Sometimes you're the Zenit captain, are you officially the Zenit vice-captain?

Sometimes I'm the captain, yes I'm the official vice-captain. 

Why did you commit the foul on the Amkar goalkeeper last week?

I don't know, I didn't think it was a foul. I just went for the ball, he touched me, I didn't touch him!

Did you see how Neuer played against Benfica? Should it have been us against Benfica?

Yes we should have been there, we missed a chance to make history for Zenit and get in the quarter-finals. 

How long do you want to play for Zenit? How long is your contract for?

It depends if I play or not and if they still want me here, if I can stay until the end of my career that's good, but it depends on so many things. I have two more years on my contracts, until I'm 33.

You could play for Zenit-2 in the FNL? Could you imagine playing with the always young Konstantine Zyrianov? 

Yes why not, I just want to play in one place more, and it's Vladivostok, I've never been there and it's a lack on my playlist, I'd like to go there one time to play. 

Dick Advocaat planned nose surgery before going to Vladivostok, the reserve team coach also planned surgery before going there and Gennady Popovich got a 4th yellow card to avoid going, how have you avoided going there?

The first time they played I only joined in the second half of the season so I missed it and the second time I was injured. 

The Amkar Head coach criticised the Ref, what is your opinion of his performance last week? 

Actually I didn't notice, I think if he see's the images afterwards he will feel ridiculous, he has to look back and see. Sometimes Coaches try to influence a referee via the fourth official, I think it's a shame if a ref is influenced like that by a coach. 

Nicholas you speak Russian beautifully and understand all, why aren't you speaking Russian?

Because I am a shy person.

What will be the key factor in our victory on Saturday over Spartak? 

Details in top games always, I think the last results for Spartak haven't been good. Against Zenit they can always do something extra. 

During these 9 years with Zenit (in July), you've seen many different Spartaks, is this one bad?

I don't know it's difficult to compare, upfroint they have good players like Promis, Ze Luis and Popov, before they were stronger in defence than now. I think they have a strong team, even if they're in 6th or 7th place. Over the last couple of years, they've had good players and coaches, but they are never fighting for the title, so I think it's about the mentality rather than the players. 

Spartak used to be the top club in the Russian league, can you believe that or is it a fairy tale?

I know that Spartak was the biggest club in Russia and after Dynamo Kiev the biggest club in the USSR. Now Zenit have taken that place, 4 titles in 8 seasons, so we have taken their place as the biggest club.

It's rare that fans have taken foreign players to their hearts like they have with you, Can Zenit get a second star on their club badge and what do we need to do to get more Belgium players in our city? 

We should send scouting to Belgium, to Holland to Europe, in those smaller leagues where there are good, young players that aren't too expensive and be faster than the Premier League to scout them. Now Belgium players are really popular in England and Europe, they have the big money there now, and Belgium players like to do is go there. If Zenit or other Russian clubs were faster to find those players, they would come to us.

Which are the toughest games for you - CSKA, Spartak or Dynamo?

The toughest games are aginst CSKA and Spartak , definitely. Right now, not Dynamo. It depends on the season, the last couple of years the most important were against CSKA. In this part of the season we have to win all of them, so right now Spartak is the most important. 

At which grounds are the supporters the most memorable for you? 

In Moscow and Khimki behind the goal, its always full with Zenit fans, a few years ago there were about 10,000 Zenit fans in the Luzhniki, that was really impressive! In 2009 and we won 3-1, it was my second game after injury and it was a memorable game. 

Where in St.Petersburg do you like to spend your time?

The historical places, the Hermitage is not bad! I saw the French impressionist there, like Monet. The building is really great after the renovation, I was there this year, in March when my friends were here. 

How many times have you been a guide here in your 9 years?

Its OK, my wife is a better guide than me, she usually does it. I think I've done it maybe 15 times so far.

What is more difficult to stop Hulk in training or Promis in the real game?

Promis in a real game of course, if Hulk goes past me in training I just let him go and won't tackle him, he might get injured and it's good for his confidence to go past me. 

What has been the most memorable game in your Zenit career?

The most memorable was the one against Saturn, it wasn't our best game for sure, but it's difficult to create theses conditions again, it was the first time in 20 years we could have been champions, we were so lucky until the last minute and it will stay in my mind always. (Zenit won 1-0 and clinched the title ahead of Spartak)

People from Sovietski Sport newspaper compared you with Tsar Nicholas I, in a cartoon before the Gent game. If you had to choose to be Nicholas I or II who would you chose?

Nicholas the first I think, because Nicholas the second died along with all his family, they shot him.

We have a role in our attacking part of the team, named after Dzyuba, when you are watching the attack, who impresses you?

I cannot name one player, sometimes it's Shatov, sometimes Danny, or Hulk, or Dzyuba. They are all quality players and one game can be better than another, it depends on the team you are playing against. Sometimes one player can make the difference in one game and another in a different game, it depends on the opponents, who they are watching, Hulk or Dzyuba, but they are all quality players and that's why they are at Zenit. 

You came here before Guilherme, what about taking a Russian passport?

I cannot play for the Russian national team now so why do I need it? In Belgium if I take a Russian passport, you first have to give back your Belgium passport and why should I do that? 

If you had to choose between Neto or Garay to play alongside who would you choose? 

I never choose, I'm happy if I play, at the beginning of the season I was on the bench, even if Dzyuba was a central defender next to me I would make the best of it. I don't like these questions. Both are right footed and I am left footed so I'm happy to play with both of them. I am happy and honoured just to play.

Would you stay at Zenit to work in an Administrator role after you finish playing? Or do you want to go home?

Yes I want to go home, but maybe I could take care of the scouting in Belgium or Europe after I finish playing, If I found good, young players for Zenit I would recommend them. If I could help in such a case. but I don't think about the end of my career. If I could find a job with Zenit I would be honoured. But first I want to go home to be with my family and friends. 

Do you like uplifting trance, dance music?

Yes I like it, it's good for relaxing, for listening to on the beach. 

The Spartak goalkeeper Rebrov, what do you think of him? 

I don't know how he's playing, how long has he been there? 4 or 5 years. I cannot say a lot about him. Now we have some images at the training centre and I saw a big mistake he made when he kicked his own defender and the other team scored, so I hope he does this again. 

Zenit have surprised us with their good form this spring, since the Krasnodar game. How will you finish this season? 

Yes the 0-0 game, there wasn't much to see and we didnt have the winning spirit like we have now. It was good we didn't lose but now we have the spirit and have a series of wins and we believe in ourselves and we are only 3 points off first place.