Alenichev Encourages Russian Footballers to Stay Optimistic for 2026

Former midfielder of Moscow’s Spartak and Champions League winner with Porto, **Dmitry Alenichev**, expressed his hopes for Russian footballers to remain optimistic about 2026.

«I want to encourage all our Russian football players to stay hopeful. They should believe that we will soon return to Europe and participate in international competitions. It would be great if, following the example of Matvey Safonov, who recently achieved a historic feat, Russian players realized that when there’s a good opportunity and an attractive offer from Europe, they should seize it. This will help to show all our European ‘well-wishers’ that there are indeed talented footballers in Russia,» Alenichev stated during an interview with Championship correspondent Ilya Nikulnikov.