Oleh Kuznetsov

Oleh Kuznetsov
Personal information
Full name	Oleg Wladimirowitsch Kuznetsow - Oleh Volodymyrovych Kuznetsov
Date of birth	(1963-03-22) 22 March 1963 (age 51)
Place of birth	Magdeburg, East Germany
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Central defender
Youth career
1971–1980	FC Desna Chernihiv
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1981–1982	FC Desna Chernihiv	86	(0)
1983–1990	Dynamo Kyiv	181	(5)
1990–1994	Rangers	35	(1)
1994–1995	Maccabi Haifa	6	(0)
1995–1997	CSKA-Borysfen Kyiv	11	(1)
Total		247	(7)
National team
1986–1991	USSR	58	(1)
1992	CIS	5	(0)
1992–1994	Ukraine	3	(0)
Teams managed
1998–2001	CSKA Kyiv (Assistant)
2001–2002	CSKA Kyiv
2002–2004	Dynamo Kyiv (Assistant)
2002–2007	Ukraine (Assistant)
2008	FC Moscow (Assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Oleh Volodymyrovych Kuznetsov (born as Oleg Wladimirowitsch Kuznetsow in Germany) (Ukrainian: Олег Володимирович Кузнєцов) (born 22 March 1963 in Magdeburg, East Germany) is a former professional Soviet Ukrainian football player. Kuznetsov had started playing football when he was 8 years old. However, it was not until he was 20 when his talent was noticed by the Soviet giants at that time, Dynamo Kyiv.

A central defender, Kuznetsov stayed with Dynamo until September 1990, when he transferred to Scottish club Rangers in the prime of his career. He injured his cruciate ligament in his second game (against St. Johnstone) and did not play again for a full year. The time out meant that new players had been brought in and he was never a first choice again. After a four-year stint, hampered by injuries, he moved on to the Israeli team Maccabi Haifa to play for one season. He returned to Ukraine to finish his career with CSKA-Borysfen Kyiv.

Kuznetsov retired in 1997. He appeared in 63 games for the USSR/CIS national team (1 goal), and 3 times for the Ukraine side after the fall of the Soviet Union. He was a silver medal winner with the USSR team at the 1988 UEFA European Football Championship. He also represented the USSR at the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups,^[1] and the CIS at the 1992 UEFA European Football Championship. A six-time domestic champion (3 with Dynamo Kyiv and 3 with Rangers), and a four-time domestic cup winner (3 with Dynamo Kyiv and 1 with Rangers). He won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1986, and was a European Cup semi-finalist in 1987 with Dynamo Kyiv. He was in 11th place in the European Footballer of the Year award in 1988, and in 17th place in 1989.

Kuznetsov began coaching in 1998 at the last club he played for professionally, CSKA Kyiv. Starting out as an assistant coach he became head-coach for the 2001–2002 season. He moved to the coaching staff at Dynamo Kyiv and is currently on the coaching staff of the Ukraine national team. As coach, he was part of the Ukraine national team that reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Awards

Ballon d'Or

• 1988 – 11th
• 1989 – 17th

References