Oleh Protasov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Oleh Protasov

Protasov in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth	(1964-02-04) 4 February 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth	Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.86 m
Playing position	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
1998–1999	Proodeftiki	28	(5)
1999–2000	Panelefsiniakos	2	(1)
Total		446	(214)
National team
1984–1991	Soviet Union	68	(28)
1994	Ukraine	1	(0)
Teams managed
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
Honours Representing  Soviet Union UEFA European Championship Runner-up 1988 West Germany UEFA European U-19 Championships Bronze 1982 Finland
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Oleh Valeriyovych Protasov (born February 4, 1964) is a former Ukrainian and Soviet professional footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was a player whose main job was to score goals. Oleh was a very important player for the Soviet Union national team in the 1980s. He scored 28 goals for his country, which is the second-highest in the team's history. Only Oleg Blokhin scored more. You might also see his first name spelled as Oleg on many international lists.

Playing Career

Oleh Protasov started playing football when he was 8 years old. He began his journey in his hometown of Dnipropetrovsk, playing for the club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. He stayed with them until 1987.

Success in the Soviet Union

In 1987, Protasov moved to Dynamo Kyiv, one of the biggest football clubs in the Soviet Union. During his time in the Soviet Union, he won the Soviet Championship twice. This was the top football league in the Soviet Union. In 1987, he was even named the Soviet Footballer of the Year, which is a huge honor! He scored 125 goals in the Soviet Championship, making him one of the top 10 goal scorers in the league's history.

Playing Abroad

After the Soviet Union broke up, Oleh Protasov had the chance to play football in other countries. In 1990, he joined the Greek team Olympiacos Piraeus. He played there until 1994. After leaving Olympiacos, he played for teams like Gamba Osaka in Japan, and then Veria FC and Proodeftiki FC in Greece. He stopped playing professional football in 1999.

International Matches

Protasov played for the Soviet Union 68 times. He represented his country in major tournaments like the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups. He also played in Euro 88, where he scored two goals. After the Soviet Union, he played one game for the Ukraine national team in 1994.

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing, Oleh Protasov became a football coach.

Early Coaching Roles

He led Olympiacos Piraeus, one of his former clubs, to win the Greek league title in 2003. In 2005, he coached the Romanian team Steaua București.

Return to Dnipro

In December 2005, Oleh Protasov came back to Ukraine to coach his old hometown team, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. He had done very well with Steaua București in the UEFA Cup. Protasov decided to leave Steaua on good terms.

In his first season (2005–06) as Dnipro's coach, his team finished 6th in the Ukrainian Premier League. The next season (2006–07), they improved and finished 4th. In the 2007–08 season, Dnipro was surprisingly leading the league before the winter break. However, their performance dropped in the second half of the season, and they finished 4th again. Dnipro decided to let him go in August 2008 after they lost a UEFA Cup qualification match.

Coaching in Russia and Greece

After leaving Dnipro, Protasov coached FC Kuban Krasnodar in Russia. This team had recently been moved down to a lower league. Under Protasov, Kuban finished 2nd in their league, which meant they could move back up to the Russian Premier League. However, the club faced financial problems, and Protasov left in November 2008.

He then signed a two-year deal with Iraklis Thessaloniki in Greece. But after five losses in a row, his contract was ended in October 2009.

Later Coaching Roles

Oleh Protasov continued his coaching journey with several other clubs. On October 13, 2014, he became the manager of FC Astra Giurgiu in Romania, but he was let go on March 2, 2015. He also had a very short agreement with Aris Thessaloniki in Greece, which ended quickly due to changes in the club's management.

Personal Life

Oleh Protasov is married to Natalia, whose father was also a famous football coach, Yevhen Lemeshko. Oleh is now a citizen of Greece. He can speak Greek, along with English, Russian, and his native Ukrainian.

Honours

Here are some of the awards and titles Oleh Protasov won during his career:

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 National Team
  • UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1988 (meaning they came in second place)

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 (an award for top goal scorers in Europe)

As a Coach:

• Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Coach of the Year: 2005

Images for kids

• 

  Protasov in 2011

See also

In Spanish: Oleh Protásov para niños