Oleh Protasov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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(s)	Forward
Youth career
1972–1981	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
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	(28)
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 Thessaloniki
2010–2011	Rostov
2012	Astana
2012–2013	Dinamo Minsk
2014–2015	Astra Giurgiu
2015	Aris Thessaloniki
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union UEFA European Championship Runner-up 1988 West Germany UEFA European U-19 Championships Bronze 1982 Finland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Oleh Valeriyovych Protasov, born on February 4, 1964, is a famous former football player from Ukraine. He was a powerful striker who scored many goals. Oleh was a very important player for the Soviet Union national team in the 1980s. He scored 28 goals for the Soviet Union, which is the second-highest number in the team's history. His first name is sometimes spelled as Oleg on international lists.

Playing Career: A Goal-Scoring Star

Oleh Protasov started his football journey at just 8 years old. He began playing in his hometown of Dnipropetrovsk for the team Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. He stayed with them until 1987.

Success in the Soviet Union

In 1987, Protasov moved to play for the big Soviet-Ukrainian team, Dynamo Kyiv. During his time playing in the Soviet Union, he helped his teams win the Soviet Championship twice. He was also named the Soviet Footballer of the Year in 1987, which is a huge honor! Overall, he scored 125 goals in the Soviet Championship, making him one of the top 10 goal scorers ever in that league.

Playing Abroad: New Adventures

After the Soviet Union changed, Oleh Protasov got the chance to play football in other countries. In 1990, he joined the Greek team Olympiacos Piraeus. He played there until 1994. After that, he played for other teams like Gamba Osaka in Japan, Veria FC, and finally Proodeftiki FC in Greece. He stopped playing professionally in 1999.

International Football: Representing His Country

Protasov played for the Soviet Union 68 times. He even played in two FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 1986 and 1990. He also played in the Euro 88 tournament, where he scored two goals. Later, in 1994, he played one game for the Ukraine national team.

Coaching Career: Leading Teams to Victory

After he stopped playing, Oleh Protasov became a football coach. He led Olympiacos Piraeus to win the Greek league title in 2003. In 2005, he coached the Romanian team Steaua București.

Coaching His Hometown Team

In December 2005, Oleh Protasov returned to Ukraine to coach his old team, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. He had done very well with Steaua București in the UEFA Cup, which showed he was a great coach. He left Dnipro by his own choice and was on good terms with everyone at the club.

In his first season coaching Dnipro, in 2005–06, he guided the team to finish 6th in the Ukrainian Premier League. The next season, 2006–07, he improved their position, finishing 4th. In the 2007–08 season, his team was surprisingly leading the league before the winter break. However, they didn't do as well in the second half of the season and finished 4th again. Dnipro decided to let him go in August 2008 after a tough loss in a UEFA Cup qualification match.

Coaching in Russia and Greece

After leaving Dnipro, Protasov coached FC Kuban Krasnodar in Russia. The team had recently been moved down to a lower league. Under Protasov's leadership, Kuban Krasnodar finished 2nd in their league, earning them a promotion back to the Russian Premier League. However, due to money problems at the club, Protasov left in November 2008.

He then signed a deal with Iraklis Thessaloniki in Greece in 2009. But after five losses in a row, his contract was ended in October of that year. Later, he also coached FC Astra Giurgiu in Romania from October 2014 to March 2015. He also had a brief agreement with Aris Thessaloniki, but it was quickly ended.

Personal Life

Oleh Protasov is married to Natalia. She is the daughter of another famous football person, Yevhen Lemeshko. Oleh is now a citizen of Greece and can speak Greek. He also speaks English, Russian, and his native Ukrainian.

Awards and Achievements

Oleh Protasov won many awards and titles during his career as both a player and a coach.

As a Player

• Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
  • Soviet Top League: 1983
  • USSR Federation Cup: 1986
• Dynamo Kyiv
  • Soviet Top League: 1990
  • Soviet Cup: 1989–90
• Olympiacos
  • Greek Cup: 1991–92
  • Greek Super Cup: 1992
• Soviet Union
  • UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1988

Individual Awards

• ADN Eastern European Footballer of the Season: 1985
• Soviet Footballer of the Year: 1987
• Soviet Top League top scorer: 1985, 1987, 1990
• UEFA Silver Boot: 1984 (This award is for being one of the top goal scorers in European leagues)
• Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Coach of the Year: 2005

See also

In Spanish: Oleh Protásov para niños