Zenit Saint Petersburg In 2000, Arshavin was included in the Zenit first-team squad, making his debut in a 3–0 away win over English side
Bradford City in the
Intertoto Cup, coming on as a first-half substitute for
Andrey Kobelev. He played in various positions on the field, starting as a right midfielder, then as an attacking midfielder, and finally adopted the second striker's role playing on a flank or behind the target man. In the 2007
Russian Premier League season,
Shava (
Шава in
Russian), as he was nicknamed by Zenit fans, guided his Zenit side to the title in starting all 30 matches, scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists which was the most in the Russian Premier League that year en route. It was the club's first league title since winning the now-defunct Soviet Top League in 1984. Arshavin was also a key player during Zenit's
2007–08 UEFA Cup triumph and was named
Man of the Match in the
final, again topping the list for assists in that season's
UEFA competition. In October 2008, Arshavin was nominated for the prestigious
Ballon d'Or award, along with 29 others in a list that included compatriot
Yuri Zhirkov. Arshavin's performances in the UEFA Cup and
UEFA Euro 2008 brought him to the attention of several European clubs. However, interest had already been expressed in January 2008 by
Newcastle United boss
Sam Allardyce, but he was sacked as manager as the transfer window opened. In June 2008,
Barcelona had their €15 million offer for the player turned down by Zenit. Additionally,
Tottenham Hotspur's £16 million offer in August also fell short of Zenit's £22 million asking price. Zenit's unwillingness to compromise on their asking price caused discontent from both Arshavin and his agent
Dennis Lachter. During the January 2009
transfer window, Arshavin was persistently pursued by English
Premier League club
Arsenal. On 2 February, transfer deadline day, Arshavin was staying in a
Hertfordshire hotel, just a few miles from the Arsenal training ground. At around 10 am, he left the hotel and was rumoured to be heading back to Russia, but with less than an hour of the transfer window left, a bid from Arsenal was finally accepted by Zenit. By this point, he had agreed personal terms and passed a medical, but a compensation payment by Arshavin himself to Zenit was supposedly holding up the deal. The deal was further complicated by
a snowstorm in England that had delayed the Premier League's registration process, eventually forcing the league to extend the deadline beyond 5 pm. The deal was not confirmed until the following day (3 February), nearly 24 hours after the formal transfer deadline had passed, with Arsenal announcing "a long-term deal" for an undisclosed fee. On the same day, Zenit's official web site claimed that Zenit received an official
FA letter confirming Arshavin's registration as an Arsenal player.
Arsenal 2008–09 in May 2009 At Arsenal Arshavin wore the number 23 shirt, last worn by
Sol Campbell. As Arshavin had played for Zenit in the
2008–09 Champions League, he was
cup-tied and could not play for Arsenal in the knockout phase. Arshavin made his debut for Arsenal against
Sunderland on 21 February 2009 in the Premier League, which ended 0–0. On 3 March 2009, Arshavin made his first contribution in a Premier League game against
West Bromwich Albion by setting up a goal for
Kolo Touré in the 38th minute via a free-kick, the second goal in a 3–1 victory. On 14 March 2009, Arshavin scored his first Arsenal goal in a very tight angle going solo against
Blackburn Rovers in the 65th minute of the game. He later provided an assist to
Emmanuel Eboué for the third goal of the game, which ended 4–0 to Arsenal. On 21 April 2009, Arshavin was named
Man of the Match when he scored all four Arsenal goals in a tight match against
Liverpool at
Anfield, which ended 4–4. It was a thrilling encounter, and the first time Arshavin had scored four goals in one match in his entire career. He also became the first away player to score four goals in a single league match at Anfield since
Dennis Westcott for
Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1946, and the first Arsenal player to score four goals in any match since
Júlio Baptista in 2007, who also achieved the feat against Liverpool at Anfield. Additionally, he became only the sixth player in Premier League history to score four goals in an away match. Arshavin captained Arsenal for the first time on 2 May 2009 in an away match against
Portsmouth, where they won 3–0 with Arshavin gaining two assists and a contentious penalty. On 8 May, he was named Premier League Player of the Month for April. He was also voted as Arsenal's Player of the Month for April and May and came second in Arsenal's Player of the Season poll, despite only playing in the second half of the season and playing in fewer than a quarter of Arsenal's matches all season.
