# Dmitri Alenichev

Dmitri Anatolyevich Alenichev (Russian: Дми́трий Анато́льевич Але́ничев; born 20 October 1972) is a Russian football coach, former player and politician.

## Club career

Despite being a Spartak Moscow fan, Alenichev debuted 1991 for Moscow rivals Lokomotiv Moscow, where he played four years before moving to Spartak, where in five years he won three Russian leagues and two cups, and was also elected Russian player of the year in 1997. Won Malta International Football Tournament 1996. On 14 June 1998 Italian Serie A side Roma officially agreed with Spartak for 7 million USD and the player moved to Rome. He played 21 matches in his first season, but after only seven matches in the second season, he moved to Perugia in December 1999. His stint in Italy overall proved to be unsuccessful and he was eventually considered to be one of Italian football's biggest foreign flops.
In 2000, he moved to Portuguese Primeira Liga side Porto, where he made a strong first impression, scored the equalizing goal against rivals Sporting CP in the first leg of the 2000 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. He was also impressive overall in first season, as Porto captured the Taça de Portugal after winning the final 2–0 against Marítimo, Alenichev scoring the second goal. The following season, Alenichev suffered some animosity from new Porto head coach Octávio Machado (similar to his compatriot Sergei Ovchinnikov) and spent most of the first half of the season sidelined, under the shadow of Deco. When Octávio was sacked and replaced with José Mourinho, Alenichev's prospects changed. Although he was not a regular in the starting 11, he was usually the first player substituted onto the pitch, particularly when Mourinho shifted from a 4–3–3 to a 4–4–2 formation. A starting player in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final and mid-match substitute in the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, Alenichev scored in both contests, the only Russian player to do so as of 2023. In the former, against Celtic, he scored the second goal, following a pass from Deco; and in the latter, against Monaco, he closed the scoreline with a powerful volley shot following a deflected through cross from Derlei. This made him one of only three players to score goals in two consecutive cup finals of different European competitions, the others being Ronald Koeman and Ronaldo.
During UEFA Euro 2004, in which Alenichev played in all three of Russia's matchups, he announced his desire to return to Spartak Moscow. In appreciation for the services done for the club, the FC Porto board made no objections to the transfer.
On 8 April 2006, Sport-Express published Alenichev's interview containing severe criticism of Aleksandrs Starkovs, Spartak's head coach at the time. Following that, Alenichev was fined, dismissed from the first team, transfer listed 14 April and on 10 September his contract was finally terminated by mutual agreement. This marked the end of his playing career.

## Managerial career

In 2011, he joined FC Arsenal Tula as a manager and led the club through three promotions in 3 seasons from fourth-level Russian Amateur Football League to the top-level Russian Premier League. Arsenal was relegated after just one season in the top tier and Alenichev left.
In June 2015, he became manager of his former club Spartak Moscow. He resigned as Spartak manager on 5 August 2016 following Spartak's elimination in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round by AEK Larnaca. At the end of that season, Spartak won the Russian Premier League for the first time in 16 years under the management of his assistant Massimo Carrera.
On 5 June 2017, Alenichev signed a two-year contract with Russian second division club Yenisey Krasnoyarsk. In his first season, he led Yenisey to promotion to the Russian Premier League for the first time in club's history. He was replaced as Yenisey coach after the club was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2018–19 season.

## Style of play

A technically gifted and offensive-minded midfielder, Alenichev's favoured role was as a number 10 behind the strikers; he was also deployed as a central midfielder on occasion throughout his career, although he lacked both the physicality and tactical sense to excel in this position.

