Oleg Protasov
Encyclopedia
Oleh Valeriyovych Protasov (born 4 February 1964, in Dnipropetrovsk
, Ukraine
) is a former football
striker
. He was a key member of the Soviet Union national team throughout the 1980s; his 29 goals for the Soviet Union are second in the team's history, behind Oleh Blokhin's 42. It should be considered that his first name is often spelled as Oleg on most of international rosters, particularly during his playing career.
in Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, where he played until 1987. In 1987, Protasov moved to play for the Soviet-Ukrainian football giants, Dynamo Kyiv. In all, in the Soviet Union
, he won the Soviet Championship
twice and was named Soviet Footballer of the Year
in 1987. He scored 125 goals in the Soviet Championship, making him the 8th best scorer of all-time of the Championship.
Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Oleh Protasov got a chance to play abroad. In 1990, he joined Greek side Olympiacos Piraeus. Leaving Olympiakos in 1994, he played in Gamba Osaka
, Veria FC, and finally Proodeftiki FC
, from where he retired in 1999.
and 1990
FIFA World Cup
s, as well as Euro 88
, where he scored two goals. He also played one game for the Ukraine national team
, in 1994.
, after an impressive UEFA Cup
performance with Steaua Bucureşti. Protasov left by his own choice and was on very good terms with the entire team and owners of the club.
In his first 2005–06 season
as Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's coach, Oleh Protasov led the team to a 6th place finish in the Ukrainian Premier League
. In the next, 2006–07 season
, Protasov improved on this, finishing 4th in the league.
In the 2007–08 season
his side unexpectedly led the title race ahead of the winter break, before a poor second half left his side in 4th once again. Dnipro sacked him on 29 of August 2008 after an embarrassing defeat from AC Bellinzona
in UEFA cup qualification match.
in the nearby region of Russia. Kuban had been recently derelegated to the Russian First League. Under Protasov's leadership, the club finished 2nd in the league
, with an 8 point lead over their nearest competitors. This finish earned them right to be promoted to the Russian Premier League
.
However FC Kuban was hard-hit by the Global financial crisis of 2008–2009, which greatly decreased the club's budget. In a mutual agreement with the club, Protasov left the club on 19 November 2008.
|1984||5||2
|-
|1985||12||8
|-
|1986||3||0
|-
|1987||9||2
|-
|1988||18||10
|-
|1989||8||3
|-
|1990||11||3
|-
|1991||2||1
|-
!Total||68||29
|}
|-
|1994||1||0
|-
!Total||1||0
|}
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) is a former football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
. He was a key member of the Soviet Union national team throughout the 1980s; his 29 goals for the Soviet Union are second in the team's history, behind Oleh Blokhin's 42. It should be considered that his first name is often spelled as Oleg on most of international rosters, particularly during his playing career.
Club
Oleh Protasov started playing football at the age of 8 years old in his hometown of DnipropetrovskDnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
in Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, where he played until 1987. In 1987, Protasov moved to play for the Soviet-Ukrainian football giants, Dynamo Kyiv. In all, in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, he won the Soviet Championship
Soviet Championship
The Soviet Championship was a rugby union club competition between the domestic teams of the Soviet Union era. It was first contested in 1966, and was last held in 1990.-Results:-External links:*...
twice and was named Soviet Footballer of the Year
Soviet Footballer of the Year
The award Soviet Footballer of the Year had been awarded to the best footballer of the former Soviet Union from 1964 until 1991. The poll was conducted by the weekly sport newspaper Football .-List of winners:-Most Wins by Club:...
in 1987. He scored 125 goals in the Soviet Championship, making him the 8th best scorer of all-time of the Championship.
Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Oleh Protasov got a chance to play abroad. In 1990, he joined Greek side Olympiacos Piraeus. Leaving Olympiakos in 1994, he played in Gamba Osaka
Gamba Osaka
is a Japanese professional association football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1. The team's name comes from the Italian word "gamba" meaning "leg" and the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to stand firm". Located in Suita, Osaka, the team's home stadium is Osaka Expo '70...
