Samuel Eto’o was the best-paid player in the world when he signed for Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011, but the club is on the verge of folding after 11 years.
In the summer of 2011, Eto’o moved from Inter to Anzhi, just over a year after helping Inter win the Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Champions League treble.
The Russians signed him six months after being taken over by billionaire Suleyman Kerimov and paid him €20 million per year after taxes, making him the highest-paid player in the world at the time.
Yuri Zhirkov, Christopher Samba, Lacina Traore, Lassana Diarra, and Willian were already at the club, which had only recently been promoted to the Russian top tier, while Yuri Zhirkov, Christopher Samba, Lacina Traore, Lassana Diarra, and Willian would join over the next few years.
However, in the summer of 2013, Kerimov decided to reduce the team’s funding, forcing them to quickly offload a slew of their top players.
Following all of the departures, they sank to the bottom of the league with only three wins, and after several years of being relegated to the third tier, they’re about to fold.
The Dagestani team, according to Russian football news, has been denied a license to play in the third tier and will be defunct this summer.
“The entire team of Anzhi made every possible effort to pass the licensing procedure and hoped for a positive outcome until the very end,” the club said in a statement.
“The club management understands the reasons for the refusal and adequately assesses the financial condition of the club. Every effort was made to pay off existing debts.
“Unfortunately, without the support of sponsors and partners, they were not enough.
“Anzhi would like to thank everyone who contributed to the history of the club’s development. Thanks to everyone who has been with their favorite team for many years and faithfully believed in the best.
“We say thank you to all the players, coaches, staff of the club and the staff of the team, who with honor and dignity represented the colors of Anzhi on the fields of Russia and Europe.”
The club was never able to break into the top two in the Russian Premier League, finishing behind CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg even at the height of their wealth.
They finished third in the 2012/13 season, but did not qualify for the Champions League. However, they did make it to the last 16 of the Europa League, beating Liverpool in the group stages.
Zenit fans chanted the name of the former champion’s rival, Conor McGregor, during a match in 2018, and the club did have at least one famous supporter in the form of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
It’s incredible that they went from being one of the world’s wealthiest clubs to becoming extinct in just 11 years.
