Matvey Safonov: PSG's Russian goalkeeper, a 'natural-born leader' with talent for chess and maths

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I say, ‘Look at Safonov, this is where you can go’.” Aram Fundukyan, director of the academy at FC Krasnodar, a city in southern Russia, is explaining to The Athletic his pride at seeing former player Matvey Safonov cement his place as the No 1 goalkeeper in Luis Enrique’s side. Safonov, who joined PSG from Krasnodar in summer 2024 for €20million (£17m; $23m), has had to bide his time in the French capital, as well as overcoming some setbacks. However, after his penalty heroics in the FIFA Intercontinental final against Flamengo in December last year — where he fractured his hand in the shootout but still saved four penalties in a row — he has become a mainstay. As attention turns to PSG’s Champions League semi-final tie against Bayern Munich and defending their European crown, Safonov faces his toughest test yet — trying to keep Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Luis Diaz at bay over two games. Safonov, who began his football career in Krasnodar’s academy aged 12, is not your typical footballer. A talented mathematician, he likes reading up on the subject, while also solving puzzles, mind games and equations. He also enjoys Russian billiards and is a collector of board games. He’s a keen chess player, a talent honed at Krasnodar, the club founded by billionaire Sergey Galitsky, who made his fortune by creating nationwide supermarket chain, Magnit. Galitsky, who hailed from that region in southern Russian, created Krasnodar in 2008, and then set about constructing a state-of-the-art stadium, training ground (used by Spain at the 2018 World Cup) and one of the country’s most impressive academies. “In our academy, we have mandatory chess lessons two times a week for all the boys and girls,” Fundukyan tells The Athletic. “And he was really good at it. At the end of the season, the president of our club usually gives a game on the 15 tables, and Matvey was one of the rare few who beat him.” The eldest of three brothers, the youngest of whom is also a goalkeeper in FC Krasnodar’s academy, Safonov was renowned for his leadership qualities. “He’s very smart — he always had good grades in school and whichever team he played in, he would always be the captain,” Fundukyan, who still regularly speaks to Safonov, says. “He’s a natural-born leader. Sometimes I would say he’s an old man in a young man’s body. “If I wanted to discover what was happening in the team, I would ask him and he would give me the perfect analysis.” Sergey Matveev, a former first-team coach at Krasnodar, who also coached Safonov when he managed the Russian Under-17s, agrees. “He always left a good impression,” he tells The Athletic. “He was a leader in the locker room and brought confidence and vitality to the team.” Safonov, whose father teaches youth basketball, was spotted by Krasnodar when he was at school. “He had a talent, quick reactions, really fast,” Fundukyan recalls. “When we try to choose the goalkeepers, we always look at the parents, the height. From the first day, he said, ‘I’m going to be the goalkeeper’.” Safonov, a committed trainer, has an inner strength and self-confidence that has enabled him to bounce back from tough moments. In one of the biggest nights of his career, a Champions League match at home to Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in October 2020, he had a disappointing game — something he was determined to put right when PSG drew the same opponents in the last 16 of this season’s Champions League. Particularly in the second leg, at Stamford Bridge, he made a string of impressive saves to keep a clean sheet, as PSG won 3-0 on the night and 8-2 on aggregate. “I told him, ‘This is the time for revenge for you’. He was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do it’. So when they went through, he was very happy,” Fundukyan says. In his penultimate season in Russia, he even lost his starting spot for a handful of matches, including in the Russian cup final against CSKA Moscow, before returning to the side and having an outstanding last campaign at Krasnodar. He took time to adapt at PSG and found himself behind Gianluigi Donnarumma in the pecking order. He was given the chance to stake his claim in a big Champions League group game, against Bayern Munich, in November of 2024. However, he was at fault for Bayern’s goal, failing to deal with a corner, as PSG lost 1-0. He didn’t play in the Champions League again that season and was largely restricted to matches in the Coupe de France. Even this term, Safonov spent the first half of the season on the bench as Luis Enrique favoured Lucas Chevalier, who was signed for his ball-playing abilities after arriving from Lille for €40m. Donnarumma then moved to Manchester City in a deal worth close to €30million (£25.9m). However, after a tricky start to life at PSG for Chevalier, Safonov was handed his first start of the season on December 6, against Rennes. He impressed in a 5-0 victory, before his penalty shootout heroics against Flamengo saw him displace Chevalier. In that shootout, Safonov saved four consecutive penalties — an even more extraordinary feat given he fractured his hand saving Flamengo’s third spot kick. In a February interview with Sports.Ru, Safonov spoke at length about his meticulous preparation for penalties. “I make my decisions based on what I know about the striker’s previous shots,” he told the Russian publication. “I can say that as soon as I see a player approaching the ball, I already know what I’m going to do. “You can also determine the direction of a shot by the players’ facial expressions or behaviour. It’s like tells in poker.” However, Safonov, who believes penalties are a skill, was eager to downplay his role as the hero against Flamengo. “He said, ‘I don’t know what all this fuss is about, if you look at the game, it wasn’t my best game — I made some mistakes’,” Fundukyan explains. “He would always separate the game he plays with the penalties after, as he says it’s a different game. “He would always analyse himself and he will be the best critic of himself.” Safonov missed six games because of his fractured hand, before returning to the side against Newcastle United on January 28. He has been an ever-present since. There have still been wobbles, but Luis Enrique has kept faith. In terms of how the two PSG ‘keepers have fared this season, the data shows Safonov is outperforming Chevalier. While Chevalier has faced more shots, Safonov has the better goals-prevented figure of +0.77, compared with Chevalier’s -1.33. The Russian also boasts a stronger save percentage of 71.2 per cent to Chevalier’s 64.1 per cent. The numbers also highlight how Safonov is making cross claims or sweeping outside his box more than twice the rate Chevalier is, although the Frenchman is more adept with his feet, playing more passes, completing a higher rate. Safonov, who also captains his country, signed for PSG two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That resulted in a ban on Russian club teams and national sides in any FIFA and UEFA competitions. “I have to deal with it,” Safonov told Russian outlet Championat. “All Russian athletes are under pressure right now.” PSG signed Ukrainian central defender Illia Zabarnyi from Bournemouth. When asked about his relationship with Safonov, Zabarnyi told Football 360 in September: “I do not maintain any personal relations with any Russians. As for my team-mate, I have to interact with him on a professional level during training and will fulfil my obligations to the club.” The Russian national team are still playing friendlies, against non-Western countries. Safonov’s last game for Russia was in a 3-1 friendly victory over Nicaragua last month. That was played at Krasnodar and he was given a hero’s welcome by his home crowd, although he was at fault for Nicaragua’s goal. In Paris, Safonov started learning French and already speaks the language fluently. He initially rented an apartment in the centre of Paris with his wife, Marina Kondratiuk, but they have since moved closer to the training ground. “Any adaptation is a continuous process, and now we can confidently say we’ve reached a point where we truly feel settled,” Marina tells The Athletic. “We’ve found our social circle, gained a deeper understanding of French culture, and can honestly say we feel at home here. “We enjoy exploring new things, going to exhibitions and concerts and, luckily, Paris offers an incredibly rich cultural scene.” She also said they often spend their evenings playing board games and doing crosswords. Safonov has also forged a close relationship with Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who previously played club football in Russia. Back home in Krasnodar, Fundukyan will be cheering on his former protege when he lines up against the German champions. “He was always rising and I think that he’s still rising,” he says. “That’s because of his mindset and talent.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms