Why Brazil Star Gerson Left Flamengo To Play Soccer In… Russia

Gerson has featured regularly for Brazil’s national team.

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Gerson was playing midfield for Flamengo in soccer-mad Brazil. From Rio de Janeiro, the side’s home, he had the sun, a treasured spot in the famous Seleção, and credit in the bank after a strong display at the Club World Cup, where he scored a belting goal against Bayern Munich and helped the Rio de Janeiro team record a famous victory over eventual champion Chelsea.

By mid-July and the end of the tournament, the 28-year-old had switched allegiances to Zenit St. Petersburg, a team more than 11,000 kilometers away in icy Russia, a country locked in an ongoing war with Ukraine. In rather comical fashion, Zenit—one of the land’s strongest clubs—announced the signing with Gerson “bursting through a giant joker card placed within the stand”, as the official website put it. A few cheerleaders and flying sparks accompanied him.

It has to be one of the bizarre transfers this window. In response to Russia’s role in the conflict, Russian Premier League teams are exempt from competing in UEFA competitions. Further, the national team is unable to participate in the European Championships and the World Cup. Gerson, who’s also represented Fluminense, Roma, Fiorentina, and Marseille, is contracted to Zenit until 2030, having moved in a deal worth €25 million ($28.5 million). Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti will cast his eyes well into the distance to see how Gerson gets on.

As the author Marc Bennetts explores in his excellent book Football Dynamo, released in 2008 but still eye-opening, the landscape of Russian soccer is a curious one and difficult to access from the outside. There’s Zenit, backed by the nation’s energy giant Gazprom; CSKA Moscow, whose history ties in with the military; and Dynamo Moscow, playing on grass directly above a shopping center. In 2022, while attending a game at Khimki, a Moscow side that recently dissolved, it was striking to see the number of empty seats for a top-flight match.

Nevertheless, the relative remoteness of Russian league soccer has long welcomed Samba stars. The former Barcelona winger Malcom is one, the ex-Porto forward Hulk is another. Brazil-born Mário Fernandes even became a naturalized Russian after moving to CSKA, overcoming depression and an unhealthy lifestyle to become a star for his new nation at its home World Cup in 2018. Meanwhile, Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk has a history of bringing flamboyant Brazilians to Eastern Europe.

Gerson’s Russia Call

Why Russia for Gerson? Increased wages can be a significant attraction when players move from one place to another, and sometimes the cultural discovery of being in a new locale is a pull. It’s also worth remembering that soccer players often exist within an elite club bubble, looked after and surrounded by modern training facilities, which allows for some detachment from the host country on the outside.

“I’m full of energy and can’t wait to get out on the pitch and join my teammates as soon as possible. I hope that I’ll quickly find a connection with my new teammates and we’ll have a great season together,” said Gerson upon joining Zenit. While most European divisions are yet to start, the Russian Premier League is already underway, as Zenit strives to wrestle back supremacy from last season’s surprise champion Krasnodar.

He is a coup for the Saint-Petersburg outfit. In March, Gerson signed a contract to keep him at Flamengo until 2030, his subsequent departure angering many Flamengo fans. For Zenit, his flair could prove a catalyst to achieving its targets.