Alexander, welcome back! How are you?
I'm extremely pleased to be back home. It is a big step for me.
Three years ago you decided to move to Europe. Tell us about that move.
It turned out to be an interesting time. It’s a great and precious experience for me; I got to play in two European leagues and in European club competitions.
What persuaded you to undertake such a step?
I’ll reply with a cliche answer: I wanted to test myself by playing in Europe. In order to get into the big clubs, you have to start somewhere smaller. When the opportunity arose to play with Lahti, I didn’t think much and just went there.
How did Europe change you, both as a player and as a man?
It’s hard to say, it's up to the people to decide. However, I do feel that it affected me positively.
How long did it take to consider coming back to Zenit?
I didn’t think for too long. Once I knew that the club was interested, I consulted with my family and loved ones, and together we decided that I had to come back.
Did you miss St. Petersburg? How many times did you come back for a visit?
It was easier to come here when I played in Finland, as it is only a two and half hour train ride so I visited once a month. It was harder to come over from Norway, I think the last time was around three months ago.
Have you been to any games here?
I’ve never been to the Gazprom Arena actually. I’ve seen it from the outside when I was walking around there. Our games are always coinciding so whenever I was here, Zenit were not playing any games.
Tell us about the squad number, have you chosen it yet?
78. I wore it at Lahti and Sarpsborg and I wanted to keep it. Of course it isn’t a random choice. When I came to Finland and they asked me about the number I wanted to choose 16, for obvious reasons (Malafeev's number -Ed.). Both 16 and 1 were taken, that's when I thought about 78. Actually, that's the most popular question with foreign reporters. I used to explain that it’s the area code of my birthplace, it was strange for them but I think they understood it.
Did you keep in touch with anyone from the team? Have you told anyone about your come back?
Of course, I kept in touch with many guys.
Do you have anything you would like to say to the fans?
I would like to say thank you and see you soon at the Gazprom Arena.
