Oleh Protasov

Oleh Protasov
Protasov in 2011
Personal information
Full name Oleh Valeriyovych Protasov
Date of birth (1964-02-04) 4 February 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Forward
Youth career
1972–1974 Meteor Dnipropetrovsk (SC Meteor)
1975–1981 Dnipro-75 (FC Dnipro)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1981–1987 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 145 (95)
1988–1990 Dynamo Kyiv 71 (30)
1990–1994 Olympiacos 83 (48)
1994–1995 Gamba Osaka 55 (24)
1996–1998 Veria 62 (11)
1998–1999 Proodeftiki 28 (5)
1999–2000 Panelefsiniakos 2 (1)
Total 446 (214)
International career
1984–1991 Soviet Union 68 (29[1][2])
1994 Ukraine 1 (0)
Managerial career
1999–2000 Veria
2002–2004 Olympiacos
2004–2005 AEL Limassol
2005 Steaua București
2006–2008 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
2008 Kuban Krasnodar
2009 Iraklis
2010–2011 Rostov
2012 Astana
2012–2013 Dinamo Minsk
2014–2015 Astra Giurgiu
2015 Aris
Medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up 1988 West Germany
UEFA European U-19 Championships[3]
Bronze medal – third place 1982 Finland
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Oleh Valeriyovych Protasov (Ukrainian: Олег Валерійович Протасов; born 4 February 1964) is a Ukrainian and Soviet former footballer who played as a striker. He was a key member of the Soviet Union national team throughout the 1980s; his 29[1][2] goals for the Soviet Union are second in the team's history, behind Oleg Blokhin's 42. Protasov also holds the record for the number of goals per season by scoring 35 goals.[4] It should be considered that his first name is often spelled as Oleg on most international rosters, particularly during his playing career (Russification of Ukraine).

Club career

Oleh Protasov started playing football at the age of 8 years old in his hometown of Dnipropetrovsk in Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, where he played until 1987. His father, who was an engineer at Yuzhmash, brought him to the Meteor Stadium. Later, Protasov enrolled in the Dnipro-75 sports school led by Igor Vetrogonov.[5][6] In 1983, he was on the champion's roster of Dnipro, which gained its first domestic title. While playing for Dnipro during the 1985 season, he became the top goalscorer of the season with 35, which became the record of goals scored in a single season.[4] For this achievement, on 13 November 1986, he was awarded the European Silver Shoe during the annual award ceremony held at Le Lido.[4] The award was handed to him by former French international footballer Roger Piantoni.[4]

In 1987, Protasov moved to play for the Soviet-Ukrainian football giants, Dynamo Kyiv. His transfer to Dynamo, which took place along with Hennadiy Lytovchenko, was arranged as a compulsory military service.[4] In all, in the Soviet Union, he won the Soviet Championship twice and was named Soviet Footballer of the Year in 1987. He scored 125 goals in the Soviet Championship, making him the eighth-best scorer of all time in the Championship.

Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Oleh Protasov got a chance to play abroad. In 1990, he joined Greek side Olympiacos Piraeus that was coached by Oleh Blokhin.[4] Leaving Olympiacos in 1994, he played in Gamba Osaka, Veria FC, and finally Proodeftiki FC, from where he retired in 1999.

International career

Protasov played for the Soviet Union 68 times, including at the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups, as well as Euro 88, where he scored two goals. He also played one game for the Ukraine national team, in 1994.

In 1983, Protasov took part in the Summer Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, representing the Ukrainian SSR.[7]

Managerial career

After retiring as a player, Protasov went into coaching, and led Olympiacos to the Greek title in 2003. In 2005, he coached Romanian team Steaua București.

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

In December 2005, Oleh Protasov returned in Ukraine to coach his hometown team, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, after an impressive UEFA Cup performance with Steaua București. Protasov left by his own choice and was on very good terms with the entire team and owners of the club.[8]

In his first 2005–06 season as Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's coach, Oleh Protasov led the team to a 6th-place finish in the Ukrainian Premier League. In the next, 2006–07 season, Protasov improved on this, finishing 4th in the league.

