the second highest goal scorer behind CSKA Moscow's Seydou Doumbia. Zenit finished first in the regular season and then won the championship group in the spring of 2012 to claim their second league title in two years. During the 2012–13 season, Kerzhakov was a first choice striker in Spalletti's 4-2-3-1 formation, netting 11 goals in the league, including braces against Amkar Perm, Mordovia Saransk, and Spartak Vladikavkaz. He participated in the UEFA Champions League, scoring his only goal outside the Russian Premier League against Anderlecht. After Zenit failed to make the knockout stage, Kerzhakov played in the UEFA Europa League but failed to score as his club lost to F.C. Basel in the round of 16. With Spalletti purchasing Salomón Rondón midway through the 2013–14 season, Kerzhakov's playing time decreased amid reports of a strained relationship with the Italian manager. After the arrival of Andre Villas-Boas in March 2014, Kerzhakov in five of the last nine matches of the season as Zenit finished in second place behind CSKA Moscow. The following season, Zenit won the league with Kerzhakov playing in 14 matches and scoring three goals. He also played in the club's Champions League campaign, coming on as a substitute in three of the group stage matches. Kerzhakov started the 2014–15 season with a brace in an 8–1 victory over Torpedo Moscow as Zenit won the first eight matches in the league. Villas-Boas used Kerzhakov as a substitute with speculations of a rift between the two. Villas Boas excluded Kerzhakov from the squad during the 2015–16 season, with the striker making no appearances in the league or European tournaments before being loaned out to FC Zurich. Zurich At Zurich, Sami Hyypiä used Kerzhakov as a striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation. He would go on to score five goals in seventeen appearances in a campaign that ended in the club's relegation from the Swiss Super League. Final season at Zenit Kerzhakov returned to Zenit for the 2016–17 season under Mircea Lucescu. Lucescu used Kerzhakov as a substitute striker, only starting him in the first match of the season. Kerzhakov officially retired on 13 July 2017 and was appointed the coordinator of Zenit's youth and academy teams. International career Early international career Kerzhakov began playing for the Russian U21 team in 2001. He made his senior debut for Russia in a friendly against Estonia on 27 March 2002. Two months later, Oleg