FCI Levadia signed the Estonian national team midfielder Ilja Antonov

FCI Levadia have signed a two-year employment contract with the Estonian national team midfielder Ilja Antonov (28).

Antonov joined FC Levadia for the first time in 2012. He spent five seasons in the club. In the Premium League, Antonov has 140 games and 10 goals on his name. Antonov has won twice the Estonian Championship (2013, 2014) and the Evald Tipner Cup (2012, 2014) as a member of FC Levadia.

In 2017, Antonov moved abroad and played in Austria (SV Horn), Slovenia (NK Rudar Velenje), Romania (FC Hermannstadt) and Armenia (FC Ararat-Armenia). Last summer, Antonov was crowned Armenian champion in FC Ararat-Armenia.Antonov has represented Estonia in 51 official matches and scored two goals.

“At first I wanted to train with the team, but in January I talked to the management of the club more specifically, now we signed a contract and I became an FCI Levadia player again. It’s nice to be back! ” said Antonov.

“The hunger for the game is great, I really want to get on the field again! For the last six months, things have not gone as I would have liked. We are waiting until the new season starts in March and we will start lighting the fire,” he said.

“Our main goal is to improve the result, we want to win the championship. Coaches must develop a plan how to achieve this goal, the players are responsible for taking three points from each game. Our main strengths are the high competition within the team and the outstanding good team spirit that I have already experienced. For my part, I try to be as useful to the team as possible, it makes me happy. Of course, I want to get into the Estonian national team again, but first I would need to play football and win matches again every week, ”the midfielder added.

“Ilya Antonov does not need a closer introduction. I am very glad that Ilja came back to FCI Levadia, he has got outstanding qualities, a fighter character and he also increases the competition within the team. Antonov would probably have wanted to continue abroad, but given the current situation, it would have been very difficult and I therefore believe that FCI Levadia is a very suitable option for him. We are very happy about Ilja joining, ”said Sergei Pareiko, Sports Director of FCI Levadia.

Ilya Antonov is the twelfth winter addition to FCI Levadia – previously Zakaria Beglarišvili, Karl Andre Vallner, Milijan Ilić, Anton Tolordava, Volodymyr Bayenko, Luka Luković, Aamir Abdallah Yunis, Ernest Agyiri, Frank Liivak, Strahinja Krstevski and Hannes Anier have joined the team.

PHOTO: Katariina Peetson