Published: 11 November, 2009, 21:30
Edited: 11 November, 2009, 21:33
The captain of Rubin Kazan, Sergey Semak, has given his newborn daughter the name of his club’s rival in the Champions League – Barcelona.
“She was born when we were playing against Barcelona in Kazan. It’s a good name,” Sergey Semak told Sovetsky Sport newspaper.
Rubin became famous in Europe after taking four points in two games against the defending UEFA Champions League winners Barcelona.
The Kazan team delivered a shock 2-1 win against the Catalonians at Camp Nou stadium on October 20, and then managed to prove that the result was no accident, playing a 0-0 draw with the team that is often considered to be the best in world in Kazan.
The happy father said that Barcelona Semak is a healthy girl and “she fells well.”
If she was born on another day she could have received the name of Inter Milan or Dinamo Kiev, who are in the same Champions league group with Rubin.
Sergey Semak is currently with the Russian team, who are preparing for the first leg of the two-legged payoffs against Slovakia for a spot in the World Cup next year.
“I don’t know anything about Slovenia yet. I can say only obvious things now: this rival is not as easy as it seems. We have to keep our eyes open. I think the fate of the rivalry will be decided in Game Two in Maribor,” Semak said.