After having visited JSC Gazprom`s office together with his Zenit teammates a couple of months ago, Alexander Kerzhakov had no trouble getting around the office corridors: forwards always find the shortest routes to the goal, in this case – to one of Gazprom`s main halls. That`s just a requirement of the forward`s profession. In the middle of the hall, which serves as a negotiation room, as well as a sort of library, the Zenit striker was met by Gazprom`s top mangers together with Alexey Miller. company CEO.
The official nature of such meetings was quickly eliminated by the way in which Zenit`s VIP fans greeted Kerzhakov, singing the same songs that the fan sectors at Petrovsky Stadium use to greet their favorite player. Kerzhakov`s smile shone even brighter at that point.
– If you win player of the year again next year, then we`ll sing to you all over again, – said Alexey Miller. – We`re very proud of the way you played this season, and we know that next year might be even more remarkable – you`re capable of that.
Kerzhakov, who is very interested in history, got a unique gift – the book “Two Centuries of Russian Gas" in a wooden binding, as well as one other particular gift from Zenit`s general sponsor – a limited-edition “Gazprom captain`s watch” made especially for such cases.
In the end though it was impossible not to follow protocol: Kerzhakov posed together with Gazprom managers for the photo cameras. After that Zenit`s striker left for his native St. Petersburg, to get ready for a new season in which he will try once gain to be the best.