, Veria FC, and finally Proodeftiki FC
Proodeftiki FC
Proodeftiki FC is an historical Greek sports club based at Korydallos. The club was established in 1927.Today it has a football club playing in the Greek Fourth Division, and basketball and volleyball teams playing at regional tournaments....
, from where he retired in 1999.
National
Protasov played for the Soviet Union 68 times, including at the 19861986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
and 1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, as well as Euro 88
1988 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany. West Germany won the right to host the tournament with five votes ahead of a joint bid from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who gained 1 vote, and a bid from England. It was the eighth European Football...
, where he scored two goals. He also played one game for the Ukraine national team
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, in 1994.
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Protasov went into coaching, and led Olympiacos Piraeus to the Greek title in 2003. In 2005, he coached Romanian team Steaua Bucureşti.Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
In December 2005, Oleh Protasov returned in Ukraine to coach his hometown team, Dnipro DnipropetrovskFC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Football Club Dnipro is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Dnipropetrovsk.-BRIT:The club's franchise traces its history all the way back when the first team that was formed in 1918 by the Petrovsky factory and was called as BRIT . The team participated in the regional competition...
, after an impressive UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup 2005-06
The UEFA Cup 2005–06 season was won by Sevilla FC, beating Middlesbrough FC in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The final took place at Philips Stadion, in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The match was...
performance with Steaua Bucureşti. Protasov left by his own choice and was on very good terms with the entire team and owners of the club.
In his first 2005–06 season
Ukrainian Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 Ukrainian Premier League season was the fifteenth since its establishment.The season started on July 12, 2005 with six games of the first round. The last day of the competition was May 10, 2006. However, because the top two teams have finished with equal amount of points, it was decided...
as Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's coach, Oleh Protasov led the team to a 6th place finish in the Ukrainian Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
. In the next, 2006–07 season
Ukrainian Premier League 2006-07
The 2006-07 Ukrainian Premier League season is the sixteenth since its establishment. The official name of the competition was Soyuz-Viktan Ukrainian football championship. Soyuz-Viktan became the first title sponsor in the League's history....
, Protasov improved on this, finishing 4th in the league.
In the 2007–08 season
Ukrainian Premier League 2007-08
The 2007–08 Ukrainian Premier League season is the seventeenth since its establishment. This season competition was sponsored by Biola which became the title sponsor of the League for the season. It began on July 17, 2007, and ended on May 18, 2008...
his side unexpectedly led the title race ahead of the winter break, before a poor second half left his side in 4th once again. Dnipro sacked him on 29 of August 2008 after an embarrassing defeat from AC Bellinzona
AC Bellinzona
AC Bellinzona is a Swiss football club based in Bellinzona. It was founded in 1904, and won the Swiss Super League in 1948.-History:Since Bellinzona is an Italian speaking region, many Italian Serie A clubs loan youth players to the club to get first team experience. AS Roma are a parent club to...
in UEFA cup qualification match.
Kuban Krasnodar
After that, Protasov took over FC Kuban KrasnodarFC Kuban Krasnodar
FC Kuban is a Russian football club based in Krasnodar. In 2011 will play in the Russian Premier League after having won the Russian First Division in 2010....
in the nearby region of Russia. Kuban had been recently derelegated to the Russian First League. Under Protasov's leadership, the club finished 2nd in the league
Russian First Division 2008
The Russian First Division 2008 was the 17th edition of Russian First Division. There were 22 teams.-Teams:15 clubs placed 3–17 in Russian First Division 2007, 2 clubs relegated from Russian Premier League 2007 and 5 zone winners from Russian Second Division 2007 took part in the league:On 23...
, with an 8 point lead over their nearest competitors. This finish earned them right to be promoted to the Russian Premier League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
.
However FC Kuban was hard-hit by the Global financial crisis of 2008–2009, which greatly decreased the club's budget. In a mutual agreement with the club, Protasov left the club on 19 November 2008.