In the 2007–08 season his side unexpectedly led the title race ahead of the winter break, before a poor second half left his side in 4th once again. Dnipro sacked him on 29 August 2008 after an embarrassing defeat from AC Bellinzona in UEFA cup qualification match.[9]

Kuban Krasnodar

After that, Protasov took over FC Kuban Krasnodar in the nearby region of Russia. Kuban had been recently relegated to the Russian First League. Under Protasov's leadership, the club finished 2nd in the league, with an 8-point lead over their nearest competitors. This finish earned them right to be promoted to the Russian Premier League.

However FC Kuban was affected by the 2008 financial crisis, which greatly decreased the club's budget. In a mutual agreement with the club, Protasov left the club on 19 November 2008.[10]

Iraklis

Then, he signed a two-year deal worth 400,000 euro per year with Iraklis, starting from the summer of 2009. On 30 October, it was announced by Iraklis the termination of their contract, after 5 continual defeats in Super League and Greek Cup.

Astra Giurgiu

On 13 October 2014, Oleg became manager of FC Astra Giurgiu.[11] He was sacked on 2 March 2015.[12]

Aris

Protasov agreed on a three years contract with Aris, though Arvanitidis expulsion as head of the football department of the club, led to amateur Aris to terminate the deal after 15 minutes of its announcement.[13]

Personal life

Protasov is married to Natalia (née – Lemeshko), a daughter of Yevhen Lemeshko.[14][4] They met through a post letter exchange. She wrote him a letter after reading his interview in "Nedelya".[4] He is a naturalised citizen of Greece and can speak Greek, alongside English, Russian and his native Ukrainian.[15][16]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[17]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1982 4 1 0 0 0 0 4 1
1983 21 7 2 0 0 0 23 7
1984 34 17 2 2 6 0 42 19
1985 33 35 2 1 6 4 41 40
1986 23 17 1 1 2 0 26 18
1987 30 18 4 3 0 0 34 21
Dynamo Kyiv 1988 29 11 5 2 0 0 34 13
1989 26 7 6 2 3 1 35 10
1990 16 12 1 1 0 0 17 13
Olympiacos 1990–91 29 11 2 1 0 0 31 12
1991–92 21 15 6 3 0 0 27 18
1992–93 24 14 9 3 4 1 37 18
1993–94 9 8 4 1 1 0 14 9
Gamba Osaka 1994 27 11 4 4 3 0 34 15
1995 28 13 0 0 0 0 28 13
Veria 1997 30 4 4 1 0 0 34 5
1998 32 7 1 0 0 0 33 7
Proodeftiki 1998 28 5 0 0 0 0 28 5
Career total 444 213 53 25 25 6 522 244

