1. Early life and background
Aleksei Berezutski's formative years were deeply rooted in football, beginning his journey in Moscow and developing his skills alongside his identical twin brother, Vasili.
1.1. Youth career and education
Berezutski started his football training at the Smena sports school in Moscow. He later moved to the acclaimed academy of Torpedo Moscow, where he honed his foundational skills and prepared for a professional career. His twin brother, Vasili Berezutski, also came through the Torpedo academy, and the two would go on to play together for much of their careers.
2. Playing career
Aleksei Berezutski's professional playing career spanned nearly two decades, predominantly with CSKA Moscow, where he became a club legend and a consistent presence for the Russian national team.
2.1. Club career
Berezutski began his professional career at the age of 17 in 1999 with Torpedo Moscow, having graduated from their academy. After a brief loan spell at Chernomorets Novorossiysk in 2001, he joined CSKA Moscow in 2001, where he would spend the remainder of his playing career until his retirement in 2018.
At CSKA Moscow, Berezutski was primarily deployed as a centre-back, but his versatility allowed him to play in various defensive and midfield roles, including as a fullback, wingback, defensive midfielder, and occasionally even as a winger. He was known for his ability to contribute to the attack from wide positions. A notable moment in his club career occurred in the 2005 UEFA Cup Final, where he scored CSKA Moscow's first goal, helping them come from behind to secure the title.
In November 2009, following a UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Berezutski, along with his teammate Sergei Ignashevich, tested positive for Sudafed, a banned substance. It was later clarified that the positive test resulted from a cold medicine that had not been properly reported by the medical staff, rather than intentional doping for performance enhancement. UEFA's disciplinary committee imposed a one-match ban on both players, which was applied retroactively. Despite this incident, CSKA Moscow advanced from the group stage, and Berezutski played a crucial role in their subsequent progression to the quarter-finals against Sevilla, marking the first time a Russian club reached that stage.
On 21 July 2018, Aleksei Berezutski officially announced his retirement from professional football, doing so alongside his identical twin brother, Vasili.
2.2. International career
Aleksei Berezutski was a regular fixture for the Russia national football team, making his debut on 12 February 2003 against Cyprus. Over his international career, he accumulated 56 appearances for Russia.
He occasionally served as captain for the national team, notably in a 0-3 friendly defeat against Romania in March 2008. It was speculated that then-coach Guus Hiddink gave him the captain's armband primarily to distinguish him from his twin brother, Vasili. After a period with limited appearances following a May 2008 match against Kazakhstan, he returned to the squad in September 2009 for a match against Liechtenstein, becoming a valuable backup for the defense.
Berezutski was selected for the finalized UEFA Euro 2012 squad on 25 May 2012, stepping in due to an injury to his twin brother, Vasili, just before the tournament. However, during the tournament, he reportedly struggled with communication with his CSKA Moscow teammate Ignashevich in defense, which contributed to some defensive confusion for the team. Russia ultimately exited in the group stage, and Berezutski was perceived by some as one of the contributing factors to their early elimination.
He officially retired from international football on 7 March 2018.
3. Coaching career
Aleksei Berezutski's coaching career began shortly after his retirement from playing, marked by a rapid ascent through assistant roles to a head coach position at CSKA Moscow, before returning to an assistant capacity.
On 3 January 2019, Aleksei and his twin brother Vasili joined Dutch club Vitesse as assistant coaches under Leonid Slutsky, who had previously coached them at CSKA and the national team.
In February 2021, he returned to CSKA Moscow as an assistant coach to Viktor Goncharenko, rejoining his brother Vasili. However, when Goncharenko moved to FC Krasnodar in April 2021, with Vasili following him, Aleksei chose to remain at CSKA Moscow to assist the new manager and former teammate, Ivica Olić.
On 15 June 2021, Berezutski was appointed as the caretaker manager for CSKA Moscow after Ivica Olić departed by mutual consent. Just over a month later, on 19 July 2021, he was confirmed as CSKA's new permanent head coach. Under his leadership, CSKA Moscow showed strong form, and Berezutski was named the Russian Premier League's coach of the month in March 2022, following a period where CSKA won four games and extended their league winning streak to six matches.
On 15 June 2022, Berezutski left his position as head coach of CSKA Moscow by mutual consent. He later returned to the club on 6 June 2024, joining the coaching staff as an assistant manager to Marko Nikolić.
4. Personal life
Aleksei Berezutski is married and has a daughter named Alyona. He shares a close bond with his identical twin brother, Vasili Berezutski, who is also a professional footballer. The brothers came through the Torpedo academy together and played alongside each other for many years at CSKA Moscow.
5. Career statistics
This section provides a detailed statistical overview of Aleksei Berezutski's professional career as both a player and a manager.
5.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Torpedo-ZIL Moscow | 2000 | Russian First League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| Chernomorets Novorossiysk (loan) | 2001 | Russian Premier League | 14 | 1 | - | - | - | 14 | 1 | |||
| CSKA Moscow | 2001 | Russian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002 | Russian Premier League | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | Russian Premier League | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| 2005 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 1 | - | 50 | 3 | ||
| 2006 | Russian Premier League | 29 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| 2007 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2008 | Russian Premier League | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | - | 32 | 4 | ||
| 2009 | Russian Premier League | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Russian Premier League | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 | |
| 2011-12 | Russian Premier League | 40 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | - | 54 | 0 | ||
| 2012-13 | Russian Premier League | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2013-14 | Russian Premier League | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2014-15 | Russian Premier League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2015-16 | Russian Premier League | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | - | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2016-17 | Russian Premier League | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 | |
| 2017-18 | Russian Premier League | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | - | 29 | 1 | ||
| Total | 341 | 8 | 45 | 0 | 107 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 501 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 357 | 9 | 45 | 0 | 107 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 517 | 12 | ||
5.2. Managerial statistics
As of 21 May 2022
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| CSKA Moscow |  | 19 July 2021 | 15 June 2022 | 18|5|11|50|31|+19|52.94 | |||||||
| Total | 18|5|11|50|31|+19|52.94 | ||||||||||
6. Honours
Aleksei Berezutski achieved significant success throughout his playing career, earning numerous titles with his club and a medal with the national team.
6.1. Club honours
CSKA Moscow
- UEFA Cup: 2004-05
- Russian Premier League: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16 (6 titles)
- Russian Cup: 2001-02, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13 (7 titles)
- Russian Super Cup: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013 (5 titles)
6.2. International honours
Russia
- UEFA European Football Championship: 2008 bronze medalist
6.3. Individual honours
- In the list of 33 best football players of the championship of Russia: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010