2009–10 Arshavin came off the bench to score two goals in Arsenal's 2–1 pre-season victory on 1 August over
Atlético Madrid in the
Emirates Cup. Manager
Arsène Wenger commented afterward that "[Arshavin] knows how English football works", adding, "He knows as well that now he's part of the team from the start. I believe the team knows as well how important (he is) and how big an impact he can have on the results." On 26 August 2009, Arshavin scored his first
UEFA Champions League goal for Arsenal in the 74th minute in a 3–1 win over
Celtic. He also scored a 30-yard shot against
Manchester United at
Old Trafford on 29 August 2009, which was his first goal of the season although Arsenal lost the match 2–1. In early December, Arshavin put in an excellent display against
Stoke City, playing in an unfamiliar role as centre-forward left vacant after
Robin van Persie's injury. He won a penalty which Fàbregas missed before scoring himself and later assisted the second goal, with Arsenal winning the match 2–0. On 13 December 2009, Arshavin scored his fifth goal against Liverpool as Arsenal came from behind to beat Liverpool 2–1 at Anfield again, also winning the Man of the Match award in the end again. On 20 January 2010, he scored again in Arsenal's 4–2 victory over
Bolton Wanderers, which helped Arsenal reach the top of the Premier League for the first time since August. However, he suffered a calf strain against Barcelona, ruling him out for three weeks. Arshavin missed one of two games in May due to injury, but scored for the last time of the season against
Fulham, in a match which Arsenal won 4–0.
2010–11 On 17 July 2010, Arshavin scored the opening goal against
Barnet in Arsenal's first pre-season friendly match of the season, which Arsenal won 4–0. He then won the Man of the Match award for best performance by Arsenal fans according to Arsenal's official website. On 21 August 2010, Arshavin scored his first goal of the season via a penalty for Arsenal in a 6–0 win over
Blackpool after
Marouane Chamakh was fouled by
Ian Evatt in the penalty area. He also scored in Arsenal's very next game on 28 August 2010, scoring the winning goal against Blackburn Rovers for the third time when
Cesc Fàbregas' shot was blocked and fell into the path of Arshavin, Arsenal winning the match 2–1. On 15 September 2010, Arshavin scored and provided two assists against
Braga in Arsenal's first Champions League group stage match, with Arsenal winning 6–0. On 18 September 2010, Arshavin scored his first League Cup goal, which was also Arsenal's fourth goal during extra time, to defeat Tottenham in the third round of the League Cup, with Arsenal winning against their arch rivals 4–1. He later scored Arsenal's first goal in a 3–1 midweek Champions League away win against
FK Partizan in the 15th minute after a backheel pass by
Jack Wilshere.
Vladimir Stojković saved Arshavin's penalty in the second half after Marouane Chamakh was fouled in the penalty area. in November 2010 On 27 November 2010, Arshavin scored his first goal since September, which was the opening goal against
Aston Villa in a 4–2 away win. On 29 December 2010, Arshavin scored a scissor kick volley to bring Arsenal level when they were 1–0 down to
Wigan Athletic. He later made an assist for
Nicklas Bendtner to put Arsenal 2–1 up, but after a
Sébastien Squillaci own goal, the match ended 2–2. He then won the Man of the Match award for best performance by Arsenal fans for the second time. On 1 February 2011, Arshavin came off the bench in the 62nd minute and scored his first 2011-goal and first goal since December just 8 minutes later to make Arsenal level when they were 1–0 down to
Everton in a game that Arsenal won 2–1. He then won the Man of the Match award for best performance by Arsenal fans for the third time. On 16 February 2011, Arshavin scored as Arsenal beat Barcelona for the first time in their history in a 2–1 win in the Champions League round of 16. This was Arshavin's first Champions League goal for Arsenal not scored in the group stage. The next day, Arsenal centre back
Johan Djourou stated that "Arshavin showed he is a great player," because of his winning goal and his rising performance from his recent dip in form. During his
goal celebration against Barcelona, Arshavin memorably lifted up his jersey to reveal a t-shirt with an image of himself performing his normal finger-to-the-lips celebration. On 20 February 2011, Arsenal faced
Leyton Orient for
The FA Cup fifth-round, a 1–1 draw in which Arshavin won the Man of the Match award for best performance by Arsenal fans for the fourth time, even though he did not score, though he did come close numerous times. Arshavin's next Premier League goal was away to West Bromwich Albion, bringing the score to 2–1 after West Brom had earlier taken a 2–0 lead. He also provided the cross for Robin van Persie's late equaliser in that game. and
Mikel Arteta celebrate with Arshavin shortly after scoring his first goal of the season against
Swansea City.
