Andriy Yarmolenko facts for kids
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Yarmolenko with West Ham United in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andriy Mykolayovych Yarmolenko | ||
| Date of birth | 23 October 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Dynamo Kyiv | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002 | Yunist Chernihiv | ||
| 2002–2003 | SDYuShOR Desna | ||
| 2003–2004 | Lokomotyv Kyiv | ||
| 2003 | Vidradnyi Kyiv | ||
| 2004–2006 | Yunist Chernihiv | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2007 | Desna Chernihiv | 9 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | Dynamo-2 Kyiv | 37 | (9) |
| 2008–2017 | Dynamo Kyiv | 228 | (99) |
| 2017–2018 | Borussia Dortmund | 18 | (3) |
| 2018–2022 | West Ham United | 66 | (8) |
| 2022–2023 | Al Ain | 23 | (11) |
| 2023– | Dynamo Kyiv | 38 | (15) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | Ukraine U19 | 14 | (5) |
| 2008–2011 | Ukraine U21 | 16 | (3) |
| 2009– | Ukraine | 125 | (46) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2025 |
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Andriy Mykolayovych Yarmolenko (Ukrainian: Андрі́й Микола́йович Ярмо́ленко; born on October 23, 1989) is a talented Ukrainian professional footballer. He plays as a winger or forward for the Ukrainian Premier League club Dynamo Kyiv. He is also the captain of the Ukraine national team.
Yarmolenko has been a key player for Ukraine since 2009. He has scored 46 goals in 125 matches for his country. He has also played in several major tournaments, including the UEFA European Championship in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024.
Contents
Andriy Yarmolenko's Early Life
Andriy Yarmolenko's parents were from a village called Smolianka in Ukraine. They moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in Russia, where Andriy was born in 1989. He has a younger sister. When Andriy was three years old, his family moved back to Ukraine. They settled in the city of Chernihiv.
Andriy's mother remembers him playing with a ball from a very young age, around 4 or 5 years old. At first, they didn't have a real football, so he played with a homemade one. A coach named Mykola Lypoviy noticed Andriy's talent. He invited him to a football school in Chernihiv, which was called "Yunist". Mykola Lypoviy became Andriy's first coach.
Andriy Yarmolenko's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
Andriy Yarmolenko began his football training at the "Yunist" Youth Sports School in Chernihiv. When he was 13, he joined the Dynamo Kyiv Youth Academy. However, he returned to Chernihiv after a year. He played for several youth clubs before joining Dynamo Kyiv in 2007. These clubs included Yunist Chernihiv, Desna Chernihiv, Lokomotyv Kyiv, and Vidradnyi Kyiv.
Playing for Desna Chernihiv
In the summer of 2006, Yarmolenko joined Desna Chernihiv. This was the main football club in his hometown of Chernihiv. He played for them during the 2006–07 season in the Ukrainian First League. He played in nine matches and scored four goals for the team.
Becoming a Star at Dynamo Kyiv
In 2007, Yarmolenko signed a five-year contract with the Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv. He first played for their second team, Dynamo-2, for a couple of seasons. People quickly noticed his talent. Journalists even called him the "new Andriy Shevchenko". They admired his strong build, powerful shots, and amazing speed. A vice-president at Dynamo, Yozhef Sabo, also praised him. He said Yarmolenko had everything needed to become a top player.
On May 11, 2008, Yarmolenko played his first game for Dynamo's main team. It was an away match against Vorskla Poltava. He scored the winning goal, helping Kyiv win 2–1. In his first season, he scored 7 goals in 21 games. In his second season, he scored 11 goals in 19 games. He became a regular player, often playing as a left or central forward.
Time with Borussia Dortmund
On August 28, 2017, Yarmolenko signed a four-year contract with the German club Borussia Dortmund. He made his debut for Dortmund on September 10, 2017. He came on as a substitute in the 79th minute against Freiburg. He then started his first game for Dortmund in a Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur. He scored Dortmund's only goal in their 3–1 loss.
Playing for West Ham United
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On July 11, 2018, Yarmolenko joined the Premier League club West Ham United. He signed a four-year contract. He played his first game for them on August 12, in a 4–0 defeat by Liverpool. On September 16, he made his first start for West Ham. He scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–1 away win against Everton. This was West Ham's first Premier League win of the 2018–19 season. Unfortunately, Yarmolenko suffered an Achilles injury on October 20, 2018. This injury kept him out for the rest of that season.
Yarmolenko returned to the team for the 2019–20 season. On August 31, 2019, he scored his first goal since his injury. It was a left-footed shot that helped West Ham win 2–0 against Norwich City. He scored again in West Ham's next home game in the Premier League. He opened the scoring in their 2–0 win over Manchester United. In December 2019, he got another injury. He was still recovering when football was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. He started training again in May 2020. On July 1, 2020, he scored the winning goal against Chelsea in a 3–2 victory.
On November 25, 2021, Yarmolenko scored against Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League group stage. He also helped West Ham get a penalty in their 2–0 away win. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Yarmolenko was given time off. He returned on March 13, scoring the first goal in a 2–1 win over Aston Villa. Four days later, Yarmolenko scored an extra-time winning goal for West Ham. This helped them beat Sevilla 2–1 overall in the Europa League. This meant West Ham reached a European quarter-final for the first time since 1981. In May 2022, West Ham announced that Yarmolenko would leave the club when his contract ended in June 2022.
Playing for Al-Ain
On July 13, 2022, Yarmolenko signed a one-year contract with the United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain.
