Evgeny Aldonin's Football Fame Marred by Loss and Illness

The name of midfielder Evgeny Aldonin is probably known to almost everyone in the country. During his sports career, he became a two-time Russian champion and a UEFA Cup winner with CSKA Moscow (PFC CSKA Moscow). But behind the success lay personal tragedies: the loss of his parents and the early death of his ex-wife. Now, Aldonin is himself battling cancer.

On January 22, Evgeny turned 46. MSK1.RU looks back at his difficult path to sports fame and love.

From the Shores of Crimea to Volgograd, and Then to the Peaks of Russian Football

Evgeny Aldonin was born in Alupka, Crimea. His family was ordinary: his father worked as a ship mechanic, and his mother as a store manager. According to Evgeny, school came easily to him, and he received only «good» and «excellent» grades. Aldonin took his first steps in football at a local youth sports school. He also tried his hand at table tennis.

When Evgeny was 16, he was noticed by the football club Rotor and invited the promising youth to Volgograd. Aldonin continued his education at a local sports boarding school. It was for Rotor that he began playing in Russian championships. In his very first year, Evgeny became the top scorer in the zonal tournament of the national championship among teams born in 1980–1981 for clubs in the top and first leagues.

A sharp turn in Aldonin«s career occurred in 2002: the athlete made the list of the best players in the Russian championship, and later signed a contract with CSKA Moscow. Largely thanks to Evgeny»s play, the 2005/2006 season was productive for the «army men.» After that, a lull happened in the footballer«s career: he often remained on the bench, and fans whispered that the promising Pavel Mamaev became Aldonin»s main competitor.

In the summer of 2010, Evgeny suffered several injuries at once. Health problems knocked the footballer off track. In 2012, the midfielder was loaned to the football club Mordovia, and soon Aldonin became a key player. The athlete also played for Nizhny Novgorod«s Volga and Krasnogorsk»s Zorky.

After ending his professional career, Evgeny joined the coaching staff of Moscow«s Torpedo. Later, Aldonin, as a UEFA Cup winner, opened his own academy.

Romance with Nachalova, Birth of a Daughter, and Infidelity

Evgeny Aldonin met his future wife Yulia Nachalova in May 2005. They met in a restaurant where CSKA footballers were celebrating the won UEFA Cup. The singer was also there, having come to a concert by her colleague Leonid Agutin.

The Lithuanian footballer of the army men, Deividas Šemberas, knew that of all the artists on the Russian stage, Aldonin only had a liking for Nachalova. Not missing the opportunity, he introduced Evgeny and Yulia to each other. Towards the end of the evening, the performer was getting ready to go home, and Aldonin offered to give her a ride. The young people talked all night, and the next day the footballer invited his chosen one for a walk along the Moscow River.

«We flew to each other every free moment! There were no磨合 periods, no relationship building. Everything happened naturally. Surprisingly, the further we went, the more we had in common,» Nachalova recalled in an interview.

On the eve of New Year 2006, Evgeny proposed to Yulia. The wedding took place on June 1, 2006. At the ceremony, the singer dedicated the song «Let»s Talk About Love« to her husband, and the footballer presented his beloved with the keys to a new apartment on Kutuzovsky Prospect. The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in Venice. As a souvenir of their joint vacation, the couple brought back a gondola.

In December of that year, the couple had a daughter, Vera. The girl«s godparents were singer Larisa Dolina and footballer Rolan Gusev. After the birth of their heiress, Nachalova confessed to her friends that she was absolutely happy and advised them to marry only footballers.

Over time, the marriage of Aldonin and Nachalova cracked—distance and busyness took their toll. The singer moved to the USA, where she worked on a new album. And the footballer, who played for CSKA, could not leave the country due to games and training camps. Aldonin admitted: both he and his wife gradually drifted apart. In 2011, the couple divorced after 5 years of marriage.

«We were always at a distance. He was at training camps, and I was on tour and in the studio. If you think there was some third person in our relationship, that»s not true,« the singer said on the program »Sudyba Cheloveka« on Russia 1 channel.

Shortly before the divorce, rumors leaked to the press about the singer«s romance with hockey player Alexander Frolov—the couple was photographed together in an American restaurant. Nachalova herself claimed that her relationship with Alexander began only six months after the divorce.

Aldonin remained single for three years. In 2014, the athlete met a girl named Olga. Despite a seven-year age difference, the couple managed to find common ground. After a brief romance, the footballer proposed to his chosen one. Before the wedding, Olga was far from the world of show business, but after the marriage, public attention turned to her. Everyone appreciated the girl«s beauty: one news portal even awarded her second place in the top of the most sexy footballers» wives.

