Ariclenes da Silva Ferreira (; born 11 December 1985), commonly known as Ari (), is a professional football official and a former striker. Born in Brazil, he played for the Russia national team.
He started his professional career in 2005 with his hometown club Fortaleza, and signed for Swedish club Kalmar one year later. After two and a half seasons in AZ Alkmaar, he played in the Russian Premier League for Spartak Moscow, Krasnodar, and Lokomotiv Moscow.
Club career
Having joined Allsvenskan team Kalmar FF in spring 2006, Ari was the top scorer in the Allsvenskan 2006 with 15 goals, amassing one goal more than compatriot Afonso Alves had the previous season.
On 28 May 2007, Ari signed a five-year contract with AZ for an undisclosed fee. At Alkmaar he struggled to force his way into the first team on a regular basis, but he did win the 2008–09 Eredivisie.
In January 2010 Ari was transferred to Spartak Moscow for €3 million. Despite a successful career at the club, he departed amidst a conflict with management.
On 19 August 2013, he signed a three-year contract with FC Krasnodar. He left Krasnodar on 17 May 2021, after being a key player for eight seasons.
International career In 2016, after Kosovo's membership in UEFA and FIFA, Ari was offered a chance to play for the Kosovo national team by their coach, Albert Bunjaki. Coincidentally, he was also an assistant coach at Kalmar, Ari's former club. The offer was rejected by the Football Federation of Kosovo's president, Fadil Vokrri.
In July 2017, Ari confirmed his desire to obtain Russian citizenship and represent the Russia national team at the 2018 World Cup. However, the citizenship process was delayed and he received a Russian passport in July 2018. On 12 November 2018, Ari was called up to the Russian squad for the first time for the friendly matches against Germany and Sweden.
Post-playing career On 3 December 2024, Ari was appointed sporting director of Torpedo Moscow.
Personal life As of now, Ari is one of three Brazilians who played for the Russian national team, the others being Guilherme Marinato and Mário Fernandes. He and Guilherme can speak Russian.
After Ari was called up to the Russian national team, Pavel Pogrebnyak said: "I don't see the point of this. I do not understand at all why Ari received a Russian passport. It is laughable when a black player represents the Russian national side". Accused of racism, an investigation was subsequently launched, after which Pogrebnyak was fined and put on probation.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season League League Cup Continental Other Total App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals Fortaleza 2006 Campeonato Brasileiro30??????3+0+ Kalmar 2006 Allsvenskan2315??33—26+18+ 2007Allsvenskan123????—12+3+Total3518??3+3+0038+21+ AZ 2007–08 Eredivisie2990031—3210 2008–09Eredivisie2091000—219 2009–10Eredivisie603010—100Total55184041006319 Spartak Moscow 2010 Russian Premier League2470042—289 2011–12Russian Premier League38103173—4814 2012–13Russian Premier League2742082—376Total8921511970011329 Krasnodar 2013–14 Russian Premier League18631——217 2014–15Russian Premier League26721106—3814 2015–16Russian Premier League21540111—366 2016–17Russian Premier League1142162—197 2017–18Russian Premier League000000—00 2018–19Russian Premier League1680062—2210 2019–20Russian Premier League1860052—238 2020–21Russian Premier League921030—132Total1193812339120017254 Lokomotiv Moscow (loan) 2016–17 Russian Premier League9630——126 2017–18Russian Premier League81002010111Total177302010237 Atlético Cearense 2022 Série C0000004747 Total31810224+4+67+23+57416137
Notes
Honours
Fortaleza Campeonato Cearense: 2005
Kalmar Svenska Cupen: 2007
AZ Alkmaar Eredivisie: 2008–09 Johan Cruijff Shield: 2009
Krasnodar Russian Cup: runner-up 2013–14
Lokomotiv Moscow Russian Premier League: 2017–18 Russian Cup: 2016–17
Individual Allsvenskan Top Scorer: 2006 (15 goals)
References
External links
Voetbal International Ari discussion Ari signs for AZ Ari signs for AZ