Five famous teams from the Russian Premier League

Back in the early nineties, the once-glorious Soviet soccer scene collapsed along with the country's collapse, and the Soviet National Football League was naturally consigned to the dustbin of history and declared its end.

Shortly after that, the Russian Football Federation formed the Russian Premier League, later renamed the Russian Premier League, with six former Soviet soccer league veterans (SKA Moscow, Sparta Moscow, Torpedo Moscow, Dynamo Moscow, Alana, and Locomotive Moscow) and the inclusion of the former lower divisions in Russia.

The top teams of the Russian Premier League should not be unfamiliar to veteran fans who follow European professional soccer all year round. The Russian Premier League has been the best European league in terms of points, and the Russian Premier League champions have direct access to the Champions League, and the Russian Premier League is also a stage where many foreign footballers come to retire or use as a springboard for training.

However, with the outbreak of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the growing trend of boycotting Russia in Western Europe, it is difficult to say whether Russian Premier League teams will be boycotted in the European professional soccer world in the future, and it is likely that they will go back to the closed era of closed doors and talent drain, and temporarily disappear from the mainstream European fans' view.

When you think of famous Russian soccer clubs, which one comes to your mind? In this article, I'll take a look at the Top 5 Russian soccer clubs for your reference, taking into account their achievements, fame and influence. Of course, due to the limitation of space, if there are any debates or leftovers, you are welcome to share them in the comment section.

V. Kazan Ruby

Ruby Kazan, whose home ground is located in Kazan, Tatars tan, is one of the newest and oldest teams in the Russian Premier League. Founded in 1958, Kazan Ruby remained unknown for a long time in the last century, never playing in the top professional league of the Soviet Union.

It was only in 2003 that the Kazan Rubies rose from the second division to the Russian Premier League. In their first Russian Premier League season in 2004, they finished in the top three and participated in the European Union Cup that year. After a period of hibernation, Kazan Ruby had their first great season in the history of the team from 2009 to 2010, winning the Russian Premier League two years in a row and appearing in the Champions League, one of the five Russian Premier League teams to have won at least twice in their home league. Unfortunately, Kazan Ruby's momentum has slowed down since 2010, while another new team, Zen it, has emerged with much more momentum than Kazan Ruby.

Locomotive Moscow

Just by hearing the name of this club, I believe many fans can feel the history of this team and their original intention of serving the working class fans.

In addition, in the second half of the 1990's, Moscow Locomotive reached the semi-finals of the European Cup of Champions for two years in a row in 98-99, and in the 02-03 season, they played in the first group of the Champions League, making them one of the first Russian soccer clubs to perform well in European competition since the Russian era.

In the history of the Russian Premier League, Locomotive Moscow won the championship three times, finished second six times, and finished third five times, and together with the two teams that appear below, they are known as the "Moscow Triumvirate". At the beginning of the new century, Locomotive Moscow won the championship twice, which corresponded to the end of the era of Sparta Moscow and the beginning of the era of the Russian Premier League.

SKA Moscow

As a famous Russian soccer club with an overbearing name, SKA Moscow is backed by Russia's defense department and has been generously sponsored by a group of Russian tycoons, including Au, for years. Without making it too clear, it is not so much that the rich people of Au are sponsoring the soccer career of this team, but rather that they are lining their pockets to the proprietors behind.

From the former Soviet era to the current Russian Premier League era, this team with its stable funding and amazing background has been one of the giant teams in Russian football. As of this year, they have combined to win six Russian Premier League titles, in addition to six runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes.

In Europe, SKA Moscow is one of the few Russian teams that have shone in the European competition, with a high level of spirit and passion. In the 2005 European Union Cup, SKA Moscow defeated Sporting Lisbon of Portugal in the final to bring home a valuable European trophy to the Russian professional football world.

Sparta Moscow

In the Soviet Union, Sparta Moscow won the Soviet Union League 12 times, less than Dynamo Ky iv, which is now part of the Ukrainian Premier League, and is one of the most representative giants in the Soviet Union.

Sparta Moscow continued its strong performance in the Russian Premier League, especially in the early years of the league, from the 1990s to the beginning of the new century. During the first decade of the Russian Premier League, from 1992 to 2001, Sparta Moscow won all the titles, except for 1995, when they lost the title. Until now, they have won 10 times, finished second and third in the Russian Premier League.

However, with the increasing openness of the Russian soccer environment, the strong rise of the rest of the teams in the Russian Premier League and the narrowing of the gap between the strengths of the head teams, Sparta Moscow can no longer be the only team, and their positioning has been reduced from super class to long years. Looking back at the history of the team, the Russian Super League giants, marked by the red and white jerseys, waited 16 years until 2017 to crown the ten champions after winning the ninth Russian Super League title in 2001. As of today, they are still the team that has won the most titles in the Russian Premier League.

I. Zenit

Located in Russia's economically developed metropolis of St. Peters burg and backed by Gazprom, FC Zenit is arguably the most successful and well-financed Russian soccer club in modern times, having received a capital injection from a major energy investor in 2005 and winning its first ever Russian Premier League title in 2007.

In terms of local team, Zenit has always had a top-notch team of Russian players, including Arshavin, Dzyuba and other top Russian footballers, who have played for Zenit for a long time. In recent years, Zenit has also been very willing to recruit foreign players, such as Hulk, Witsel and Azmund, who are well known to Chinese fans, have all joined Zenit with high salaries and have left outstanding performances in the Russian Premier League.

In terms of overall performance, Zenit has won the Russian Premier League for a total of 7 times, which is less than Spartak Moscow, the oldest team with 10 times, with 3 times of runner-up and 3 times of third place. However, judging from the momentum of the two teams in recent years, it is likely that it is only a matter of time before Zenit overtakes Sparta Moscow in the number of Russian Premier League titles.

Although Zenit is not the top team in the Russian Premier League for the time being, it has been regarded by many media and critics as the most representative Russian soccer club because of its excellent European performance and more luxurious squad compared to other Russian teams.

In 2008, Zenit won the European Union Cup and the European Super Cup, and in the same year, they won 5-1 against the Bundesliga giants in a two-legged knockout match. In the Champions League, Zenit has made it out of the group stage more than once, most notably in the 15-16 season, when they were grouped with Valencia, Lyon and Gent, and won 5 out of 6 and drew 1.

In the European competition, Zenit played the role of giant killer from time to time against the overall strength of the top five league teams, and faced with the same strong teams from the second and third-tier European leagues, Zenit's performance rarely pulled the crotch; coupled with the addition of intercontinental tournament honors, the statement that Zenit is the strongest club in Russia is naturally justified.