In October 2016, the couple had a son, Artyom. Daughter Vera from Aldonin«s first marriage quickly found common ground with her stepmother and was delighted with her brother. Nachalova herself warmly accepted her ex-husband»s new wife and even congratulated her on the baby«s birth. Three years later, the Aldonin family welcomed another addition; Evgeny and Olga»s daughter was named Angelika.

Told His Daughter About Her Mom«s Death

Back in 2011, Yulia was diagnosed with gout. According to the singer, the illness was triggered by an unsuccessful breast augmentation surgery, which led to blood poisoning and kidney dysfunction. In the spring of 2019, the ailment worsened. But Nachalova worked a lot and paid no attention to a sore on her leg. Due to a sharp spike in blood sugar, the vocalist«s condition deteriorated. She was diagnosed with diabetes, and a small wound on her leg turned into gangrene. Nachalova was placed in a medically induced coma due to sepsis, and on March 16 of that year, the 38-year-old artist»s heart stopped.

At that time, 12-year-old Vera was in the UK on a trip with classmates. Nachalova«s manager was in no hurry to tell the girl that her mother was gone—she wanted to wait until she boarded the plane to Moscow. The terrible news had to be delivered by Evgeny, who met the girl at the capital»s airport.

«It was very hard for me to tell her this. We got in the car when we were leaving the airport. I told Vera that I had very difficult news for her: »Mom is no longer with us.« Vera didn»t even understand why it happened. My daughter had left when Yulia was undergoing a scheduled cleaning operation. She couldn«t believe it, she was shocked,» Aldonin shared in an interview.

The footballer himself admitted that he was also shocked when his ex-wife was hospitalized. Nachalova«s parents assured him that their daughter would soon recover and doctors were in control. Only later, from the trembling voice of Yulia»s mother, did the athlete realize that things were actually bad.

After Yulia«s death, Vera stayed with her maternal grandparents. Nachalova»s mother, Taisiya, had already been taking care of her granddaughter while the singer was on tour. The footballer himself participated in raising his daughter: taking her on vacation, calling her, picking her up from school.

«Evgeny is constantly in touch with her. And Zhenya»s mother, Vera«s second grandmother, shows care. It can be said that Vera lives with everyone. But most of the time, our granddaughter spends at our home, because her school is here, and my wife handles all the nuances related to Vera»s education. Our granddaughter is undoubtedly having a hard time; she can«t come to terms with the thought that her mother is gone. But she»s a smart girl, bearing everything with dignity,« noted Yulia Nachalova»s father.

Evgeny also fought for his daughter«s financial well-being. The half of the apartment that Aldonin had gifted for the wedding, Nachalova had transferred to her new love interest, hockey player Frolov, during their romance. In return, he offered the singer 20 million rubles (approx. $200,000 at current rates). A peaceful agreement didn»t work out: the hockey player demanded back the money he had given to Yulia. Losing the court case, the performer«s parents put the apartment up for sale. According to the plan, part of the proceeds, 90 million rubles (approx. $900,000 at current rates), was to go to Alexander, and the rest would go to Vera.

In November 2021, the footballer«s mother Elena suddenly passed away. Evgeny was orphaned, as his father had died in a car accident back in the mid-2000s. Only his family brought him joy. His eldest daughter followed in her mother»s footsteps and studies vocals. In the summer of 2024, Vera graduated from school with a gold medal and enrolled in VGIK (the Russian state film school) to become an actress.

In November 2025, the Aldonin family was again in the spotlight. It turned out that Evgeny is battling cancer. Fans and colleagues immediately organized a fundraiser to help the man with expensive treatment.

«Zhenya is in Germany, in good spirits and under the supervision of excellent specialists, I relay his words: »Thank you all so much for the warmth and words of support! I hope to overcome the illness. There are chances—I«m holding on to them with all my might,»« journalist Dmitry Shnyakin conveyed to concerned fans.

Since then, there have been no news from Evgeny. Daughter Vera thanked fans for their help and support.

«Our family has decided not to give any comments regarding news about my dad Evgeny Aldonin»s health condition. Now we are waiting for only one comment, which will be said by dad himself—about his full recovery. We all believe in it and pray for it,« she wrote on social media.

Everything known about Evgeny Aldonin«s health condition was covered in a separate article.