Campoamor is vitamin D!

This article at the very beginning of the Fonbet training camps about their memories of past years, as well as about the holidays that have ended seems to switch everyone to serious work. And the first question to each of our respected old-timers: "What is Campoamor for you?".

Igor Akinfeev:

— The coolest associations with Campoamor are the weather, positive, the fact that we almost always train here alone, no one disturbs. This allows you to concentrate on work, and before the pandemic there were always good opponents in matches. I hope everything will be fine with the games this year too.

Campoamor is a perfect place not only for training, but also for tourism. Everyone knows that Alicante is not far away, Valencia is a couple of hours away. Spain is always sunny, hospitable, we are very happy to come here.

— The footballers have given Campoamor a lot of names over these thirteen years — a training base, and a dacha (country house), and even a second home...

— For me, Campoamor is vitamin D. We do not get enough sun and heat in Moscow, but here it is always enough. Yes, the nature here is not as rich and beautiful as in Russia. But I understand why British and everyone else buy real estate here or just come here regularly to lie in the sun, play tennis, relax, and enjoy life.

— How did you spend your own vacation? Everyone saw the photo from the gym.

— I was at home with my family, I did not go anywhere, I was training!

Kirill Nababkin:

— Campoamor is heavy legs, hard work. I came to PFC CSKA in 2010 and immediately went here with the team. Of course, there are a lot of memories, but most of all I liked how we threw Paulino Granero into jacuzzi (laughs).

— Have the players already chosen a victim?

— We have not decided it yet, we will discuss it later. Maybe we will throw Dzaga (laughs).

— How was your vacation?

— I went to a warm country, the Maldives. I regained energy, spent New Year in Moscow, then the time of the training camp came quickly. I trained on vacation, I did not miss a single day (smiles).

— Do you still have energy after the first training session?

— To be all brawn and no brain. I am talking about Dzaga again (laughs).

— I have brain over brawn, — Alan laughs in response. — So you said the first phrase about yourself, everything is correct.

Alan Dzagoev:

— Campoamor is the highest level of training camps for the team. Everything is nearby —  food, gym, field. I have not missed a single Campoamor in thirteen years either. You come here and you are already sick (laughs), but seriously, the place is beautiful.

— And Marbella is still better?

—  Of course, I just came from there. My family, children are there now.

— What is the most vivid memory of Campoamor in all these years?

— A shootout with cakes, which Ignashevich started. As I remember now, it was Tsaunia's birthday. Ignash runs up and says that now we are going to throw cakes at the coaches and everyone else. To be honest, I never threw at all, for me it was something unimaginable: "To throw?! Cakes?!".

— But was it thrown in you?

— As I am not mistaken, it was thrown in everyone. I remember experienced Leonid Viktorovich immediately covered his face with a napkin and carefully peeked out of it (laughs). And our doctor at that time, Alexander Eduardovich Yardoshvili, may he rest in peace, was really into it. Ignash seized the moment and smeared the cake on his head. No one came clean out of the restaurant — we relieved stress, laughed and began to work on calmly (smiles).

Georgy Shchennikov:

— Campoamor is a part of my football life. I have been here all the twelve years that the team has been training. Now I am here for the thirteenth year in a row. The first days are always difficult, but the body adapts to work well, I feel good.

— What has changed over the years?

— Nothing.

— Well, why nothing, there are new fields...

—  I did not even notice it (smiles). For me, Campoamor is always the same.

—  What did you do on vacation?

— I went with my family to Thailand, to Phuket. We spent a couple of weeks there, rested, and celebrated New Year.

—  Tell me honestly, did you train there?

— Of course.

— What exactly did you do?

— Everything (laughs).

Victor Vasin:

— I visited Campoamor for the first time two or three years before joining PFC CSKA, with Spartak Nalchik. We arrived, played a friendly match and left, but I remember the field perfectly, I can show you in which locker room we changed clothes.

— But the memories about the first days after transfer to us, for sure, are not the most pleasant.

—  They are excellent —  I arrived, everything is great, a new team, and on the fifth day I got injured and went to Rome to see doctors (laughs). After that, I guess, I missed only one Campoamor due to rent. It also happened that I worked here individually, recovered, then left for Barcelona for further rehabilitation.

— What can Campoamor be compared to?

— Probably to dacha (countryside house) — in the sense that you always work here, like in a garden. I have definitely spent more time here in recent years than in St. Petersburg, where I come from. Campoamor is something familiar, cozy.

We went with Zhorik Shchennikov to Thailand with our families. The holidays turned out to be super-active - we were constantly doing something with children, doing Muay Thai in the morning, then during the day we did CSKA program that we were given for vacation. In the evening we played volleyball, badminton.

— Your jump into the water from the slide became a hit of the off-season…

— (Smiles) There is a water park in Phuket, where we jumped a couple of years ago. I have videos with very unsuccessful takes, but there are some with successful ones. In general, I love adrenaline things, the kids also enjoyed jumping. The eldest, Vovka, once did an epic jump – with face forward, like a piece of meat (laughs).

Now we are going back to work with the guys, we are preparing for the second part of the season, everyone is in a great mood!