Artem Meshchaninov

Artem Meshchaninov captains Rodina Moscow, a role he has held since arriving at the club. Standing at 191 cm, he built his professional career abroad first, joining Czech side Baník Ostrava as a free agent in 2015.

His path back to Russian football began with a loan to Baltika Kaliningrad in 2019, which turned permanent the following year for a fee of €100,000. He stayed at Baltika until the summer of 2022, when Sochi paid €500,000 for his signature. That same year brought his most notable individual recognition: following the 2021/22 season, the Football National League's presidency named him the league's Best Defender, based on a vote among coaches and team captains.

Meshchaninov joined Rodina Moscow on a free transfer in January 2024, and his contract with the club runs until the summer of 2026. He has yet to add a major team honour to his individual award, with no league titles or cup wins on his record, and he has not been capped at senior international level for Russia.

His only representative football came at youth level, when he turned out for the Saint Petersburg U18 selection at the Valentin Granatkin Memorial tournament in 2014, facing Ukraine and Greece. Before that, he came through the academies of Zvezda St. Petersburg and Tosno.