Konstantin Vassiljev
Konstantin Vassiljev (born 16 August 1984) is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for and captains both Meistriliiga club Flora and the Estonia national team.
 Vassiljev in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 August 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Tallinn, Estonia | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Flora | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| TJK | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2001 | TJK-83 Tallinn | 39 | (22) |
| 2001 | HÜJK Emmaste | 4 | (0) |
| 2002 | TJK | 25 | (10) |
| 2003 | Levadia II | 1 | (0) |
| 2003–2007 | Levadia II | 27 | (12) |
| 2004–2007 | Levadia | 99 | (41) |
| 2008–2011 | Nafta Lendava | 102 | (13) |
| 2011 | Koper | 22 | (3) |
| 2011–2014 | Amkar Perm | 63 | (4) |
| 2014–2015 | Piast Gliwice | 25 | (5) |
| 2015–2017 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 67 | (20) |
| 2017–2019 | Piast Gliwice | 23 | (1) |
| 2019– | Flora | 137 | (51) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2002 | Estonia U19[lower-alpha 1] | 3 | (1) |
| 2003–2006 | Estonia U21[lower-alpha 1] | 11 | (3) |
| 2006– | Estonia | 155 | (26) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 September 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 October 2023 | |||
Vassiljev has been named Estonian Footballer of the Year three times, and has won the Estonian Silverball award a record six times.
Club career
TJK
Vassiljev began playing football at TJK youth academy.[1] He made his senior league debut in the III liiga with TJK-83 Tallinn.
Levadia
In January 2003, Vassiljev signed for Meistriliiga club Levadia.[1] He made his debut in the Meistriliiga on 15 March 2003, playing for Levadia's Tallinn-based team against the Maardu-based Levadia team in a 1–0 loss. Vassiljev scored his first Meistriliiga goal on 13 May 2003, in a 9–3 away victory over Kuressaare. After the 2003 season, the Maardu team moved to Tallinn, while the Tallinn team became their new reserve team in the Esiliiga. He won his first Meistriliiga title in the 2004 season.[1] Vassiljev captained Levadia during the 2006 season. He won two more Meistriliiga titles, in 2006 and 2007.[1][2]
Nafta Lendava
In February 2008, Vassiljev signed for Slovenian PrvaLiga club Nafta Lendava. He made his debut in the PrvaLiga on 2 March 2008, in a 2–0 away loss to Celje. Vassiljev scored his first goal for Nafta Lendava on 16 March 2008, in a 2–1 away defeat to Drava Ptuj.[3]
Koper
On 31 January 2011, Vassiljev signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with PrvaLiga champions Koper.[4] He scored his first goal for Koper on 2 April 2011 in a 3–0 home victory over Maribor.
Amkar Perm
On 29 August 2011, Vassiljev signed a three-year contract with Russian Premier League club Amkar Perm for a fee reported to be around €1 million.[5] He made his debut in the Russian Premier League on 11 September 2011, against Spartak Moscow, but had to be substituted after 44 minutes due to injury. The match ended in a 1–0 loss.[6] Vassiljev scored his first goal for Amkar Perm on 20 August 2012, from a penalty in a 2–0 win over Krylia Sovetov Samara.[7]
Piast Gliwice
On 26 August 2014, Vassiljev signed a one-year contract with Ekstraklasa club Piast Gliwice.[8][9] He made his debut three days later, against Zawisza Bydgoszcz, coming on as a half-time substitute for Carles Martínez, but had to be substituted himself after sustaining a knee injury in the 3–0 home win.[10] Vassiljev scored his first goal for Piast Gliwice on 29 October 2014, in a 5–0 home victory over GKS Bełchatów in a Polish Cup match. On 3 November 2014, he scored his first Ekstraklasa goal, in a 4–2 victory over Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała.[11]
Jagiellonia Białystok
On 18 June 2015, Vassiljev signed a two-year contract with Ekstraklasa club Jagiellonia Białystok.[12] He made his first appearance for the club on 2 July 2015, starting in the 1–0 first leg victory of their UEFA Europa League qualification round against Kruoja Pakruojis.[13] Vassiljev scored 13 goals in the 2016–17 season, and was also the league's top assist provider with 13, while Jagiellonia Białystok finished the season as runners up.
Return to Piast Gliwice
On 3 July 2017, Vassiljev signed a three-year contract with his former club Piast Gliwice.[14]
Flora
On 27 February 2019, Vassiljev returned to Estonia after 11 years abroad, signing a one-year contract with Flora.[15] He made his debut for the club on 10 March 2019 in a 2–0 win over Tulevik.[16] Flora won the 2019 Meistriliiga with Vassiljev scoring 12 goals.