2011–12 On 10 September 2011, Arshavin scored his first goal of the season against
Swansea City after a bizarre mistake by goalkeeper
Michel Vorm. His other performances in the season were riddled with criticism about his refusal to track back and help with defense. During a home game against Manchester United, Arshavin was booed when he came on for
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain although it is believed that the booing was directed at the decision to make a substitution and not at Arshavin himself. On 11 February 2012, Arshavin provided
Thierry Henry with the winning goal in the match against Sunderland. After coming on during the second half, Arshavin found space to deliver a cross during injury time, from the left side of the pitch despite being marked by two players. The cross found Henry's foot and made it into the back of the net, allowing Henry to score on his final match for Arsenal.
Return to Zenit (loan) for Zenit with a ‘heart’ gesture, July 2013 Despite intense speculation that he would join
Anzhi Makhachkala to reunite with former
Russian national team coach
Guus Hiddink, Arshavin sealed a loan move to his boyhood club Zenit Saint Petersburg for the remainder of the 2011–12 season. The deal was sealed just 40 seconds before the end of the Russian transfer window's deadline. An intention to hold on to a place in Russia's Euro 2012 squad was the reason behind Arshavin's move to
Luciano Spalletti's side. On 3 March, Arshavin made his loan debut for Zenit in an away fixture against
CSKA Moscow which ended in a 2–2 draw. Arshavin wasn't eligible to feature in Zenit's 2–0 loss to
Benfica in the last 16 of the
Champions League. In total, Arshavin made 11 appearances in his second spell at Zenit, scoring three goals.
2012–13 Arshavin returned to Arsenal for the start of the
2012–13 season. He appeared as a 77th-minute substitute in their first game of the season, a 0–0 draw against Sunderland on 18 August 2012. On 26 September, Arshavin was handed his first start of the season in the
League Cup. He scored the third goal and assisted two others in a 6–1 win over
Coventry City. On 20 October, Arshavin made his 100th Premier League appearance for Arsenal in a 1–0 loss against
Norwich City. He also played in Arsenal's 2–1 loss against
Olympiacos in the
Champions League on 4 December. Arshavin went on to leave Arsenal in June 2013. Overall, Arshavin scored 31 goals and provided 41 assists in 143 appearances for the club. Arshavin scored on his second league appearance for the club, opening a 1–1 draw at home to
Kuban Krasnodar on 26 July, before netting again on 7 August, in a 5–0 win in the Champions League third qualifying round against
FC Nordsjælland. In a total of 21 Russian Premier League appearances in 2013–14, he scored only one more goal, in a 4–0 away win at
Rostov on 22 September, and Zenit finished the season as runners-up.
Final years as a player On 13 July 2015, Arshavin signed for Russian side
Kuban Krasnodar on a one-year deal. His contract was dissolved by mutual consent on 1 February 2016, after just 9 appearances. Some new outlets reported that Kuban Krasnodar had only signed him to boost the PR of the region's governor before the regional elections. After the governor lost the elections, Arshavin and the other big-money players were shipped out. On 18 March 2016, Arshavin signed for Kazakhstani club
FC Kairat on a one-year deal, with the option of a second year. He won the
Kazakhstan Premier League's Player of the Month award for July 2016, and again in September 2016. He would win the prestigious Kazakhstan Player of the Year award for 2016. He scored 30 goals in 108 appearances for Kairat. On 3 December 2018, Arshavin confirmed his retirement from professional football. He would later join upper management of his boyhood club,
ZFK Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2019. ==International career==