Has the 35 days of training been the longest pre-season in your career?
Yes, absolutely. I’ve never spent so long training, I think this was partly due to the winter break being longer than usual. So this training camp was tougher than usual.
How did you find the camp?
The harder you work, the better it is. Us players are just like the fans preferring official games and going for the league title, with a competitive atmosphere at the games. But these training camps are very important, and we need to give our all, especially after such a long break. We had a great month, worked hard but are now happy to return to St. Petersburg to continue our training here ready for the season to start again.
Where was it harder physically, Qatar or Dubai?
Perhaps in Qatar it was a little more difficult, it is always difficult to get back to training after a break and get back in peak physical condition.
Were these training camps like the ones you did in Brazil?
No, they have nothing in common! These are overall very different. In big European clubs like Zenit, pre-season is always tougher, more intense and more training. After the break here training starts almost immediately out on the pitch, while in Brazil the players first train in the gym for a while and only then start working with the ball. There are some similarities, but the pre-season in Brazil is definitely not as intense.
Zenit played six friendly matches during the two weeks in Dubai, do they play more or less often at a Brazilian training camp?
It depends when the training camp takes place, but I would say they play less matches there, even though they play with two different squads there, one plays in the morning, the second the next day or that evening. There are less friendlies in a Brazilian pre-season.
You had your 26th birthday on the final day in Qatar, how did you celebrate?
We had a three-day break between the two training camps, so I flew to Brazil and spent some time with my family and friends. This is always a special moment for me and I am happy that I was able to celebrate with them, it was great!
How much time did you spend travelling for this?
I slept almost the entire flight, so I can’t say for sure, but it was about 14 hours one way.
So you spent more than a day on flying alone, how much time did you get to spend with your family and friends?
Just one day! But it was worth it, because we won’t see each other for a long time now as we had the second training camp and then back to Russia for the spring part of the season. So I enjoyed every moment and tried to spend as much time with the people I love.
Were there many guests at your birthday?
There were enough (smiles), but I didn't count how many, maybe a few hundred.
What do you think about the Russian league now you’ve been here for a while?
Now I have established myself in the RPL I feel it is a very strong and competitive league. To get a win it can be tough, and I had to get used to the strength in the league, you have to have physical strength and pace in this league, because things can change on the pitch quickly. This season other rival teams have become better and more of a threat to us and the title, but we’re working hard at the training camp and will give our all to reach our target.
In your debut season you won the title and were the fans’ player of the season, but what was your main reason for re-signing the contract in the summer?
I really like it at Zenit and feel at home here, especially after my first year in St. Petersburg, I feel the love from the fans and we have a great team, with a lot of Brazilians so that makes things easier. My decision to sign a new contract was very easily.
Do you follow your personal statistics? This season your numbers are lower than last year's, does this bother you?
It doesn't bother me at all, every player has ups and downs and everything happens at the right time. Last season I played in a different position, more attacking, now I am more in the middle. My aim is to help the team win by any means possible and it doesn’t matter what my personal stats are. Last year, I had some great moments, but this season Malcom is having a brilliant time and has some excellent stats, and this is absolutely deserved. Whoever gets the goal or assist, our main aim is to get Zenit that second star.
Do you prefer goals or assists? And why?
It depends on the situation (smiles). I'm the kind of player who always tries to create a lot of chances for the team and don’t have to be the one to put the ball in the net. So if I help the team do well, I'm happy. But I do like to score a good goal!
Brazil U20s recently won the South American Youth Championship for the first time in 12 years. How important is this tournament for your country?
I have never had a chance to play in this tournament, but I know that this is a high-profile competition where many players are spotted, and I am very happy for our guys and all the Brazilian fans. This is an important moment and a big thing for young players and they’ll remember this for a lifetime.
Robert Renan was one of the winners and has just arrived at Zenit, what do you know about this player?
I know that he is a top-quality player, I saw him play for Corinthians and was impressed. I’ve heard a lot of good things about him and hope he gets used to things here as quickly as possible. When the Brazilian youth team won the title, I messaged him and congratulated him on the win.
What aims do you have for the remainder of the season?
I have one, as does the rest of the team, to win the league. I won the title here in my first season, and I’d like to experience this again. So we want the same as last year, I want some goals and assists to help the team and get us closer to the title.
