MADRID, 2 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ukrainian player of Zenit Saint Petersburg, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, has left the club this Wednesday after requesting the termination of his contract due to the situation in his country after the invasion of Russia.
Rakitskiy, 32, asked Zenit to terminate the contract that ended next July, alleging a “difficult family situation” after the conflict unleashed by Russia in Ukraine.
“The club and our fans thank Yaroslav Rakitskiy for the professionalism and passion he showed as a player for the club. We sincerely wish the best for Yaroslav, his friends and his family,” Zenit said in a statement.
The Ukrainian center-back arrived at Zenit in January 2019 and, since then, has played 108 games and has scored 7 goals, having achieved three league titles with the Saint Petersburg club, which has the country’s president Vladimir Putin as a follower.
Yaroslav Rakitskiy, who drew heavy criticism when he signed for Zenit three years ago, was no longer called up to play for Ukraine, with whom he has made a total of 55 appearances in his professional career.