Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has entered Russian politics.

Pavlyuchenko has been voted in as a deputy for Vladimir Putin's United Russia party. Pav won a seat on the regional council in his home town of Stavropol, claiming 63 per cent of the vote.

The move surprised many in Russia, who didn't pick out Pav as the next Sarah Palin. "He's not from Moscow. He's a village guy," said journalist Anton Lisin. "The only reason Pavlyuchenko might be interested in politics is if the international financial crisis affected his wages."