Erik Sviatchenko

Erik Sergiyovych Sviatchenko (Ukrainian: Ерік Сергійович Святченко; born 4 October 1991) is a Danish footballer who plays as a centre-back for MLS side Houston Dynamo.

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Sergiyovych and the family name is Sviatchenko.
Erik Sviatchenko
Personal information
Full name Erik Sergiyovych Sviatchenko
Date of birth (1991-10-04) 4 October 1991
Place of birth Kyiv, Ukraine
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Houston Dynamo
Number 28
Youth career
1997–1998 Viborg FF
2001–2003 Houlkær IF
2003–2004 Søndermarken
2004–2006 FK Viborg
2006–2009 Midtjylland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2016 Midtjylland 110 (10)
2016–2018 Celtic 42 (1)
2018 → Midtjylland (loan) 16 (1)
2018–2023 Midtjylland 128 (14)
2023– Houston Dynamo 12 (0)
International career
2009 Denmark U18 2 (1)
2009–2010 Denmark U19 6 (0)
2010 Denmark U20 3 (0)
2010–2012 Denmark U21 8 (2)
2015–2016 Denmark 5 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:23, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

Club career

FC Midtjylland

Sviatchenko joined the FC Midtjylland academy in 2006 at the age of 14.[2] Prior to that he had played for clubs around his hometown of Viborg: Viborg FF, Houlkær IF, Søndermarken IK, and FK Viborg.[3][4] In 2009, he was named the Midtjylland Academy Player of the Year.[2]

On 8 May 2009 Sviatchenko made his first team and Superliga debut, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 win over AC Horsens.[5] That was his only first team appearance during the 2008–09 season. He scored his first goal for Midtjylland on 14 April 2010 to give FCM a 1–0 win against AGF.[5] He finished the 2009–10 campaign with 5 appearances and 1 goal for the first team.[6]

The 2010–11 season saw Sviatchenko establish himself as a first team regular. He appeared in 13 of FCM's first 22 Superliga matches plus 2 Danish Cup matches.[5] However, on 3 April 2011, Sviatchenko tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee after colliding with teammate Rilwan Hassan during training.[7][8][9] The injury ended his season and kept him out for 11 months.[9] FCM would finish the season 4th in the Superliga.[10]

On 4 March 2012 Sviatchenko made his return from injury, getting the start and playing 90 minutes in a 2–1 loss to Lyngby.[5] The following week he scored in a 4–1 win over Horsens.[5] Sviatchenko ended the 2011–12 season by playing every minute of the final 15 games of the season, helping Midtjylland to a 3rd-place finish.[5][11]

On 23 August 2012 he made his debut in a continental competition, losing 3–0 to Swiss side BSC Young Boys in a Europa League qualifier. Midtjylland and Sviatchenko would win the 2nd leg 2–0 but be eliminated 3–2 on aggregate.[5] On 20 May 2013 Sviatchenko scored in the 90th minute to give FCM a 3–2 win against AGF.[5] He ended the season with 28 appearances and scored 2 goals in the Superliga as FCM finished 6th table, plus 2 appearances each in the Cup and Europa League.[6][12]

Prior to the 2013–14 season he was made vice-captain.[7] On 2 March 2014 Sviatchenko scored the opening goal in a 5–1 win over Copenhagen.[5] During the match he sprained his ankle. He was able to finish the game but underwent ankle surgery a month later and missed the rest of the season.[13][14] Sviatchenko ended the season with 17 appearances and 3 goals in the league.[6] At the time of his injury Midtjylland were top of the table with a 5-point gap, but with Sviatchenko out injured they finished 3rd, 7 points behind champions Aalborg.[13][15]

After missing the first 3 weeks of the 2014–15 season due to his ankle, Svaitchenko made his season debut on 10 August 2014, coming on as a late sub in 3–1 win over Sønderjyske Fodbold.[16] He played in 6 games before a thigh injury forced him to miss the rest of 2014.[17][16] He returned on 23 February 2015, scoring a goal in a 3–0 win over Odense Boldklub in the first match of 2015.[16] Sviatchenko finished the season with 19 appearances and 1 goal in league play, helping Midtjylland finish top of the table and win their first Superliga title in club history.[16][18]

