An effervescent right-back with a seemingly unquenchable thirst for getting forward and supporting the attack, Aleksandr Anyukov captained FC Zenit St Petersburg to the Russian domestic double in 2010 and remains a fixture in the national side. He has appeared 25 times in UEFA European Championship matches.

• Born in Samara, Anyukov started out with local club PFC Krylya Sovetov Samara and made slow progress until his breakthrough season of 2004, when he received a surprise call-up to Russia's UEFA EURO 2004 squad.

• Selected for one match at the finals in Portugal − the final group game against Greece − he made an unhappy return to the country four months later for a FIFA World Cup qualifier as he played the full 90 minutes of a 7-1 defeat.

• Left Krylya Sovetov for Zenit midway through the 2005 campaign and became their first-choice right-back, winning the Russian title in 2007 and playing from start to finish in 16 of 17 games in the Sine-Belo-Golubye's 2007/08 UEFA Cup triumph; also played the full 90 minutes of the 2008 UEFA Super Cup win against Manchester United FC.

• Played every minute of Russia's UEFA EURO 2008 finals campaign, reaching the semi-finals under Guus Hiddink, and maintained a regular place in the team under his ex-Zenit coach Dick Advocaat, winning his 50th cap in the Dutchman's first game in charge − an August 2010 friendly against Bulgaria in St Petersburg.

• Helped Zenit retain the league title in the transitional 2011/12 Russian season (37 appearances) and make a first incursion into the UEFA Champions League round of 16, where he featured in both legs against SL Benfica.

• Anyukov became the first Russian to have appeared at three EURO finals (2004, 2008, 2012), a feat no Soviet player achieved.

UEFA honours
UEFA Cup: winner 2008
UEFA Super Cup: winner 2008