A goalkeeper full of talent, capable of reaching balls seemingly with fantastic reflexes, & a natural leader.
He’s been knocking on Europe’s door for a while now, but it seems he will soon join a European club to showcase his level and reach his full potential.
General Information
👤| Matvey Safonov
Age: 25 years old
Citizenship: 🇷🇺
Position: GK
Club: FK Krasnodar
Foot: Right
Height: 192cm
Under contract till: 31.01.2029
Biography
Matvey Safonov is a young goalkeeper who came through the Krasnodar training academy, one of the best training programs in 🇷🇺 at present. This club is part of a significant project to develop football in southern Russia, backed by substantial private funding, and it is gradually achieving results in Russian football.
He completed his entire formation at Krasnodar🟢⚫️, eventually becoming the starting goalkeeper for the Sbornaya (the Russian NT). He started his professional career at a very young age, making his mark in league and European cup matches, where he distinguished himself with his reflexes, agility, and handling skills.
His overall career statistics include:
•236 games
•72 clean sheets
However, his stats are not impressive since Krasnodar plays ultra-offensive football and has always had defensive weaknesses.
Safonov is part of a golden generation for Russia alongside players like Pinyaev, Tyukavin, Zakharyan, and others. And for a long time, he has been a player expected to move to Europe. However, the war and Matvey’s importance to Krasnodar have slowed these changes. Nonetheless, the emergence of another goalkeeper from the academy, Agkatsev, could potentially prompt his departure. Sources linking him to various European clubs are increasingly being confirmed by different journalists.
Player Profile (General Analysis)
Safonov is an impressive goalkeeper with extraordinary reflexes, particularly adept on his line. I sincerely believe he can establish himself as one of the best in Europe in this regard. He is the kind of player who can save a defense and a team, especially with his decisive one-on-one interventions.
Early in his career, he had some weaknesses in dealing with corners and crosses, a flaw he has compensated for this year in my opinion. It’s important to remember that he is still young for a goalkeeper. Similarly, his occasional lapses in concentration seem to be a thing of the past this year.
While competent with the ball at his feet, he truly excels in distribution by hand, where he can create quick transitions and set the pace. He can easily throw the ball to midfield without any issues.
Physical Attributes
He is an athletic goalkeeper with excellent leaping ability and top-level agility. He is light and can sometimes lack strength in aerial duels, which might be his biggest weakness in his position.
However, he excels in one-on-one situations and reflex saves on his line. Beyond his physical attributes, he has a very high level of positional awareness.
Saves per year in RPL (2018-2024)
As I mentioned earlier, the number of goals conceded per match is not an interesting statistic to follow for Matvey because Krasnodar has had a consistently poor defense in recent years.
The more relevant stats is his number of saves each season:
Matvey has made over 500 saves in five years as a professional and conceded 167 goals. This means Safonov has saved 75% of the shots he has faced since he started playing professionally in Russia!
These statistics are phenomenal, especially considering that most of the shots he faces are from inside the box.
Impressive.
Distribution by hand
Matvey is a highly useful goalkeeper in transitions, capable of swiftly launching counter-attacks and making a difference with his distributions, especially his throws. He possesses a good football IQ, enabling him to make sound decisions in distribution.
Example in video of a long arm pass against CSKA, a 50-meter pass downfield.💫
A captain
Beyond being a good goalkeeper, Safonov is also an excellent leader.
Already serving as captain for his youth club, he is clearly capable of carrying a defense (which he has been doing for several years) and, most importantly, motivating his teammates with phenomenal saves.
I had to show you this save, it’s impressive because it demonstrates his ability to stay focused throughout the entire play and to dive forward to cover as much space as possible against the attacker.
Safonov is an exceptional goalkeeper with excellent technical and physical abilities, a strong mentality, and, most importantly, a high football IQ. Of course, he’s not perfect and has some shortcomings in certain aspects of his game, although they are becoming increasingly rare as he matures (currently 25 years old). He still has room to grow to become the goalkeeper everyone expects him to be.
Without a doubt, he is a goalkeeper to keep a close eye on and one who is capable of playing in the biggest leagues and clubs.
