 years later received a huge injection of money, through one of the great Russian magnates, is close to disappearing. Gone are the days when some of the most renowned players in Europe were attracted by a small population 1,900 kilometers from Moscow, which dared to challenge the capital and threaten to leap to the forefront of the old continent.
Roberto Carlos, Willian, Lass Diarra or Yuri Zhirkov. They are some of the best soccer players in the world over the last 15 years and they all have in common that they have gone through Anzhi, a club that in 2011 was acquired by the Russian businessman Suleiman Kerimov. However, modern football sometimes manages to escape the hands of money and business and what was intended for a megaproject (Manchester City or PSG style) ended up in a day’s worth of bread.
When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Anzhi Makhachkala was born in the newly created Republic of Dagestan (one of the 83 federal subjects of present-day Russia), a team that became part of the country’s third division. At the same time, in the regional capital Makhachkala, the young economist Suleiman Kerimov began his professional career at a power plant.
Years passed and while Anzhi achieved the long-awaited promotion to the Russian Premier League (first national category) and a Cup final, although later he was halfway between the first and second divisions, Kerimov was building a fortune that in 2006 ranked him among the 100 richest people in the world and the eighth in the country, according to Forbes.
With investments in Gazprom (5%) and Sberbank (6%), two of the main Eastern companies, the businessman gradually became a magnate until the 2008 crisis forced him to sell his holdings and focus on potash and gold, mainly with Polyus, another of the Russian giants. With these and other efforts, he consolidated his fortune until he was considered the “Russian Warren Buffet”, due to his shrewd investment style, while also acquiring a political role by entering the Russian Federation Council as a representative of Dagestan. .
A whole series of influences that already in January 2011 led him to make the leap into sport and buy the club from his hometown, Anzhi, which had managed to consolidate itself in the Premier League after being promoted two years earlier. Thus, promising to relaunch the team on the Russian and international front, Kerimov introduced an initial investment of around 200 million euros to improve the squad, the team’s infrastructure and build a stadium suitable for UEFA conditions.
The one who owned Anzhi from 2011 to 2016, Suleiman Kerimov. Photo: Reuters.
In this way, and attracted by the possibility of residing and training in Moscow and traveling only to Makhachkala for the matches, the Brazilian internationals Jucilei and Diego Tardelli and the Moroccan Moubarak Boussoufa arrived in the first days of the magnate’s mandate, in addition to Roberto Carlos. The ex-Real Madrid winger and world champion was the great bet to promote the project, seduced by the possibility of being a coach-player and unmatched clauses in his contract that ensured him close to 6 million euros at 37 years of age.
In total, 15 new players to start the campaign that were completed with another eight signings in the middle of the season, these already much more galactic. A young Mehdi Carcela-González, who was beginning his career that would later take him to Benfica or Granada, PSV forward Balázs Dzsudzsák or Chelsea midfielder Yuri Zhirkov, these two signed for 14 million each, confirmed that Anzhi was willing to fight with the greats of the old continent through the money of its owner. But without a doubt, the jewel in the crown was Samuel Eto’o, who a year earlier had been key in the Champions League won by José Mourinho’s Inter.
The former Barcelona striker, among many other clubs, meant the definitive hit at Anzhi (transferred for 27 ‘kilos’) so that, thanks to his goals, he managed to sneak into European competition in the first campaign of the Kerimov era. 20 million euros per season that made the Cameroonian the highest paid footballer at that time. From here everything was easier in the Russian club, already known throughout the world for his project and competing in the Europa League with historical teams such as Liverpool.
For that continental adventure, the Caspian Seaside outfit handed over the reins of their wardrobe to Guus Hiddink. Along with the experienced coach, Kerimov added Lassana Diarra, from Real Madrid, Lacina Traoré and Ewerton to his list of stars to reinforce the dressing room and with them reach the round of 16 in the second European competition for two consecutive seasons.
In 2013 Kerimov announced a drastic cut in the budget due to the poor results and the financial ‘Fair Play’ of UEFA. It was the beginning of the end
However, due to the hardening of UEFA’s financial ‘Fair Play’ and the absence of titles in Russia (the best participation was a third place that did not give access to the desired Champions League), the magnate decided to drastically reduce the club’s budget and change your project to a team of national youth. Thus, despite having signed the Brazilian Willian for 35 million in February 2013 (his last major addition), Anzhi sold all its major assets in August, earning almost 160 million euros.
Up to 17 players left the Majachkalá team (Willian himself, Eto’o, Lass, Zhirkov…) who, added to the withdrawal of Roberto Carlos, put an end to the attractive project and left a soulless team that finished last in the league. The relegation to the second category was the beginning of the collapse of Anzhi which, despite rising the following year and managing to save the category, suffered a new setback with the sale of Kerimov in December 2016.
The relegation the previous season, but salvation due to the financial problems of another team, have made it possible for them to play this 18/19 season in the Premier League. Although once again with a dressing room full of second-level Russian players and with only two internationals as great assets (Andrés Ponce for Venezuela and Gael Ondoua for Cameroon), Anzhi’s claims have not improved. Penultimate, nine points from mathematical salvation and with five games to play, the situation in Makhachkala borders on tragedy. If the first team is relegated, the financial debts will drown the club, even leading to its disappearance. The collapse of the dream of a tycoon who dared to challenge football with galactic players, but whose business turned upside down.
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