About Alexey Smertin
Aleksey Gennadyevich Smertin (Russian: Алексе́й Генна́дьевич Сме́ртин, IPA: [ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej ɡʲɪˈnadʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈsʲmʲertʲɪn]; born 1 May 1975) is a Russian football official and a former player. He was a fairly versatile player and was able to play in defence as well as midfield. He works in the Russian Football Union in two positions - "director of regional policies and international relations" and "anti-discrimination and anti-racism officer". He played for clubs in Russia, France and England. Smertin retired from professional football in 2008 after having his contract with Fulham terminated and discovering a new career in politics. He was the captain of the Russian national team, and earned 55 caps from 1998 to 2006, representing the nation at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004. Smertin only played a bit-part role for the team in 2004–05 as Chelsea won the title, but made enough appearances to earn a medal (16 in total). In March 2006, he was transferred to Dynamo Moscow, for a fee of £1 million. He became the winner Cyprus International Football Tournament 2003 In July 2015, Smertin was an assistant at the draw for 2018 World Cup qualification in St Petersburg.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.