Igor Simutenkov is a famous Russian footballer who began his career back in the days of the Soviet Union. He played as a striker. He has the title of master of sports of the USSR.
In big football
Igor Simutenkov made his big football debut in 1981, at the age of 8, at the Moscow Smena Olympic Reserve children and youth school. He entered the adult team in 1990. His first club was the Moscow “Dynamo”. In the USSR Championship, 18-year-old Simutenkov spent 17 matches for the double of “blue and white”, marking one goal scored.
The main team first appeared on the field on September 25, 1990 against the Pamir team from Dushanbe. With Dynamo that season, Igor Vitalievich Simutenkov finished in 6th place.
The next year, the tournament was reformatted already in the championship of Russia. Simutenkov has already become the main player. In 1992, he won with “blue and white” bronze medals. Two seasons in the “Dynamo” have become over-productive: 41 goals in 85 meetings.
Such a vivid game could not go unnoticed by European football scouts. So Igor Simutenkov went to conquer the Italian championship.
Career in Europe
Simutenkov went to play in series “A” for “Regina”, but could not help her keep a residence permit in the Italian football elite. The team flew into the second division. Igor signed a long-term contract with the club, so he was forced to continue playing in series “B”.
In 1996, Regina returned to the elite. Igor Simutenkov made a significant contribution to the overall success. He spent 33 matches in which he scored 8 goals. However, the club failed to stay in Serie A for a long time; in the first year, it again went to the lower division.
Only in 1998 Simutenkov was able to move to “Bologna”, in which he began to play in conjunction with another Russian - Igor Kolyvanov. However, he was soon injured and did not fully reveal himself in this club.
The following year, the player moved to another championship. Igor Simutenkov, whose biography was now connected with Spain, began to play for Tenerife. True, in the second division. According to the results of 2001, the team came out as an example. However, Simutenkov, having spent only 9 matches in the top Spanish division, went to play in the USA. In total, “Tenerife” spent 55 matches, in which he scored 4 goals.
In the USA, Igor played for Kansas City Wizards. For three seasons, the team regularly entered the playoffs of the U.S. Major League Championship, but could not win medals. In 49 matches in America, Simutenkov scored 12 goals.
Return to Russia
Igor returned to the Russian championship in 2005. Spent 1 match for Kazan “Ruby”. The team was then coached by
Kurban Berdyev. In the Premier League, she managed to take 4th place without losing a single match on her field. At the end of the season, Rubin qualified for the UEFA Cup. However, Simutenkov could not gain a foothold in the team.
In 2006, already 33-year-old Simutenkov moved to the Dynamo Voronezh. The team at that time played in the amateur league. Igor spent his last season here - he played 17 matches in which he scored 4 goals. A few years later the team was disbanded, its place was taken by the “Torch”.
As part of the national teams, Simutenkov managed to play for the USSR Olympic team, having played 2 matches for it. Igor played in the Russian national team from 1994 to 1998, while playing for the Italian Regina. He scored 9 goals for the national team, appearing on the field only 20 times.
He took part in the European Championship in England in 1996, when the Russians could not leave the group, losing to Italians, Germans and Czechs.
On the coaching bridge
In 2006, Igor Simutenkov announced the end of his professional career. The coach from him turned out to be promising.
Already in 2007 he took the helm of the Moscow “Torpedo-RG” (in the future became the FC “Moscow”). He spent the season with the team in the West zone of the second division. In 30 matches, Simutenkov won 10 victories and led the team to 9th place in the final standings. At the end of the season I received an invitation to lead the Russian youth team.
In 2010, he became an assistant to Luciano Spaletti in St. Petersburg “Zenith”. From 2014 to 2015, he was part of the coaching staff of the Russian national team with Fabio Capello.
To date, he is the head coach of the youth composition of St. Petersburg “Zenith”, playing in the championship of duplicate compositions. In 2016, he took only 10th place with the team. The youth team of “Zenith” managed to win only 12 games out of 30, showing uncompromising football, only 6 draws and a good game in defense (36 goals conceded, this is the 5th result in the league).