From Lev Yashin to Rinat Dasayev, Russia’s footballing history is filled with imposing goalkeepers who have left their mark on the game for club and country. And at 27 years of age, Ivan Zlobin is well on his way to announcing himself as Russia’s next top shot-stopper.
Zach Lowy profiles the goalkeeper who travelled the length of Europe to pursue his dream, had to show resilience, but has found a happy home in Famalicão.
Born in Tyumen, Siberia, Zlobin started playing at hometown club FC Tyumen when he was six years old. When he was 12, his stellar performances in a youth tournament would see him earn the attention of Lokomotiv Moscow, Krasnodar and the Konoplyov football academy, with Zlobin choosing the latter. However, after Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich withdrew funding for the youth center, Zlobin was forced to pack his bags and head to the capital. He would spend the next three years with CSKA Moscow before deciding to leave the motherland shortly after turning 18 years old, taking his talents to Portuguese side União de Leiria.
Benfica make their move
Three months after trading Moscow for Leiria, Zlobin headed to the Portuguese capital and joined Benfica’s U-19 side on loan in January 2016, where he was able to earn a permanent transfer on a five-year contract. Despite being second-choice to André Ferreira under Hélder Cristóvão, Zlobin trained with the first team and was even likened to the legendary ‘Black Spider’ Lev Yashin by Benfica manager Rui Vitória. He was promoted to the first team on a definitive basis in January 2019 and made his debut on 25 September 2019 in a goalless home draw vs. Vitória Sport Clube in the Taça da Liga. Zlobin played in all seven of Benfica’s cup fixtures until being benched for the Taça de Portugal semifinals vs. Famalicão. Little did he know it, but he’d soon be on the other end of the spectrum.
With first-team minutes in short supply under new manager Jorge Jesus, Zlobin elected to leave the Estádio da Luz and join Famalicão on a five-year contract on 22 August 2020. One month later, Zlobin underwent a baptism of fire for his Primeira Liga debut as Benfica kicked off the league season with a 5-1 demolition in Vila Nova de Famalicão. After bouncing back with a 2-1 victory at B-SAD, Zlobin was caught out on multiple occasions in draws vs. Rio Ave (1-1) and Farense (3-3). Fama’s 2-2 draw against Boavista on 25 October was the last straw for manager João Pedro Sousa, who dropped him to the bench in favor of Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Júnior. Unbeknownst to him, that would be Zlobin’s last chance to convince for quite some time.
“Zlobin arrived at Famalicão after a season that saw him serve as Benfica’s backup goalkeeper, so everyone expected him to be the starter, but his first month was atrocious,” said Famalicão supporter João Nuno Sousa, who currently works as a scout for Sporting’s women’s team. “He was terrible in every game, and in the three years that followed, he played just five games. No manager trusted him, even in easy cup games and most people expected him to leave.”
Falling in love with Famalicão
“I even asked him myself: ‘Why do you stay if you’re not playing?’ His answer: ‘I might not be playing, but it’s not all about that. I feel very welcome in this club, in this city and in this community. I love to live here and my girlfriend loves it too. I want to raise my family here.’ Soon after, his child was born. That’s why he has always been loved by Famalicão fans. Everyone saw him as someone who, despite coming from a big club like Benfica, loved Famalicão as a city and as a club.”
With Luiz emerging as one of the top net-minders in the Portuguese top-flight, Zlobin had to settle for just one more appearance in the 2021/22 season – a 3-2 win vs. Braga on 15 May. In fact, he made more noise on social media than on the pitch: on 26 February 2022, two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zlobin was moved to tears and posed for photographs at Famalicão’s stadium with a Ukrainian fan who handed him a flag of Ukraine. He would make just one appearance in each of the next two seasons – the final match of the campaign, precisely, when there was nothing left to play for – a 2-2 draw at Rio Ave on 26 May 2023, and a 2-1 loss at Casa Pia on 17 May 2024. However, there would soon be light at the end of the tunnel for the Russian goalkeeper.
After starting their opener vs. Benfica, Luiz Júnior would depart Portugal and head to the other side of Iberia, joining Villarreal on a six-year deal and becoming their most expensive goalkeeper (€12m). This would open the door for Zlobin to reclaim the starting spot, and it hasn’t taken long for him to knuckle down and reemerge as Fama’s #1 in goal.
Whilst it initially seemed that Montenegro international and La Masia graduate Lazar Carević would become the starter after joining from FK Vojvodina in the summer, Zlobin got the nod in their second match of the season, a 3-0 win at Estrela da Amadora. He hasn’t relinquished the starting spot ever since and has quickly cemented his status as one of the first names on the team sheet. Apart from their two Taça de Portugal matches, Zlobin has started in each of Famalicão’s last 12 matches, conceding one or fewer goals on eight occasions. And whilst he was on the wrong side of a 3-0 thrashing vs. Sporting on 26 October 26, he still managed to cover himself in glory with 9 saves (8 from inside the box).
Complete turnaround brings confidence
“Zlobin has been much better than anyone would have expected,” said Sousa. “He has been amazing – probably the best goalkeeper in the league since Júnior’s departure. He’s a very aggressive goalkeeper who always wants to go to every cross. At 6’3”, he’s a tall guy who’s always quick to make himself look big in front of the attacker, but he needs to improve in terms of catching balls and defending powerful shots. He’ll often parry these shots into the middle of the box, which allows attackers to take advantage of the follow-up. However, Zlobin has demonstrated something that he never showed previously during his tenure here: confidence.”
At 27 years of age, Zlobin is emerging as one of the finest goalkeepers in the Primeira Liga. He’s averaging 3.2 saves per game and is conceding just 1.0 goals per game, per Sofascore, and his five clean sheets are bettered only by Porto’s Diogo Costa (8), Benfica’s Anatoliy Trubin (6) and Santa Clara’s Gabriel Batista (6). What’s more, only Estoril Praia’s Joel Robles has prevented more goals (7.63) than Zlobin (6.87) in the Portuguese top-flight.
Thanks in large part to Zlobin’s superb displays, Famalicão have conceded the joint-fewest goals (12) outside of the Big Three and sit eighth in the table after their 1-1 draw vs. Porto last weekend. It’s little wonder he was nominated as one of the three best goalkeepers in Liga Portugal for the month of November, receiving 15.38% of the votes from Primeira Liga managers in behind only Batista (26.5%) and Trubin (9.4%). After spending the past three years in the wilderness, Zlobin is relishing the opportunity to start in goal for Famalicão, and it may only be a matter of time before he earns a maiden call-up to the Russian national team.