Daniil Kondakov

Daniil Kondakov's route to Zenit's first team ran through Krasnodar, and lasted barely six months there. He arrived at the Krasnodar academy in the summer of 2021 after seven years with Avangard Kursk, the club he had joined at the age of six, but by early 2022 he had already moved on to Zenit's academy in Saint Petersburg. It was there that he spent the following years, winning the Youth Football League Division 2 title and the Youth League with the age-group sides, along with a bronze medal in Division 3.

His breakthrough came in 2025. Kondakov made his debut for the reserve side, Zenit-2, in the Russian Second League in May, and went on to make 12 appearances that season. Promotion to the senior squad followed quickly: he made his first-team debut in a Russian Cup tie against Rubin Kazan, and his Russian Premier League debut came the following March, against Orenburg. By August 2026 he had made 20 appearances for Zenit's first team across the league and cup, without yet scoring a goal, and had already collected a Russian Premier League winner's medal and a Russian Super Cup with the club.

One match stood out from that run: a high player rating of 7.93 in a full 90 minutes against Fakel in August 2026. That fixture returned to the spotlight a month later, when a penalty decision involving Kondakov was disputed by the opposing coach; the Referee Committee backed the referee's original call that he had won the position fairly.

Zenit rewarded his form with a long-term commitment, extending his contract in June 2026 to run until the end of the 2030/31 season. Kondakov has also progressed through Russia's youth national teams, from the under-15s up to the under-21 level, without yet featuring for the senior side.