Yevgeni Bashkirov

Yevgeni Olegovich Bashkirov (; born 6 July 1991) is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a defensive and central midfielder for Finnish Veikkausliiga club Gnistan.

Career Bashkirov is a graduate of the Zenit football academy. He then played at Zenit Saint Petersburg youth team.

He made his professional debut for FC Tom Tomsk on 26 September 2012 in the Russian Cup game against PFC CSKA Moscow.

On 31 January 2019, he signed a 1.5-year contract with Rubin Kazan. On 24 February 2020, his contract with Rubin was terminated by mutual consent.

Zagłębie Lubin On 26 February 2020, he signed with Polish club Zagłębie Lubin until the end of June 2020 with an extension option. Having made no appearances since September 2021 due to injuries, and with less than three months left on his contract, Bashkirov left Zagłębie by mutual consent on 12 April 2022, partly due to pressure affected by the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. At the end of his first season with VPS, Bashkirov helped the club to finish 3rd in the league, and was named in the Veikkausliiga Team of the Year, and the Midfielder of the Year. Next 2024 season, Bashkirov was named one of the team captains. He also represented VPS in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, making his first appearances in a European competition in his career. In late November 2024, Bashkirov announced he would leave VPS after the expiration of his contract.

Gnistan On 29 November 2024, a fellow Veikkausliiga club Gnistan announced the signing of Bashkirov. He joined the Northern Helsinki-based club on a two-year deal.

International career Bashkirov has represented Russia at under-19 youth international level.

Personal life Bashkirov was born in Saint Petersburg to a cultural family. His father's sport was diving and his mother competed in orienteering. Bashkirov has written poems since he was a child, and has expressed his devotion for literature. He is a fluent English speaker.

Bashkirov has publicly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine on several occasions.

Bashkirov is married and lives together with his wife Katja in Finland.

Career statistics

Honours Individual Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2023 Veikkausliiga Midfielder of the Year: 2023