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[18]
National team Year Apps Goals
Soviet Union 1984 5 2
1985 12 8
1986 3 0
1987 9 2
1988 18 10
1989 8 3
1990 11 3
1991 2 1
Total 68 29
Ukraine 1994 1 0
Total 1 0
Scores and results list the Soviet Union's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Protasov goal.
List of international goals scored by Oleh Protasov
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 15 May 1984 Kouvolan keskuskenttä, Kouvola, Finland  Finland 3–1 3–1 Friendly
2 2 June 1984 Wembley Stadium (1923), London, England  England 2–0 2–0 Friendly
3 28 January 1985 Maharaja College Stadium, Kochi, India  Iran 2–0 2–0 Nehru Cup 1985
4 27 March 1985 Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi, Soviet Union  Austria 2–0 2–0 Friendly
5 2 May 1985 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union   Switzerland 1–0 4–0 1986 World Cup qualification
6 2 May 1985 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union   Switzerland 2–0 4–0 1986 World Cup qualification
7 5 June 1985 Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark  Denmark 1–2 2–4 1986 World Cup qualification
8 7 August 1985 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union  Romania 1–0 2–0 Friendly
9 25 September 1985 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union  Denmark 1–0 1–0 1986 World Cup qualification
10 16 October 1985 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union  Republic of Ireland 2–0 2–0 1986 World Cup qualification
11 23 September 1987 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union  Greece 2–0 3–0 Friendly
12 28 October 1987 Lokomotiv Stadium (Tavriya), Simferopol, Soviet Union  Iceland 2–0 2–0 Euro 1988 qualifying
13 23 March 1988 Olympic Stadium (Athens), Athens, Greece  Greece 1–0 4–0 Friendly
14 23 March 1988 Olympic Stadium (Athens), Athens, Greece  Greece 3–0 4–0 Friendly
15 23 March 1988 Olympic Stadium (Athens), Athens, Greece  Greece 4–0 4–0 Friendly
16 31 March 1988 Olympic Stadium (Berlin), Berlin, West Germany  Argentina 3–1 4–2 Four Nations Tournament
17 31 March 1988 Olympic Stadium (Berlin), Berlin, West Germany  Argentina 4–2 4–2 Four Nations Tournament
18 27 April 1988 Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Czechoslovakia  Czechoslovakia 1–1 1–1 Friendly
19 1 June 1988 Lokomotiv Stadium (Moscow), Moscow, Soviet Union  Poland 2–1 2–1 Friendly
20 15 June 1988 AWD-Arena, Hanover, West Germany  Republic of Ireland 1–1 1–1 Euro 1988 Group Stage
21 22 June 1988 Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, West Germany  Italy 2–0 2–0 Euro 1988 Semi-finals
22 27 November 1988 Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait  Kuwait 1–0 2–0 Friendly
23 26 April 1989 Olimpiysky National Sports Complex, Kyiv, Soviet Union  East Germany 3–0 3–0 1990 World Cup qualification
24 15 November 1989 Lokomotiv Stadium (Tavriya), Simferopol, Soviet Union  Turkey 1–0 2–0 1990 World Cup qualification
25 15 November 1989 Lokomotiv Stadium (Tavriya), Simferopol, Soviet Union  Turkey 2–0 2–0 1990 World Cup qualification
26 24 February 1990 Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, United States of America  United States 3–1 3–1 Friendly
27 28 March 1990 Olimpiysky National Sports Complex, Kyiv, Soviet Union  Netherlands 1–0 2–1 Friendly
28 18 June 1990 Stadio San Nicola, Bari, Italy  Cameroon 1–0 4–0 World Cup 1990 Group Stage
29 13 November 1991 GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus  Cyprus 1–0 3–0 Euro 1992 qualifying

Honours

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

Dynamo Kyiv

Olympiacos

Soviet Union

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b Oleg Protasov - International Appearances. www.rsssf.org
  2. ^ a b Олег ПРОТАСОВ. www.rusteam.permian.ru
  3. ^ "Юношеский чемпионат Европы–1982 – Юношеская сборная России по футболу". Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Протасову – 50: «Решил в эти дни не давать интервью». footclub.com.ua. 4 February 2014
  5. ^ Умер Игорь Ветрогонов. fcdnipro.com
  6. ^ Люди Днепра: Игорь Ветрогонов. gorod.dp.ua
  7. ^ Composition of teams at the Summer Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.
  8. ^ Protasov parting on good terms – uefa.com; Thursday 15 December 2005
  9. ^ Protasov carries the can at Dnipro – uefa.com; Tuesday 2 September 2008
  10. ^ Олег Протасов: "Все вопросы с "Кубанью" уладим без шума" (Oleh Protasov: "We will handle all questions with 'Kuban' without much noise" – ua-football.com (in Russian) 20 November 2008
  11. ^ "Protasov positive as he takes charge at Astra". UEFA. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Despărţire de Oleg Protasov". afcastragiurgiu.ro. 2 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  13. ^ Σεπ. 2015 21:51, Επιμέλεια: Δημήτρης Σαμόλης Δημοσίευση: 09. "Καρυπίδης αντί Αρβανιτίδη στον Άρη". sport24.gr.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Олег Протасов: "Смотрю на себя молодого – взял бы такого в команду"". 29 January 2019. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ^ https://www.scotsman.com/news/bloomin-help-called-littlehampton-2347129 [dead link]
  16. ^ "Oleg Protasov and Piotr Nowak". 9 June 2012.
  17. ^ "Олег Протасов". Footballfan.net.us. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  18. ^ "Oleg Protasov – International Appearances". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  19. ^ "Eastern European Footballer of the season". WebArchive. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleh_Protasov