Yevhen Konoplyanka facts for kids
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Konoplyanka with Sevilla in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 September 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Kirovohrad, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2004 | Olimpik Kirovohrad | ||
| 2004–2005 | DYuSSh-2 Kirovohrad | ||
| 2006 | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2008 | Dnipro-2 Dnipropetrovsk | ||
| 2007–2015 | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 157 | (35) |
| 2015–2017 | Sevilla | 32 | (4) |
| 2016–2017 | → Schalke 04 (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2017–2019 | Schalke 04 | 40 | (5) |
| 2019–2021 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 28 | (4) |
| 2022–2023 | Cracovia | 36 | (2) |
| 2023 | CFR Cluj | 3 | (0) |
| Total | 313 | (51) | |
| National team | |||
| 2006 | Ukraine U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Ukraine U19 | 9 | (3) |
| 2008–2011 | Ukraine U21 | 16 | (5) |
| 2010–2023 | Ukraine | 87 | (21) |
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Yevhen Konoplyanka (born September 29, 1989) is a Ukrainian former professional footballer. He played as a winger, which means he played on the sides of the field, helping with both attack and defense.
Konoplyanka started his career at Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine. He played over 200 games for them and helped his team reach the final of the UEFA Europa League in 2015. After that, he moved to Sevilla in Spain, where he won the Europa League trophy. He also played for Schalke 04 in Germany and Shakhtar Donetsk back in Ukraine.
Yevhen Konoplyanka also played for the Ukrainian national team from 2010 to 2023. He played in more than 80 international games and scored 21 goals. He represented Ukraine in two major tournaments: Euro 2012 and Euro 2016. He was also named the Ukrainian Footballer of the Year three times.
Contents
Football Journey: Yevhen Konoplyanka's Career
Starting Young: Early Football Days
When he was seven years old, Yevhen Konoplyanka actually started learning karate! He did both karate and football at the same time and even earned a black belt in karate. He began his football training in the youth system of Olimpik Kirovohrad. His coach, Yuriy Kevlych, helped him a lot. He also played in the Ukrainian National Youth Competition for another team, DYuSSh-2 Kirovohrad.
Playing for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Konoplyanka joined Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk as a young player when he was 16. In 2006, he moved up to the reserve team.
He made his first big team debut in the Ukrainian Premier League on August 26, 2007. This was a home game against Zakarpattia Uzhhorod, which ended in a 0–0 draw. Yevhen came into the game in the 83rd minute.
His first goal in the Ukrainian Premier League came on February 28, 2010. It was in a home game against Zorya Luhansk, and the match ended 2–2. After scoring his first goal, Konoplyanka played every minute of the remaining games in that season.
In 2014, a big English team, Liverpool, wanted to sign Konoplyanka. They offered a lot of money, but the president of Dnipro did not allow the transfer to happen.
Konoplyanka was a very important player for Dnipro in the 2014–15 season. He helped them finish third in the Ukrainian league. He also played a key role in their journey to the Europa League final. Because of his great performance, he was chosen for the competition's "Squad of the Season."
Moving to Sevilla in Spain
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On July 2, 2015, Sevilla in Spain announced that Konoplyanka was joining their team. A week later, he officially signed a four-year contract.
He played his first game for Sevilla on August 11, 2015, in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup against Barcelona. He came on as a substitute and scored a goal in the 81st minute, making the score 4–4. However, Sevilla lost the game 5–4 after extra time.
Ten days later, he played his first game in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league. On September 16, he scored in his first UEFA Champions League game. He came on as a substitute and scored with his very first touch of the ball! Later that month, he scored his first league goal for Sevilla with a free kick, winning the match 3–2.
Konoplyanka was even nominated for the UEFA Team of the Year at the end of 2015. He was part of the team that won the Europa League in 2016, beating Liverpool 3–1. He also played in the Spanish Cup final, where Sevilla lost to Barcelona. In August 2016, he scored a penalty in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid, but Sevilla lost that game too.
Playing for Schalke 04 in Germany
On August 30, 2016, Konoplyanka moved to Schalke 04 in Germany. He first joined on a loan, which means he played for them for a while before they bought him permanently. He made his debut on September 9 in a game against Bayern Munich.
He scored his first goal for Schalke on October 20 in a Europa League game. A few days later, he scored two goals in a German Cup match. In the league, he scored one goal in 17 games during that season.
Returning to Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk
On September 2, 2019, Konoplyanka signed a three-year contract with Shakhtar Donetsk, one of the biggest clubs in Ukraine.
Short Stays at Cracovia and CFR Cluj
After leaving Shakhtar, Konoplyanka joined Cracovia, a club in Poland, in February 2022. He played for them for about a year and a half, scoring two goals in 36 league games.
In July 2023, he moved to CFR Cluj, a team in Romania. He played his first game for them in a European competition called the UEFA Europa Conference League. However, he only played four games for CFR Cluj before leaving the club in January 2024.
On July 17, 2024, Yevhen Konoplyanka announced that he was retiring from professional football.
Playing for Ukraine: International Career
In April 2010, Yevhen Konoplyanka was called up to play for the senior national team for the first time. He made his international debut on May 25 in a friendly game against Lithuania, which Ukraine won 4–0. Four days later, he scored his first goal for Ukraine in a friendly game against Romania.
Konoplyanka played in all three of Ukraine's matches at the Euro 2012 tournament, which Ukraine co-hosted. In their first game, he helped Ukraine win 2–1 against Sweden by assisting a goal with a corner kick.
On September 11, 2012, Konoplyanka scored a fantastic long-range goal against England at Wembley Stadium. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. The BBC, a famous news organization, said he gave a "masterful performance." He scored two more goals in the qualifying games for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but Ukraine did not make it to the tournament.
Konoplyanka scored twice in 11 games as Ukraine qualified for Euro 2016. This was the first time Ukraine successfully qualified for the tournament on their own. He was even the team captain for their playoff win against Slovenia in November 2015. He was part of Ukraine's squad for Euro 2016 in France, but the team did not score any goals and finished last in their group.
Achievements and Awards
With Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2014–15 (This means they reached the final but didn't win)
With Sevilla
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2015–16 (They reached the final of the Spanish Cup)
- UEFA Europa League: 2015–16 (They won this big European trophy!)
- Supercopa de España runner-up: 2016 (They reached the final of the Spanish Super Cup)
- UEFA Super Cup runner-up: 2016 (They reached the final of another European Super Cup)
With Shakhtar Donetsk
- Ukrainian Premier League: 2019–20 (They won the Ukrainian league title!)
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2021 (They won the Ukrainian Super Cup)
Individual Awards
- Ukrainian Footballer of the Year: 2010, 2012, 2013 (He was named the best player in Ukraine multiple times!)
- Ukrainian Premier League Player of the Year: 2011–12, 2013–14 (He was also the best player in the Ukrainian league)
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2014–15 (He was chosen as one of the best players in the Europa League)
Images for kids
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Konoplyanka challenging Sweden's Mikael Lustig at Euro 2012
See also
In Spanish: Yevhen Konoplyanka para niños