On 4 August 2015 Sviatchenko scored his first career goal in a continental competition to give Midtjylland a 1–0 win at APOEL in a Champions League qualifier. However FCM lost 2–1 at home and were eliminated on away goals.[19] In the Europa League playoffs, Sviatchenko helped Midtjylland beat Southampton 2–1 on aggregate to reach the Europa League group stage for the first time in club history.[19][20] He played every minute of the group stage to help FCM finish 2nd and advance to the Round of 32.[19] Sviatchenko wore the captain's armband regularly during the season due to captain Kristian Bach Bak being injured for most of the season.[19] He made 13 appearances and scored 2 goals in the Superliga prior to being sold.[19]

Celtic

On 17 January 2016, Sviatchenko signed with Scottish Premiership club Celtic on a four-and-a-half year contract, with the transfer fee worth a reported £1.5 million.[21][22] He made his Celtic debut on 31 January in a 3–1 loss to Ross County in the League Cup semifinals, coming off the bench after 13 minutes following a red card to Efe Ambrose.[5][23] Sviatchenko picked up his first goal for the Hoops on 17 April, scoring in a 2–2 draw with Old Firm rivals Rangers in the Scottish Cup semifinals, with Rangers advancing on penalties.[5] He appeared in 14 Premiership games to help Celtic win their 5th straight league title.[19]

During the 2016–17 season, Sviatchenko made 28 appearances and scored a goal in league play to help the Hoops win their 6th straight Premiership title. He also made 3 appearances in the Cup and 3 in the League Cup as Celtic won both to complete the domestic treble and finish the season unbeaten domestically.[6][24]

On 2 August 2017 Sviatchenko damaged his knee ligaments in 1–0 win versus Rosenborg in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Rosenborg, which prevented him from playing for three months.[25] He returned to training in November and made the bench a couple of times, but did not make another appearance for Celtic.[26]

Return to FC Midtjylland

On 16 January 2018, Sviatchenko returned to FC Midtjylland on loan until the end of the 2017–18 season.[26][27] He made his first appearance in 7 months on 9 February, playing 90 minutes in a 2–0 win over AC Horsens.[28] Sviatchenko scored 1 goal and played in 16 of the 17 possible league games during the loan, helping Midtjylland win their 2nd Superliga title in club history.[28][29] That loan move was made permanent on 27 May 2018 for a fee of £1m and Sviatchenko agreeing to a four-year contract.[30][29][31]

During the 2018–19 season Sviatchenko made 27 appearances and scored 1 goal in league play as FCM were unable to defend their title, finishing 2nd in the table,11 points behind Copenhagen.[6][32] In the cup, Sviatchenko made 4 appearances and scored once to help Midtjylland win their first Danish Cup title in club history.[5][33]

Sviatchenko became club captain during the 2019–20 season, with the previous captain Jakob Poulsen departing the club.[34] On 18 August 2019, Sviatchenko scored in the 90th minute to rescue a draw with Hobro IK.[5] He finished the season with 6 goals and 32 appearances, anchoring a defense that allowed a league best 29 goals all season to lead Midtjylland to a Superliga title.[6][34][35] Following the season he was named Superliga Player of the Year.[36] On 12 June, Sviatchenko agreed to a contract extension until June 2024.[34][4]

During the 2020–21 season, Midtjylland reached the Champions League group stage for the first time in club history, with Sviatchenko appearing in 5 of the 6 group games as FCM finished bottom of the group.[5] On 24 October he scored in the 90+4th minute to give Midtjylland a 3–2 win over Brøndby.[5] Sviatchenko ended the Superliga season with 28 appearances and 3 goals, helping FCM have the fewest goals allowed for the second straight year.[6][37] They were unable to repeat as champions though, finishing 1 point behind Brøndby.[37]

He made 25 appearances and scored 4 goals in the Superliga during the 2021–22 season as FCM finished second, 3 points behind champions Copenhagen.[6][38] Sviatchenko helped Midtjylland win their second ever Danish Cup, making 4 appearances and scoring 1 goal during the tournament.[6][39]

Sviatchenko made 26 appearances and scored 3 goals across all competitions in the 2022–23 season prior to being sold.[6] His 325 total games for Midtjylland are the second most in club history.[2]

