As a former Miss Russia, Victoria Lopyreva was at first perceived as a surprising voice in the soccer arena. Amid skepticism from fans, she yearned to prove naysayers wrong.
“I became Miss Russia in 2003 and some time after that, I was invited to host a TV show and after a few years, I became the first female who hosted a TV show about football,” Lopyreva recently told The Post. “It was a bit complicated, it wasn’t easy because it’s very difficult sometimes to be the first. The audience, especially football audience, they didn’t expect that not a man with beer and chips is going to talk about football. [Now] Miss Russia, a TV presenter, and she’s appearing in the football TV show and she’s talking about football. It was all very unexpected and that was the key for success.”
A UNAIDS and FIFA World Cup Ambassador, Lopyreva, 34, has embraced her roles on a global platform, as well as social media, with 2 million Instagram followers.
“It’s meant a lot, I have to say that this is a big honor and a huge responsibility for me to represent my country abroad. When I was appointed, I probably even didn’t realize how important it is,” she said. “I met so many interesting people, and the most important thing is that I had great opportunity to speak with the people in person and invite them to visit my country.”
With Russia hosting this year’s international festivities, Lopyreva is hopeful the world’s stage will view her home nation with a fresh perspective.
“We have so many different nationalities, we have different religions, we have different even type of foods in different regions,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for our guests and for us to see how we are, the way we are, and to treat our guests in the best way.”
For Lopyreva, nothing brings people together quite like the sport.
“What I like in football, it really unites people,” Lopyreva said. “Football is more than just a sport, it’s a passion, it’s a lifestyle it’s something that really unites people. It doesn’t matter the color of the skin, which religion you are, if you have the same passion, the same hobby or the same favorite sport, it doesn’t matter what again, you can come to the stadium, even alone, and you will be surrounded with so many people who have the same passion as you.”
As a number of young women share her passion for the game, many are looking to forge their own path in the industry Lopyreva helped pave.
“My main message is that there is no boundaries, and boundaries [are] only in our mind,” she said. “If you want to do something, if you have a passion in life, you have to do it and you have to follow your dream.”
Among Lopyreva’s dreams: Russia capturing this year’s World Cup — a goal that does not seem as far-fetched as it did before the tournament started. Russia currently sits atop Group A’s standings at 2-0-0 and has clinched a spot in the Round of 16. They will next face Uruguay on Monday.
“As a Russian, I’m going to support my national team until the last minute they’re going to play,” she said.