Returning to Dynamo Kyiv
On June 27, 2023, Yarmolenko made a comeback to Dynamo Kyiv. He signed a two-year contract with his former club.
Andriy Yarmolenko's International Career
On August 11, 2007, Yarmolenko played for the Ukraine under-19 team. They won 1–0 against Japan. He also played in the qualifiers for the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.
Later, on October 10, 2008, Yarmolenko was called up to the under-21 squad. He played against the Netherlands. He also took part in the qualifiers and finals for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
On September 5, 2009, Yarmolenko played his first game for the senior Ukraine team. It was a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification game against Andorra. He scored a goal in Ukraine's 5–0 win. On September 2, 2011, in a friendly match against Uruguay, Yarmolenko set a national record. He scored a goal just 14 seconds into the game. This was the fastest goal ever scored by a Ukraine national team player.
Yarmolenko scored three goals in one game on November 15, 2014. He scored all of Ukraine's goals in a 3–0 win against Luxembourg. This was during the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches. In November 2015, Yarmolenko scored in both games of Ukraine's play-off victory against Slovenia. This helped Ukraine qualify for the Euro 2016 finals. Yarmolenko was part of Ukraine's squad for Euro 2016. He played in all three matches, but Ukraine did not score any goals and finished last in their group. He scored against the Netherlands at Johan Cruyff Arena and against North Macedonia at Arena Națională during UEFA Euro 2020. He was chosen as the Star of the Match in those games.
On September 1, 2021, Yarmolenko played his 100th game for Ukraine. It was a 2022 World Cup qualification game against Kazakhstan. On October 12, 2021, he scored against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was voted player of the match for that game.
Andriy Yarmolenko's Coaching Career
On September 20, 2024, Yarmolenko earned his UEFA "A" coaching license. He completed his coaching courses in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Andriy Yarmolenko Outside of Football
Andriy Yarmolenko is married to Inna and they have three sons.
In 2020, an artist named Dmitry Adehiro created a mural of Yarmolenko. It was painted on the building of the Yunost Youth Sports School in Chernihiv, near the Yunist Stadium.
On October 7, 2021, Yarmolenko was named an honorary citizen of Chernihiv. This was a special recognition from his hometown.
In November 2021, a football competition called the "Andriy Yarmolenko Cup" was held at the Yunist Stadium in Chernihiv.
In February 2022, Yarmolenko donated £75,000 to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was to help his country after the Russian invasion. He also flew to the Ukraine border to help his wife and child, who had fled the country. Chernihiv mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko and the governor of the Chernihiv Oblast Vyacheslav Chaus personally thanked Yarmolenko for his help.
Yarmolenko also helped save the parents of fellow Ukrainian footballer Roman Yaremchuk's wife. Roman Yaremchuk shared how Yarmolenko helped get his wife's parents out of Chernihiv during a difficult time.
In March 2022, after scoring the winning goal for West Ham against Spanish club Sevilla in the Europa League, Yarmolenko gave his West Ham shirt to a fan holding a Ukraine flag.
In May 2022, Yarmolenko sent an ambulance from London to his hometown of Chernihiv.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Desna Chernihiv | 2006–07 | Ukrainian First League | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 4 | |||
| Dynamo-2 Kyiv | 2006–07 | Ukrainian First League | 15 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 4 | ||||
| 2007–08 | 22 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 5 | ||||||
| Total | 37 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 37 | 9 | ||||||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2007–08 | Vyshcha Liha | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | Ukrainian Premier League | 10 | 0 | 3 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 | ||
| 2009–10 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 7 | |||
| 2010–11 | 26 | 11 | 5 | 1 | — | 16 | 4 | — | 47 | 16 | ||||
| 2011–12 | 28 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 13 | |||
| 2012–13 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 2 | — | 40 | 13 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 4 | — | 9 | 5 | — | 39 | 21 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 26 | 14 | 5 | 1 | — | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 19 | |||
| 2015–16 | 23 | 13 | 3 | 4 | — | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 19 | |||
| 2016–17 | 28 | 15 | 3 | 3 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 36 | 19 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | |||
| Total | 228 | 99 | 27 | 19 | — | 80 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 341 | 137 | |||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 18 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | 6 | 1 | — | 26 | 6 | ||
| West Ham United | 2018–19 | Premier League | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 5 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 21 | 3 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | — | 32 | 3 | |||
| Total | 66 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 2 | — | 86 | 13 | |||
| Al Ain | 2022–23 | UAE Pro League | 23 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | 33 | 12 | |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2023–24 | Ukrainian Premier League | 17 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 20 | 8 | ||
| 2024–25 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 4 | — | 27 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 34 | 14 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 4 | — | 47 | 18 | ||||
| Career total | 415 | 148 | 41 | 22 | 11 | 3 | 105 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 580 | 201 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 2009 | 6 | 2 |
| 2010 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2012 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 6 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2015 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 7 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 6 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 125 | 46 | |
Honours and Awards
Dynamo Kyiv
- Ukrainian Premier League: 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16 2024–25
- Ukrainian Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2016
Individual Awards
- Best Young Player of Ukraine: 2010, 2011
- Ukrainian Premier League Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2014
- Ukrainian Footballer of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
- Ukrainian Premier League Player of the Year: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
- Ukrainian Premier League Top scorer: 2016–17
- Football Stars of Ukraine – Best UPL player: 2016
- UEFA Europa League Top assist provider: 2014–15
See also
In Spanish: Andriy Yarmolenko para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