Houston Dynamo

On 24 March 2023 Sviatchenko was sold to American MLS side Houston Dynamo, signing a two-year contract with a club option for 2025.[40][2] The official transfer fee was undisclosed, but was reportedly just over 10 million Danish krone/1.48 million U.S. dollars.[41]

International career

Due to his dual citizenship, Sviatchenko was eligible to play for Ukraine,[42] but agreed to a call-up for the Danish national team in March 2015. He made his international debut on 25 March 2015 at NRGi Arena in Aarhus, starting against the United States in a 3–2 friendly win, in central defence alongside Simon Kjær.[43][44][45] He scored his first international goal on 11 October 2015 in a 2–1 friendly loss to France.[45][46]

Personal life

Erik Sviatchenko was born in Viborg, Denmark to Sergei and Helena Sviatchenkoon 4 October 1991.[47][6] His parents moved to Denmark from Ukraine with Erik's older brother, Phillip, in 1990.[47][48][49] Erik also has a twin sister, Alexandra.[47] Erik is a Christian.[49]

His wife, Anne Sviatchenko (née Rudmose), is a former professional footballer and has played for Team Viborg's women's team, Skovbakken IK, ASA, Celtic and the Denmark national team.[50][51] Erik and Anne met when they were 14 through his sister Alexandra.[50] Anne signed for the Celtic women's team in February 2016, one month after Sviatchenko had joined the men's team.[50] They got married in June 2017 in Viborg.[52] Together they have two kids.[4]

Career statistics

Club
As of 12 April 2023[53][54][55][56]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Midtjylland2008–09Danish Superliga 1000—0 010
2009–10 5100——51
2010–11 13020——150
2011–12 15100—00151
2012–13 28220—2[lower-alpha 3] 0322
2013–14 17310——183
2014–15 19100—1[lower-alpha 3]0201
2015–16 13200—12[lower-alpha 4]1253
Total 11110500015113111
Celtic2015–16Scottish Premiership 140311000181
2016–17 28130309[lower-alpha 5]0431
2017–18 0000002[lower-alpha 5]020
Total 4216140110632
Midtjylland (loan)2017–18Danish Superliga 16110—00171
Midtjylland2018–19 27141—2[lower-alpha 5]0332
2019–20 32600—2[lower-alpha 3]0346
2020–21 28340—9[lower-alpha 5]0413
2021–22 25451—11[lower-alpha 6]1416
2022–23 16010—9[lower-alpha 7]3263
Total 144151520033419221
Houston Dynamo2023MLS 0000000000
Career total 297262634059538634
  1. Includes Danish Cup, Scottish Cup, and the U.S. Open Cup
  2. Includes Scottish League Cup and MLS Cup Playoffs
  3. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  4. Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  7. Three appearances in and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League

International

Scores and results table. Denmark's goal tally first:[46][57]

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.11 October 2015Parken, Copenhagen France1–21–2Friendly match