Iraklis Thessaloniki
Then, he signed a two year deal worth 400,000 euro per year with Iraklis Thessaloniki, starting from the summer of 2009. On October 30th, it was announced by Iraklis F.C. the termination of their contract, after 5 continual defeats in Super League and Greek Cup.Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dnipro FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Football Club Dnipro is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Dnipropetrovsk.-BRIT:The club's franchise traces its history all the way back when the first team that was formed in 1918 by the Petrovsky factory and was called as BRIT . The team participated in the regional competition... |
1982 Soviet Top League 1982 -Overview:It was performed in 18 teams, and Dinamo Minsk won the championship.-League standings:-Top scorers:23 goals* Andrei Yakubik 18 goals* Merab Megreladze 16 goals* Ramaz Shengelia... |
4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 1983 Soviet Top League 1983 -Overview:18 teams patricipated, and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk won the championship.-League standings:-Top scorers:18 goals* Yuri Gavrilov 17 goals* Igor Gurinovich 15 goals* Volodymyr Fink... |
21 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 7 | |
| 1984 Soviet Top League 1984 -Overview:18 teams participated, and Zenit Leningrad won the championship.-League standings:-Top scorers:19 goals* Sergey Andreyev 18 goals* Hamlet Mkhitaryan 17 goals* Oleh Protasov * Yuri Tarasov... |
34 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 42 | 19 | |
| 1985 | 33 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 41 | 40 | |
| 1986 | 23 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 18 | |
| 1987 | 30 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 21 | |
| Total | 145 | 95 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 170 | 106 | |
| Dynamo FC Dynamo Kyiv FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football... |
1988 | 29 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 13 |
| 1989 | 26 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 10 | |
| 1990 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 13 | |
| Total | 71 | 30 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 86 | 36 | |
| Olympiacos Olympiacos CFP ----Olympiacos Club of Fans of Piraeus, , , transliterated Olympiakos Sindesmos Filathlon Pireos, is the most popular multisport club and the most successful in Greece, based in Piraeus.... |
1990–91 | 29 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 12 |
| 1991–92 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 19 | |
| 1992–93 | 24 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 37 | 18 | |
| 1993–94 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 9 | |
| Total | 83 | 48 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 112 | 58 | |
| Gamba Osaka Gamba Osaka is a Japanese professional association football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1. The team's name comes from the Italian word "gamba" meaning "leg" and the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to stand firm". Located in Suita, Osaka, the team's home stadium is Osaka Expo '70... |
1994 | 27 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 15 |
| 1995 | 28 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 13 | |
| Total | 55 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 28 | |
| Veria Veria F.C. Veria FC is a football club based in Veroia, Imathia, Greece. Veria FC was founded in 1960 when two local teams merged. Their nicknames are "Queen of the North" and "Rossoblu". They played in Alpha Ethniki at last for the 2007-2008 season and relegated twice in two seasons and found in Gamma Ethniki... |
1997 Gamma Ethniki Football League 2, formerly known as Gamma Ethniki, is the third highest professional football league in Greece.-History:It began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 1983 it was changed to professional... |
30 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 5 |
| 1998 Gamma Ethniki Football League 2, formerly known as Gamma Ethniki, is the third highest professional football league in Greece.-History:It began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 1983 it was changed to professional... |
32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 7 | |
| Total | 62 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 12 | |
| Proodeftiki | 1998 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 |
| Total | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 | |
| Career Total | 444 | 213 | 56 | 25 | 25 | 7 | 525 | 245 | |
- The statistics in USSR Cups and Europe is made under the scheme "autumn-spring" and enlisted in a year of start of tournaments
International career statistics
|-|1984||5||2
|-
|1985||12||8
|-
|1986||3||0
|-
|1987||9||2
|-
|1988||18||10
|-
|1989||8||3
|-
|1990||11||3
|-
|1991||2||1
|-
!Total||68||29
|}
|-
|1994||1||0
|-
!Total||1||0
|}