Andriy Mykolayovych Yarmolenko, born on 23 October 1989 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), is a true symbol of Ukrainian football. This attacking midfielder is a key player for Dynamo Kyiv and the national team.
The beginning of his career
Yarmolenko’s first coach was Mykola Lypovyi, who invited young Andriy to join a football school. Incidentally, the future football star’s school and neighbourhood friends also attended the same club. However, many of them soon gave up training.
Unlike his peers, Andriy continued to train hard.
As part of the Ukrainian Children’s and Youth Football League, the boy played for the Chernihiv club Yunist, and at the age of 13 he was transferred to the Kyiv Dynamo school. Unfortunately, Yarmolenko could not withstand the competition and was forced to return to his small hometown.
Desna Chernihiv
The young footballer’s moment of glory came in November 2006, when he made his first start for Chernihiv’s Desna against Volyn. Despite the fact that the team was in crisis and the coach was against the young striker playing, club president Ivan Chaus insisted that Yarmolenko start the match.
Andriy Yarmolenko
This decision proved to be fateful for the young man! Chernihiv defeated their opponents 4-0, and Andriy became a true hero, scoring two goals.
The footballer was rightly named the best player of the match.
Dynamo Kyiv
The talented footballer attracted the interest of Shakhtar and Dynamo. Since the Kyiv team acted quickly and decisively, Yarmolenko eventually became a player for the Kyiv club. The transfer fee for the footballer was one hundred thousand US dollars.
In Kyiv, Andriy began his career with the second team, Dynamo-2. In the first part of the season, under the leadership of Yuriy Kalitvintsev and Hennadiy Litovchenko, the young striker scored four goals in 15 matches.
Andriy Yarmolenko spent a total of 12 seasons at Dynamo Kyiv:
First period: 11 seasons — from 2006/2007 to 2017/2018 (he was sold at the beginning of the
2017/18 season).
Second period: returned in 2023 and continues to play for Kyiv.
Borussia Dortmund
At the end of summer 2017, Yarmolenko moved to Borussia Dortmund in Germany. In mid-September, the footballer scored his first goal for the Bees in a Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur. That same year, Yarmolenko was named the best newcomer to the Bundesliga (according to Bild).
West Ham United
In July 2018, he joined English club West Ham United. The player signed a four-year contract and made his debut in September, scoring two goals for the Hammers.
His debut took place in an English Premier League match. The team played against Liverpool’s Everton.
Al Ain
In July 2022, Andriy Yarmolenko embarked on a small but interesting adventure: he signed a one-year contract with Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates.
Interestingly, the team was then led by his Ukrainian colleague Serhiy Rebrov.
Yarmolenko made a name for himself in the Middle East. In particular, in May 2023, in the semi-final of the UAE League Cup against Al Nasr Dubai, it was he who started the rout, scoring a penalty in the 59th minute.
The achievements of the Ukrainian football star are impressive:
He is the best assistant and second top scorer in the history of our national team.
He has participated in four European Championships.
As part of Dynamo, he has won the Ukrainian championship three times.
In addition, his skills have been recognised four times at the highest level, awarding him the title of Best Footballer of Ukraine.
The footballer has already made his mark in the history of Ukrainian football.
Earlier, fans learned about Roman Yaremchuk’s biography.
