Oleg Salenko facts for kids
Salenko in 2014
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Oleg Anatolyevich Salenko | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Smena Leningrad | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1988 | Zenit | 47 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Dynamo Kyiv | 91 | (28) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Logroñés | 47 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Valencia | 25 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Rangers | 16 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | İstanbulspor | 18 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Córdoba | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Pogoń Szczecin | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 248 | (86) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1991 | Soviet Union U20 | 4 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Ukraine | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Russia | 8 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Oleg Anatolyevich Salenko (born 25 October 1969) is a former football player from Russia and Ukraine. He played as a forward, which means he was a goal scorer. He is famous for scoring a record five goals in one game during the 1994 FIFA World Cup. This amazing achievement helped him win the Golden Boot award as the top goal scorer of the tournament.
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Club Career Highlights
Oleg Salenko was born in Leningrad, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time. His football journey began in 1986. He played for several well-known clubs during his career.
Some of the teams he played for include:
- Zenit Leningrad
- Dynamo Kyiv
- Logroñés
- Valencia
- Rangers
- İstanbulspor
- Córdoba
- Pogoń Szczecin
Oleg's club career lasted until 2000. Sadly, he had to stop playing professional football early. This was because of injuries that affected his health. He was only 31 years old when he retired. He tried to return to play for Pogoń Szczecin in 2000–01 but only played one game due to his physical condition.
International Football Journey
Oleg Salenko played for different national teams. He first played for the Soviet Union under-20 team. In 1989, he was the top scorer at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring 5 goals.
After the Soviet Union broke up, he played one game for the Ukraine national team. This game was Ukraine's first international match recognized by FIFA.
Later, he played for the Russia national team. He played 8 games for Russia and scored 6 goals. All of these goals were scored during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Record-Breaking World Cup Performance
Oleg Salenko made history at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. On June 28, 1994, he set a World Cup record. He scored five goals in a single match against Cameroon. Russia won that game 6–1.
He finished the 1994 World Cup with a total of six goals. He also scored a penalty kick against Sweden in an earlier match. He shared the World Cup Golden Boot award with Hristo Stoichkov from Bulgaria.
What makes his achievement even more special is that Russia was knocked out of the tournament early. They did not make it past the group stage. Despite this, Salenko still won the Golden Boot. As of 2022, he is the only player to win this award when his team was eliminated so early.
He is also the only player to win the Golden Boot at both the U-20 World Cup and the main FIFA World Cup.
Beach Football Coaching
In 2003, Oleg Salenko became the manager of the Ukraine national beach soccer team. Beach soccer is a version of football played on sand. His team played three games in a tournament called Mundialito in Portugal. They won one game against the USA (6–5) but lost the other two. After this tournament, he left his coaching role.
He later worked with the FFU for a while. However, he eventually decided to focus on his business instead of football.
Honours and Awards
Oleg Salenko achieved several important honours during his career:
Team Honours
- Dynamo Kyiv
- Soviet Top League: 1990
- Soviet Cup: 1990
- Rangers
- Scottish Football League Premier Division: 1996
Individual Awards
- FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Shoe: 1989
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1994
See also
In Spanish: Oleg Salenko para niños
