Former Argentine footballer and Spartak Moscow defender Nicolás Pareja in an exclusive interview with Telecom Asia Sport shared his opinion about the prospects of Valery Karpin to become a coach of one of the European clubs.
- Karpin is considered one of the best Russian players to ever play in Spain. What memories do you have of him?
- Karpin was my coach at Spartak for several years. He made a statement as a player in Spain, now he's showing very good coaching qualities in Russia. I'm very happy that he's doing well. He was a very important coach in my career. I know him as a great professional.
- Now Karpin is in charge of the Russian national team. Is there a chance that he will return to coaching a European club one day?
- Time will tell. Right now he has an excellent challenge as a national team coach. He has the skills and experience to work in a European championship. He has played in Spain, in Europe. He has some really good opportunities. Now he's building a good career in Russia. The position of head coach of the national team is a challenge. And then the heart will tell him the best option, - said Pareja.
Karpin has more than 380 matches in the Spanish championship as a player. He played for Celta, Real Sociedad and Valencia. Together with Sociedad, the midfielder won the silver medal in La Liga and also won the Intertoto Cup with Celta.
After his playing career, Karpin coached Spartak, Mallorca, Armavir Torpedo and Rostov. He has been the head coach of the Russian national team since July 2021.