One of Russia's best footballers over the last couple of decades, Dmitry Alenichev, will bid farewell to the sport next week. A testimonial will be held in his honour, pitting team-mates from his former side Spartak Moscow, up against a World Eleven. The

It's a celebration for a player who's won more at club level around Europe than any other Russian.

Around the continent, he's best known for his time with the Portugues side Porto.

Here he became only the third player in history to score in two consecutive finals, leading his side to victory in the 2003 UEFA Cup, and then the Champions League a year later.

It's this moment, Alenichev recalls as the best in his career.

“Winning the champions league with Jose Moriniho against Monaco in Germany was amazing. For every footballer, it's almost the pinnacle of their career to win the Champions League,” he says.

In thanks to Alenichev, the testimonial is going to be held at the Lokomotiv Stadium on May 4.

The match will feature players from the Spartak Moscow of the 1990s, who at the time were one of the strongest sides in Europe.

They will be playing against a Football Galaxy 11, which will a number of Real Madrid's stars from the past.

There's a possibility Zinadine Zidane will play, while the likes of Emilio Butragueño, José Míchel, Christian Karembeu, Alfonso as well as the celebrated Mexican Hugo Sánchez will be there.

That team will be coached by Mourinho – a manager whom Alenichev remembers fondly from his time at Porto.

“He has already confirmed he will attend, and I'll be really happy to see him. We're also seeing if Fabio Capello will be able to come to the match. These two coaches, who I worked with in Portugal and Italy, have helped me so much with my career as a footballer,” Alenichev says.

However it is Dmitry's time at Spartak Moscow, for which he is best remembered around Russia.

Coming from Lokomotiv he won three league titles with Spartak from 1994 to 1998. He was voted Russian player of the year in 1997.

Spartak’s coaches of the time – Oleg Romantsev and Georgy Yartsev will head a team composed of numerous star players of the caliber of Aleksandr Mostovoy.

Alenichev left Spartak for Roma in 1998, but was unable to hold down a regular first-team place there and was loaned to Perugia before moving to Porto in 2000. In Portugal he had substantially more success winning no less then six domestic and both European trophies.

When he announced his decision to return to Spartak during the Euro-2004 finals, Porto had no objections.

However, his second stint was not such a happy one. He fell out with the then head coach Aleksandr Starkov, and subsequently never played for Spartak again.

“What's done is done. I don't particularly want to remember what happened. It's in the past now and is irrelevant. I just want to say a big thank you to the Spartak fans because they've always supported me throughout my professional career,” Alenichev says.

Some 10,000 fans are expected to turn out to bid farewell to Alenichev. He is considered as one of Spartak's most popular players of all time.

While the attendance of the likes of Mourinho, Karembeu, Butragueño and possibly Zidane, is only likely to heighten interest.