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FC Zenit history
FC Zenit company history timeline
The club was founded 95 years ago in 1925 by merging with a club that already existed in Saints Petersburg.
The current name of FC Zenit was registered in 1936 (as Bolshevik became part of the Zenit sports society and was renamed), three years before the Stalinets merged with it.
The Stalinets were not the same team named Zenit that took part in the 1938 USSR championship.
FC Zenit was ordered to take in members of the "Stalinets" metallurgical workers' team after the end of the 1939 season.
In 1939, during the rule of Joseph Stalin, Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod became part of the military industry and its sports teams, players, and managers were transferred to the Zenit sports society.
Zenit won their first honours in 1944, claiming the war-time USSR Cup after defeating CSKA Moscow in the well-attended final.
In 1967, Zenit finished last but were saved from relegation because the Soviet leadership decided it would not be prudent to relegate a Leningrad team during the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution, which occurred in the city.
Yury Morozov became the club’s latest trainer in late 1977.
The club reached the semi-finals of the 1977 USSR Cup under Zonin.
In 1984, under coach Pavel Fyodorovich Sadyrin, Zenit reached the USSR Cup final for the third time and became USSR champions in November of the same year.
In 1984, the Club won their first championship just before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In 1985, Zenit beat the Soviet Cup holder in the Soviet Super Cup (also called the Season Cup).
In 1990, FC Zenit were re-registered as an independent city-owned professional club.
The 90s started horribly for the club as they finished at the 16th position in the 1992 Championship.
The club, by the end, made a good come back by winning their first title (Russian Cup) after 15 years in 1999.
In December 2005, Gazprom took a controlling stake in the club.
In July 2006, Dick Advocaat took over as Zenit's manager.
Although Zenit reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2006, a mediocre start to the league season led to the summer replacement of coach Vlastimil Petržela.
In 2008, Zenit won the Russian Super Cup and reached the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup for the second time in their history.
Luciano Spalletti signed a contract with Zenit in December 2009, with Italian coaches Daniele Baldini, Marco Domenichini and Alberto Bartali also joining the Russian club.
Zenit progressed through the knockout stage of the 2010–11 Europa League in first place, then beating Swiss side Young Boys in the Round of 16.
On 6 March 2011, Zenit won against CSKA Moscow in the Russian Super Cup, the third Russian trophy won under Spalletti.
In the 2011–12 Champions League, Zenit began the group stage drawn into Group G alongside Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and APOEL. On 6 December 2011, the team finished the group stage in second place and for the first time in club's history qualified for the spring knockout phase of Champions League.
In April 2012, Zenit won their second-straight Russian Championship after beating Dynamo Moscow.
After a series of disappointing results in both the Champions League and the Premier League, Spalletti was fired on 11 March 2014.
In the 2014–15 Europa League, Zenit were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Sevilla.
Zenit then defeated Lokomotiv Moscow in the 2015 Russian Super Cup 1–1 (4–2 on penalties).
In the 2015–16 Champions League, Zenit began the competition in the group stage.
Later in the 2015 calendar year, Villas-Boas said that he would be leaving the club after the 2015–16 season.
On 24 May 2016 Villas-Boas left the club at the end of the season, with Mircea Lucescu appointed the new manager of Zenit.
In July 2016 Zenit won the Russian Super Cup after a 0–1 victory over CSKA Moscow.
On 8 December 2016, the team finished the group stage in first place and qualified for the spring knockout phase of Europa League.
Zenit went on to beat Molde FK 4–3 on aggregate in the next round, entering the group stage of 2018-19 UEFA Europa League.
Zenit secured another title on 5 July 2020 after a victory over FC Krasnodar, with 4 games left to play in the tournament.
On 2 May 2021, Zenit secured their third title in a row in a 6–1 victory over second-place FC Lokomotiv Moscow.
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, former Ukrainian international Yaroslav Rakitskiy made a pro-Ukrainian post on Instagram and severed his contract with the team.
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FC Zenit may also be known as or be related to FC Zenit, Fc Zenit, Football Club Zenit Joint-Stock Company and Zenit.