Pavel Pogrebnyak scored five goals in his opening three Premier League games for Fulham on loan, a feat even Erling Haaland didn't match - but his life off the pitch was even more impressive
22:34, 10 Nov 2025
Maria was once married to a Premier League star
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Maria was once married to a Premier League star(Image: mariapoga_/Instagram)
Erling Haaland is every defender's worst nightmare.
The towering Norwegian appears capable of finding the net at will for Manchester City, shattering records week in, week out - yet there's one milestone he'll never surpass, and it belongs to Pavel Pogrebnyak.
The hulking Russian netted five times in his first three Premier League outings on loan at Fulham, something even Haaland couldn't achieve.
But things weren't quite so straightforward after that for Pogrebnyak, who celebrated his birthday over the weekend, managing just six more strikes in England's top division before departing Craven Cottage for Reading.
Despite beginning his career with promising spells at Zenit Saint Petersburg and VfB Stuttgart, when the goals stopped flowing in England and later with Dynamo Moscow, he could at least find comfort in the arms of a gorgeous Russian millionaire.
Maria Shatalova
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Maria Shatalova and Pavel Pogrebnyak split in 2023(Image: mariapoga_/Instagram)
Pogrebnyak found himself embroiled in a matrimonial drama with his long-standing partner Maria, having first met as youngsters before becoming romantically involved at 17.
The smitten pair even featured in a 'Meet the Russians' documentary in 2013, which catapulted her to stardom. The show aimed to expose the lives of affluent Russians residing in London.
"It is more about my wife," he explained. "I'm just a little bit-part of this thing. I was asked about going on and I thought, why not?
Pavel Pogrebnyak
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Pavel Pogrebnyak holds a record even Erling Haaland can't touch(Image: PA)
"It would be a good experience. A lot of players who stopped playing football are now on TV."
A few years later, Maria found herself having to defend her relationship in the Russian press following rumours of a split.
She stated: "He said he didn't want to. We have a completely normal relationship. Everything inside our family, we don't want to discuss.
Maria Shatalova
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Maria Shatalova is a millionaire in her own right(Image: mariapoga_/Instagram)
"Don't get in my bed! We don't have a scandal, we live in the same territory. And what will happen next – I myself will share with everyone."
She went on to say: "People tell me: 'Masha, you haven't seen life.' What do they mean that I haven't seen life?
"That I did not have a bunch of men or did not go clubbing all the time?
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"Grandma would always tell me: 'You should not jump from one man to another, if you fall in love then it should be one person for the rest of your life'."
However, in September 2023, the couple decided to part ways, bringing their eight-year marriage to an end in Moscow when their divorce was finalised.
The court ruled that their children would live with Maria and that the couple would not divide their property.