Ruslan Litvinov

Spartak Moscow's scouts found Ruslan Litvinov at a youth tournament in Yefremov in 2015. He had been at FC Shmarovo-73 in his native Voronezh since the age of four.

That debut came in the Russian Cup in October 2020, with a Russian Premier League appearance following in December. He had spent the previous season with the under-21 side and then moved up to Spartak-2 Moscow in the First League, where he made 35 appearances and scored three goals across two seasons. Since breaking into the senior squad he has been a regular starter, reaching 122 league appearances and six goals.

The first trophy arrived quickly. Litvinov played the full 90 minutes of the 2022 Russian Cup final against Dynamo Moscow, which Spartak won 2-1. He won the competition again in the 2025-26 season.

The following campaign brought individual recognition: a place in the Russian Premier League Team of the Season for 2022-23, and the league's Goal of the Month award in March 2023. He took the same award again in March 2026.

His first senior cap for Russia came on 20 November 2022, a goalless friendly against Uzbekistan, and he has since made eight official appearances without scoring.

Spartak have twice moved to keep him. He signed an extension in February 2022 running to 2026, then agreed fresh terms in September 2025 that tie him to the club until 2029.