Honours

FC Midtjylland

Celtic

Individual

References
  1. "Erik Sviatchenko". FC Midtjylland. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  2. Rothhausen, Christian (24 March 2023). "Erik Sviatchenko Skifter Til Amerikanse Houston Dynamo". FC Midtjylland (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  3. Anderson, Thomas N. (2 February 2018). "FCM-stjernes springbræt: Et skridt tilbage og to frem". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  4. Kristensen, Jørn Just (6 December 2020). "Officielt: FCM-anfører forlænger til 2024". Herning Folkeblad (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  5. "Denmark - E. Sviatchenko - Matches - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  6. "Denmark - E. Sviatchenko - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  7. "Spillere - Erik Sviatchenko". FCM. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  8. Egelund, Klaus (4 April 2011). "EM i fare for Sviatchenko". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  9. "Comebacket Sviatchenkos 11 maaneder I Skyggen". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  10. "2010-2011 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  11. "2011-2012 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  12. "2012-2013 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  13. Vester, Ronni (31 March 2014). "Sviatchenko misser resten af foråret". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  14. Abolhosseini, Farzam (2 April 2014). "Skadet FCM-profil: Sommerskifte vil være perfekt". B.T. (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  15. "2013-2014 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  16. "Erik Sviatchenko 2014-2015 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  17. "Uheldig Sviatchenko: Mig i en nøddeskal". bold.dk (in Danish). 9 February 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  18. "2014-2015 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  19. "Erik Sviatchenko 2015-2016 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  20. Rothausen, Christian (12 October 2022). "Dengang 'Duncan' Sendte FCM I Sit Første Europæiske Gruppespil". FC Midtjylland (in Danish). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  21. "Erik Sviatchenko: Celtic seal transfer for £1.5m Midtjylland defender". BBC Sport. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  22. Cuddihy, Paul (17 January 2016). "Celtic delighted to sign Danish internationalist Erik Sviatchenko". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  23. Dalziel, Martin (31 January 2016). "Hoops endure Hampden heartache in League Cup semi-final". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  24. Connelly, Tony (20 July 2021). "Celtic's Danish players in profile". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  25. "Celtic's Erik Sviatchenko nearing comeback after three months out". Sky Sports. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  26. "Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko returns to FC Midtjylland on loan". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  27. "Erik Sviatchenko joins FC Midtjylland on loan". Celtic F.C. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  28. "Erik Sviatchenko 2017-2018 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  29. Kristensen, Jørn Just (27 May 2018). "Officielt: FCM køber Sviatchenko i millionhandel". Herning Folkeblad (in Danish). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  30. Swan, Craig (27 May 2018). "Celtic rake in £1m for Erik Sviatchenko as defender clinches permanent move back to FC Midtjylland". Daily Record. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  31. Cuddihy, Paul (27 May 2018). "Erik Sviatchenko makes permanent move back to FC Midtjylland". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  32. "2018-2019 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  33. Kjær, Christian (17 May 2019). "FC Midtjylland er pokalmester efter straffesparksdrama". TV 2 Sport. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  34. Risom, Jens (12 June 2020). "Erik Sviatchenko Forlænger Med FC Midtjylland". FC Midtjylland (in Danish). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  35. "2019-2020 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  36. Risager, Victor (26 July 2020). "Erik Sviatchenko er årets spiller i Superligaen". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  37. "2020-2021 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  38. "2021-2022 Superliga Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  39. "FC Midtjylland Vinder Pokalfinalen Efter Straffespark". FC Midtjylland (in Danish). 26 May 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  40. "Houston Dynamo FC sign veteran center back Erik Sviatchenko using Targeted Allocation Money". Houston Dynamo FC. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  41. Thøgersen, Troels Bager; Jensen, Kenneth (24 March 2023). "Erik Sviatchenko er på plads i Houston Dynamo". Thøgersen (in Danish). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  42. "Denmark may lose Sviatchenko". Advarsity Sports. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  43. "Fem nye i startopstillingen". Dansk Boldspil-Union (in Danish). Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  44. "Bendtner-hattrick i dansk sejr i Aarhus". Bold (in Danish). 25 March 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  45. "Erik Sviatchenko National Team Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  46. "Sviatchenko, Erik". National Football Team. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  47. Aaes, Jette (15 November 2018). "Far og søn Sviatchenko: Passion på tværs af generation". Herning Folkeblad (in Danish). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  48. Tulinius, Bjørg (2 September 2022). "Den anerkendte kunstner Sergei Sviatchenko: Mødet med Danmark var som en forelskelse". Kristeligt Dagblad (in Danish). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  49. Pelch, Nikita (2 December 2019). "Erik Sviatchenko har lært at tøjle tankerne: 'Jeg arbejder meget på at give slip'". DR (in Danish). Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  50. Currie, David (23 February 2016). "Celtic sign Erik Sviatchenko's partner - Anne Rudmose". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  51. Mark, Thomas (21 October 2015). "Tidligere Team Viborg-spiller gravid med landsholdsspiller". viborg-folkeblad.dk. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  52. "'Happiest day' Celtic power couple Erik Sviatchenko and Anne Rudmose tie the knot in Viborg ceremony". Daily Record. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  53. Erik Sviatchenko at Soccerbase
  54. Erik Sviatchenko at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  55. "Erik Sviatchenko Stats, Goals, Records, Assists, Cups and more". FBref.com. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  56. "Erik Sviatchenko". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  57. "E. Sviatchenko". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  58. "Forårets Profil: Se alle de tidligere vindere". Tipsbladet (in Danish). 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
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