In 2016, the composition of Kazan “Rubin” replenished a number of newcomers, among whom was Maxim Lestienne. By the age of 24, the Belgian midfielder has already managed to add a game to the list of his achievements in the championships of Belgium, Holland and Italy, and now the midfielder expects to succeed in the “ruby” ones as well.
Muscron Education
Maxim Lestienne was born on June 17, 1992 in the Belgian city of Muskron. From the age of 4, the young midfielder was carried away by the most popular game in the world, he began to go to a football school. Having gone through all the stages of training in the Muskron club system, Maxim entered the youth team, often training with the main team. The debut in professional football took place for the midfielder on December 20, 2008 - as part of the Jupile League, the Belgian replaced 10 minutes in a victory match against Brugge. Later, as part of the championship, the player received a little more time, but he was still far from the regular game in the starting lineup.
In the next season, the coaching staff began to trust a talented football player more often, and throughout the championship it was often possible to see in the application for the match of Lestienne. The Belgian played 18 meetings for Muskron that year, however, despite the successful performance of the midfielder, the club could not cope with the existing debts, and the entire composition was dissolved.
Highlights at Bruges
Having received the status of a free agent, Maxim Lestienne, a football player who has already appeared in the youth team of Belgium, could choose his new job. Among the clubs that made an offer to the player was English Everton, but the midfielder decided to stay at home, signing a contract with Brugge in January 2010.
As part of one of the most famous Belgian clubs, Maxim Lestienne has demonstrated his talent in all its glory. Having made his debut in the “black and blue” at the end of January, as part of the cup match against “Ghent”, on March 31 he managed to open an account with goals for the new team - in a duel with “Kortreyt” the Belgian scored one of three goals of “Club Brugge”.
Every year, the fame of young Belgian talent diverged more and more throughout Europe. In the 2011/2012 season, Lestienne became one of the key players of the team, regularly leaving the starting lineup, becoming the silver medalist of the Belgian championship as a result of the championship. In the summer of 2012, the leadership of the Russian club offered 12 million euros for the player’s transfer to CSKA Moscow, but the player refused the transfer. As a result, having played two more seasons for “Brugge”, Maxim decided to try his hand at the new championship.
Arab rentals in Europe
Unexpectedly for many, Maxim Lestienne chose the Qatari “Al-Arabi” as a new club, who immediately gave the player a one-year lease to the Italian “Genoa”. In Serie A, the midfielder's debut took place on September 21 in a match against Lazio, and the first goal - only six months later - on May 23, the midfielder hit the goal of Inter. In total, during the game in “Genoa” Maxim took part in 24 meetings, gaining three productive points.
Having returned at the end of the lease to Al-Arabi, the midfielder was sent to Europe - the Dutch PSV became the new club for one year. Having played his first match in Eredivisi on August 11, three weeks later, on the 30th, Lestienne opened the scoring by participating in the victory over the “Feyenord”. In September, the midfielder met with CSKA and two goals against the “army team" upset Muscovites with his absence from the Russian club. According to the results of the season, the title of Holland champion, as well as the owner of the Super Bowl of the country, went to the Lestienna piggy bank.
Relocation to Russia
In the summer of 2016, a month after returning to the Qatari club, Rubin published news that the legendary Maxim Lestyenne was joining Kazan, whose photo with the club's t-shirt confirmed this fact. However, due to problems with documents, the ruby players were not able to immediately add the player to the application for the season.
As a result, the midfielder's debut took place only on September 12 in the match against Ural - having replaced in the second half, the Belgian scored his first goal and secured a confident victory for the Kazan club. By the winter break, the 24-year-old midfielder approached with an asset in 9 matches, having in the piggy bank one effective hit and a pass for Rubin. The coaching staff of the “dragons” is counting on a talented player and expects a serious breakthrough from him in the second half of the season to be in the European Cup zone.
