Dmitriy Alenichev: Lokomotiv is a part of my history

Dmitriy Alenichev is the main character of our traditional section ‘Dual Citizenship’ in the new edition of ‘Our Loko’ magazine. Arsenal head coach has told about his time at the Raiwaymen’s.

- I managed to play for Lokomotiv in the Soviet league, - Alenichev recalls on a March day before going to Moscow. - To be honest, we were about to relegate and only remained in the top flight due to the formation of the new Russian championship. When I was joining Lokomotiv, I was excited to play against the great teams of the time: Dinamo Tbilisi, Shakhtar. I have fantastic memories.

I came to Lokomotiv while the season was in progress, and the coaches started trusting me pretty soon. Early in 1993, Oleg Romantsev invited me to Spartak. Probably he liked my performance at Lokomotiv. By the way, one day me and another former Railwayman, Sergey Gorlukovich, who played at Spartak scored two goals against our former team and they brought Spartak a victory. But I’m thankful to Lokomotiv for the time I spent here. 

In the new edition of ‘Our Loko’ we remember the biography of Arsenal’s head coach who spent several years at Lokomotiv.
You can often hear a football fan saying ‘Alenichev is a Spartak player...’ Most people associate him with Spartak where he won several Russian leagues. But he also had been part of Lokomotiv, and he is remembered here. And he remembers it too. So don’t be surprised when someone objects ‘Alenichev? A former Railwayman?’

Alenichev is known as one of the greatest players in Russia’s history. His collection of trophies includes a Champions’ League Cup, a UEFA Cup, and at the same time a title of the honorable citizen of Velikie Luki town. And then come the titles of ‘a Spartak man’, ‘a Railwayman’, ‘a Romanista’...

Dmitriy Alenichev started learning football in the town of Velikie Luki at the local club Energiya. During that time his dream was to make it to the Second Division. In 1990 he thought his dream came true when he moved to Mashinostroitel from Pskov.
There the young talent was spotted by a Lokomotiv scout Mikhail Shibakov, and the team’s coach Vitaliy Shevchenko. As it often happens, these two came to Pskov to view another guy but couldn’t pass by an agile youngster who played in the hole. Soon Dmitriy played his last game at Mashinostroitel and helped them beat Baltika 2:0.

Alenichev recalls: ‘In 1991 Shevchenko saw me, a 18-year-old, in a game against Dinamo Moscow second team. He invited me to come join Lokomotiv and I didn’t think for long - just packed my bags and went to the Railwaymen’s base in Bakovka’

As he admitted later, he was going to Moscow with mixed feelings. ‘I had fear before a big city and the unknown environment, and at the same time I was happy to join the top flight team’.

Football experts of the time immediately noted the young midfielder. ‘Such a rapid, explosive, and mobile player, effective and with high work capacity, who could dribble at pace just couldn’t go unnoticed. No wonder he was soon spotted by Romantsev and the European scouts’ - says Yevgeniy Lovchev.

‘At first I felt like a decadent. Moscow was different for my home town of Velikie Luki. I was very scared about changing my habitat,’ - said Alenichev in an interview with Sport-Express.

At Lokomotiv, Alenichev was progressing, but wasn’t a star. Soon Spartak who were much better-off at the time invited the midfielder to join them.

‘During the three years at Lokomotiv Alenichev grew tougher. But he was a skilled technician, and couldn’t showcase himself in the athletic style advocated by the Railwaymen. It’s like with Yuriy Gavrilov who couldn’t find his place at Dinamo but shone immediately when he joined Spartak. The same with Alenichev’ - says Sport-Express.
For almost three seasons at Lokomotiv, Alenichev made 78 appearances and scored 9 goals. During his last year at the team, Dmitriy was a starter and one of the leaders.

The player says: ‘My family is Spartak. But I’m grateful to Lokomotiv because who knows what would have become of me if Shibakov wouldn’t have noticed me then? Loko became my ticket to the grand football’ - says Alenichev.

Personal File

Name: Dmitriy Alenichev
Age: 42
Place of birth: Melioratorov, Velikolukskiy District, Pskov oblast:
Marital status: married, with three children
Hobby: tennis
Appearances at Lokomotiv: 78 (1991-1993)
Goals at Lokomotiv: 9
Current occupation: PFC Arsenal Tula head coach

Read the full article in the ‘Our Loko’ magazine that will be on sale in the club shop and at the distributors’ on the stadium’s territory. You will also find:

• Alexey Miranchuk’s interview about football and more. Learn how to keep harmony with the twin brother and make it to the 2018 national team together.
• Alan Kasaev’s dream-team with nine terrestrials and two extraterrestrials on it.
• Advice from Roman Pavlyuchenko: why you should watch and not read ‘50 Shades of Gray’
• Our youth: Alexander Smirnov promises he will ‘tear’ for Loko.
• All out! Why a Loko fan will find it useful to visit Saransk.
• Our new section ‘Family Area’ - find out how to bring your child to a football game and make them love ‘Lokomotiv’
...And many other interesting things!