Dmitry Khlestov: not a day without football. Biography of the Russian defender

Russian defender Dmitri Khlestov is a footballer with a rich life story who, despite his age - 46 years, continues to play at a professional level, although he stands for the club "Odintsovo" Amateur League. In this case, during his career, the player managed to be noted as a fantastic game, and loud scandals.

First steps

Russian Dmitry Alekseevich Khlestov was born on January 21, 1971 in Moscow. At school age, he went to the sports school "Smena", for which he spoke at the youth level. Soon the talent of the football player noticed the capital's "Spartacus", in which he was in 1989.

For the Moscow "Spartak"

In the "red-white" Khlestov Dmitry quickly enough to get closer to the basis, playing a few matches in the tournament in the USSR. And since 1992 he became one of the key players in the defense of the Moscow club. Despite the great competition for the place in the base, the defender thanks to his perseverance and skill regularly appeared in the starting lineup and even played twice in the Cup of the UEFA Cup holders, contributing to the victories of "Spartacus" over the Dutch "Feyenoord". In the same season Khlestov became the champion of Russia and began to be called in the main Russian team.

In the next season Khlestov Dmitry took part in 17 matches of the championship, becoming a two-time champion of Russia, and also celebrating his debut ball for Spartak, scoring in the capital derby Lokomotiv. In the same year, the defender brought in his piggy bank and a goal in the Champions League - in a game against the Polish "Lech" the exact blow of the Russians at the end of the meeting brought the Muscovites a victory - 2: 1.

As a result, for the Moscow club Dmitry Khlestov played 9 years in a row in modern history, as well as 3 years of performing in Soviet times. During this time, he took part in more than 200 official games, 47 of which fell on the European Cup meetings, scoring 6 goals - 2 in the Champions League, and became a seven-time champion of Russia, having won the Cup of the country three times and in 1993 celebrating the victory in the Champions Cup Commonwealth.

Business trip to Turkey

In the summer of 2000, unexpectedly for many fans of "red-white", Dmitry Khlestov signed a contract with the Turkish "Besiktas". There, despite the difficulties, the defender was comfortable and played two seasons in Turkey. As part of the "black eagles" Russian participated in only 24 games, marking one goal, and despite the lack of won titles, brought a lot of benefit to the team, including in the qualification of the Champions League. And in 2004, exactly two years later, the defender returned to his native club.

Moving

However, the return to Spartak was not so rosy - only 7 matches in half the season and a rare hit in the starting lineup forced Dmitry in January 2003 to sign a contract with another metropolitan club, Torpedo-Metallurg. The situation in the new team did not suit the player, and a year later he moved to the team of the First Division - the Saratov "Falcon".

The first season for the team from Saratov Khlistov Dmitry successfully - regularly appearing on the field, the player helped the club win the bronze of the championship. However, the next year, because of minor injuries, the defender lost the place at the base and in the beginning of 2006 he left for the team of the Second Division - the Zhelkovskiy "Spartak". In the second in his career, "red-white" club Khlestov played three seasons, regularly showing a high level of the game. However, to achieve the result in the championship in the "Spartacus" Russian failed, and in late 2008, the player announced the completion of his professional career as a football player.

Amateur league

But, despite his statement, Khlestov did not part with the football - in 2009 he joined the team of the Amateur Football League "Olimp-SCOPA", followed by 7 more amateur clubs. The last of them was Moscow Region "Odintsovo", for which the football player is still performing.

Participation in the national team

Since 1992, Dmitri Khlestov was regularly summoned to the national team, until the end of 2002. At the same time the beginning of his career in the team was somewhat scandalous. The reason for this was the well-known "Letter of Fourteen", in which the players of the team demanded to replace the current mentor Pavel Sadyrin with Anatoly Byshovets. Together with Khlestov, another 13 people signed the letter, of which the majority did not get into the national team after that. For 10 years in the national team Dmitry participated in 52 meetings, including three - in the 1994 World Cup.

Personal life

Despite the constant employment of football, it is difficult to meet the player's time in the stadium or in the sports bar during free from playing and training. Khlestov Dmitry, whose family consists of three people, tries to stay at home with his wife Julia and daughter Ulyana, who is now actively engaged in ballet. With his wife Dmitry met in the early 90's, accidentally met in the train. On the first date, Khlestov invited Julia to a football match at the stadium, after which, he said, he had never been a spectator of the meeting.