## Personal life

His older brother Andrei Alenichev also played football professionally. He has two sons, Maksim (born 2001) and Daniil (born 2004) who followed on his footsteps and became footballers too. As of 2024, Maksim is a free agent after playing in the third-tier Russian Second League, and Daniil plays for the Under-23 squad of the Portuguese club Leixões.
Alenichev joined the United Russia party. On 14 June 2007, he was voted the representative of the Omsk Oblast in the Federation Council of Russia. He represented it until 2010, when he accepted the position of head coach of the Russia national under-18 team.
In 2009, Alenichev was part of the Russia squad that won the 2009 Legends Cup.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 14 March 2006
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National Cup | National Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Mashinostroitel Pskov | 1990 | Soviet Second League B | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | 4 |
| Mashinostroitel Pskov | 1991 | Soviet Second League B | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 |
| Mashinostroitel Pskov | Total | Total | 38 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | 7 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 1991 | Soviet Top League | 16 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 1 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 1992 | Russian Top League | 24 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | 2 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 1993 | Russian Top League | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 4 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | Total | Total | 69 | 6 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 80 | 7 |
| Spartak Moscow | 1994 | Russian Top League | 17 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | — | 27 | 4 |
| Spartak Moscow | 1995 | Russian Top League | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 2 | — | — | 34 | 6 |
| Spartak Moscow | 1996 | Russian Top League | 32 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 1 | — | — | 42 | 8 |
| Spartak Moscow | 1997 | Russian Top League | 33 | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 8 | 1 | — | — | 45 | 6 |
| Spartak Moscow | 1998 | Russian Top League | 13 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 4 |
| Spartak Moscow | Total | Total | 122 | 18 | 17 | 4 | — | — | 30 | 6 | — | — | 169 | 28 |
| Roma | 1998–99 | Serie A | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 3 |
| Roma | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | 13 | 4 |
| Roma | Total | Total | 28 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 8 | 4 | — | — | 42 | 7 |
| Perugia (loan) | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 |
| Perugia (loan) | 2000–01 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 |
| Perugia (loan) | Total | Total | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 1 |
| Porto | 2000–01 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 8 |
| Porto | 2001–02 | Primeira Liga | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 3 |
| Porto | 2002–03 | Primeira Liga | 18 | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 2 | — | — | 28 | 6 |
| Porto | 2003–04 | Primeira Liga | 17 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 6 |
| Porto | Total | Total | 83 | 12 | 16 | 4 | – | – | 37 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 139 | 23 |
| Spartak Moscow | 2004 | Russian Premier League | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 3 |
| Spartak Moscow | 2005 | Russian Premier League | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| Spartak Moscow | 2006 | Russian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Spartak Moscow | Total | Total | 21 | 3 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 26 | 3 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 376 | 48 | 53 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 511 | 76 |

### International

    As of match played 9 February 2005
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Russia |
| Russia | 1996 | 2 | 1 |
| Russia | 1997 | 10 | 2 |
| Russia | 1998 | 8 | 0 |
| Russia | 1999 | 6 | 1 |
| Russia | 2000 | 4 | 0 |
| Russia | 2001 | 10 | 2 |
| Russia | 2002 | 5 | 0 |
| Russia | 2003 | 4 | 0 |
| Russia | 2004 | 5 | 0 |
| Russia | 2005 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 55 | 6 |

### International goals

| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 11 February 1996 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Attard | Slovenia | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1996 Rothmans International Tournament |
| 2. | 11 October 1997 | Dynamo Stadium, Moscow | Bulgaria | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1998 World Cup qualifier |
| 3. | 11 October 1997 | Dynamo Stadium, Moscow | Bulgaria | 4–0 | 4–2 | 1998 World Cup qualifier |
| 4. | 31 March 1999 | Republican Spartak Stadium, Vladikavkaz | Andorra | 6–1 | 6–1 | Euro 2000 qualifier |
| 5. | 6 June 2001 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2002 World Cup qualifier |
| 6. | 14 November 2001 | Skonto Stadium, Riga | Latvia | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |

### Managerial

Information correct as of match played 26 May 2019. Only competitive matches are counted.
| Name | From | To | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | %W |
| Arsenal Tula | 22 November 2011 | 10 June 2015 | 102 | 53 | 18 | 31 | 162 | 111 | 051.96 |
| Spartak Moscow | 10 June 2015 | 5 August 2016 | 35 | 17 | 6 | 12 | 61 | 42 | 048.57 |
| Yenisey Krasnoyarsk | 5 June 2017 | 26 May 2019 | 75 | 32 | 15 | 28 | 106 | 99 | 042.67 |
* Notes:
P – Total of played matches W – Won matches D – Drawn matches L – Lost matches GS – Goal scored GA – Goals against %W – Percentage of matches won
Nationality is indicated by the corresponding FIFA country code(s).

## Honours

Spartak Moscow
* Russian Premier League: 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998
* Russian Cup: 1993–94, 1997–98
* Commonwealth of Independent States Cup: 1994, 1995
Porto
* Primeira Liga: 2002–03, 2003–04
* Taça de Portugal: 2000–01, 2002–03
* Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2003
* UEFA Champions League: 2003–04
* UEFA Cup: 2002–03
Individual
* Footballer of the Year in Russia (Sport-Express): 1997
* Footballer of the Year in Russia (Futbol): 1997