Nigmatullin completes Verona move
Friday, December 21, 2001
Article summary
FC Lokomotiv Moscow goalkeeper Ruslan Nigmatullin has joined Serie A side Hellas-Verona FC.
Article body
First-team football
The 27-year-old was out of contract with Lokomotiv and had allegedly been approached by a number of Serie A sides including S.S. Lazio and Juventus FC, but decided on a move to Verona for the promise of first-team football.
'Among the top sides'
"Neither Lazio nor Juventus saw me as their first-choice keeper," he said. "But don't think badly about Verona - their level of play is among the top in Serie A. Besides, Verona agreed to pay a percentage to Lokomotiv if they were to sell me later."
Honest dealing
Nigmatullin told his personal website: "I liked how Verona conducted their negotiations right from the start. It was straightforward, nothing was done behind the scenes." The Russian international returns to Moscow on Sunday after a two-week holiday in Australia and will fly to Italy to start his Serie A career in the new year.
