Wagner Love hailed as RPL's greatest legionnaire

Wagner Love's testimonial match at the VEB Arena ended 3:3 on 26 September, CSKA Legends against Wagner Love's Friends, and drew tributes from three men who played alongside or coached the Brazilian.

Leonid Slutsky, who managed CSKA and led the Friends side in the game, put him above every foreign player the Russian Premier League has seen.

"Khvicha, Odegaard, Golovin came to me at their lowest point, and Wagner was already a superstar, so it's hard to feel much pride there. I am proud that I worked with him, but I hardly helped his football development much, because he was already a formed master. I think this is the best legionnaire in the history of the RPL," said Slutsky.

Pavel Mamaev, who played alongside him at CSKA from 2007 to 2013, went further still.

"Wagner Love is the strongest legionnaire in the entire history of Russian football. I have not come across a player stronger than Wagner Love," Mamaev told Match TV.

Dmitri Kuznetsov, a CSKA veteran, called the fixture a celebration for players and supporters alike and rated Wagner Love the best foreign player the league has produced.

The numbers back the sentiment. Wagner Love made 259 appearances for CSKA across two spells, 2004 to 2011 and again in 2013, scoring 124 goals and adding 53 assists. He won the UEFA Cup with the club and took the Russian championship three times. He is now 42 and, since February 2026, on the books at Retrô FC Brasil, yet to score for the Brazilian side.