Serhiy Atelkin facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Serhiy Valeriyovych Atelkin | ||
| Date of birth | 8 January 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Kirovske, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR | ||
| Date of death | 1 October 2020 (aged 48) | ||
| Place of death | Lviv, Ukraine | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kirovske sports school | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1989 | Antratsyt Kirovske | ||
| 1989–1997 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 158 | (47) |
| 1996 | → Kremin Kremenchuk (loan) | 14 | (5) |
| 1996 | → Shakhtar-2 Donetsk (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Lecce | 16 | (3) |
| 1998–1999 | → Boavista (loan) | 10 | (3) |
| 2000–2002 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 45 | (14) |
| 2000–2002 | → Shakhtar-2 Donetsk (loan) | 14 | (3) |
| 2002 | Metalurh Donetsk | 12 | (1) |
| 2002 | → Metalurh-2 Donetsk (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 270 | (76) | |
| National team | |||
| 1997 | Ukraine | 2 | (0) |
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Serhiy Atelkin (Ukrainian: Сергій Ателькін, born January 8, 1972 – died October 1, 2020) was a famous Ukrainian football player. He was a forward, which means he played at the front of the team to score goals. Serhiy Atelkin made history by becoming the first player from independent Ukraine to play in Italy's top football league, called Serie A.
Contents
Playing Career: From Streets to Stardom
Serhiy Atelkin started playing football on the streets. He also played in a local Soviet tournament for kids called "Leather Ball" (Kozhanyi Myach). His talent was quickly noticed.
He was invited to play for an amateur team in his city. Then, he joined a regional team in the Donetsk Oblast. This is where Shakhtar Donetsk's main coach, Valeriy Yaremchenko, saw him play. Serhiy was then asked to join Shakhtar's reserve team, which is like a training team for younger players.
Becoming a Star Striker
Serhiy Atelkin became well-known as a strong striker. He played for several important clubs:
- Shakhtar Donetsk: He played for them from 1990 to 1997, and again from 2000 to 2002.
- Lecce in Italy: He played here from 1997 to 1998.
- Boavista FC in Portugal: He played here from 1998 to 1999.
Even though he was very successful in club games, Serhiy only played twice for the Ukraine national football team.
Time in Italy and Portugal
In 1996, Serhiy briefly played for FC Kremin Kremenchuk. Later, during a European club competition match, scouts from the Italian club Lecce noticed him. Lecce had just moved up to the top Italian league, Serie A. Serhiy signed a three-year contract with them.
In 1998, Serhiy got injured and found it hard to get back to his best form. His club, Lecce, was also moved down to a lower league. Because of rules about how many foreign players a team could have, Serhiy was loaned out to play in Portugal for Boavista. However, he never fully recovered his old form. By the end of 1999, he returned to Lecce but was no longer needed. He ended his contract early to become a free agent, meaning he could join any team he wanted.
Return to Ukraine
The next year, Serhiy Atelkin signed a new contract with his old club, Shakhtar Donetsk. He played 14 games for them over two seasons. In 2002, he joined FC Metalurh Donetsk, but only played one game there. He returned to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2003, but his playing career was nearing its end.
Achievements and Records
Serhiy Atelkin was known for being a great forward. He formed a strong partnership with another player, Oleh Matveyev, in the Ukrainian Premier League during the 1990s.
He also shares a record with Andriy Shevchenko for scoring the most goals (4) in the finals of the Ukrainian Cup. Serhiy scored more than 10 goals in three different seasons (1993, 1997, 2001), which is a great achievement for a striker. In 2002, he finally won the Ukrainian championship with FC Shakhtar Donetsk. He also won the Ukrainian Cup four times!
Personal Life and Legacy
In 2007, Serhiy Atelkin shared in an interview that he had studied to become a coal miner. He attended a special school in Kirovske for this.
Sadly, Serhiy Atelkin suffered a heart attack in late 2008. He passed away from a second heart attack on October 1, 2020, at the age of 48. Many football clubs, including Lecce Sports Union, shared their sadness about his death.
Images for kids
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Serhiy Atelkin