At the end of the season Vassiljev signed another one-year contract.[17] Flora won all three Estonian cups in the season – 2020 Meistriliiga, 2019–20 Estonian Cup and 2020 Estonian Supercup. They also reached the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League play-off round. At the end of the season he extended the contract for a third season with the club.[18]
International career
Vassiljev began his youth career in 2002 with the Estonia under-19 team. He has also represented the under-21 national side.[19]
Vassiljev made his senior international debut for Estonia on 31 May 2006, in a 1–1 home draw against New Zealand in a friendly. He scored his first international goal for Estonia on 28 March 2009, in a 2–2 away draw against Armenia in a qualification match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Vassiljev soon developed into a prolific goalscorer for the national team, capable of finishing well from distance with an accurate and powerful shot. He made his 100th appearance for Estonia on 24 March 2018, in a 0–0 away draw against Armenia in a friendly. Vassiljev has been named Estonian Footballer of the Year three times, in 2010, 2011 and 2013, and has won the Estonian Silverball award a record six times, in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2019.[1]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 2] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| TJK-83 Tallinn | 2000 | III liiga | 19 | 13 | — | — | — | 19 | 13 | |||
| 2001 | II liiga | 20 | 9 | — | — | 20 | 9 | |||||
| Total | 39 | 22 | — | — | 39 | 22 | ||||||
| HÜJK Emmaste | 2001 | Esiliiga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| TJK | 2002 | Esiliiga | 25 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 10 | ||
| Levadia II | 2003 | II liiga | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Levadia II | 2003 | Meistriliiga | 25 | 9 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 30 | 11 | ||
| 2006 | Esiliiga | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 2007 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 27 | 12 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 32 | 14 | ||||
| Levadia | 2004 | Meistriliiga | 23 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | 33 | 14 |
| 2005 | 31 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 5[lower-alpha 6] | 0 | 42 | 11 | ||
| 2006 | 29 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 6[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | — | 37 | 20 | |||
| 2007 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 5[lower-alpha 7] | 1 | 26 | 8 | ||
| Total | 99 | 41 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 138 | 53 | ||
| Nafta Lendava | 2007–08 | PrvaLiga | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 5 | ||||
| 2009–10 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 4 | ||||
| 2010–11 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 23 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 102 | 13 | 8 | 2 | — | — | 110 | 15 | ||||
| Koper | 2010–11 | PrvaLiga | 16 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| 2011–12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 8] | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Total | 22 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 3 | ||
| Amkar Perm | 2011–12 | Russian Premier League | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 2 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 63 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 64 | 4 | ||||
| Piast Gliwice | 2014–15 | Ekstraklasa | 25 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 6 | ||
| Jagiellonia Białystok | 2015–16 | Ekstraklasa | 35 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 8] | 0 | — | 40 | 7 | |
| 2016–17 | 32 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 13 | ||||
| Total | 67 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 73 | 20 | |||
| Piast Gliwice | 2017–18 | Ekstraklasa | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 497 | 130 | 40 | 15 | 17 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 565 | 147 | ||
- Official UEFA appearances only
- Includes Estonian Cup, Slovenian Cup, Russian Cup and Polish Cup
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup
- Appearance(s) in Estonian Supercup
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
- One appearance in Livonia Cup, three appearances in Commonwealth Cup, one appearance in Estonian Supercup
- Three appearances and one goal in Commonwealth Cup, two appearances in Baltic League
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 17 October 2023.[24]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estonia | |||
| 2006 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 13 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 11 | 4 | |
| 2011 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2012 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 155 | 26 | |
- Scores and results list Estonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vassiljev goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 March 2009 | Republican Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia | 16 |  Armenia | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 5 September 2009 | Kadir Has Stadium, Kayseri, Turkey | 22 |  Turkey | 2–2 | 2–4 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 14 October 2009 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 25 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Belgium | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 7 September 2010 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 35 |  Uzbekistan | 2–2 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3–2 | ||||||
| 6 | 8 October 2010 | Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia | 36 |  Serbia | 2–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification |
| 7 | 17 November 2010 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 38 |  Liechtenstein | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | 25 March 2011 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 39 |  Uruguay | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 29 March 2011 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 40 | Serbia | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification |
| 10 | 2 September 2011 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 43 |  Slovenia | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification |
| 11 | 7 October 2011 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | 45 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Northern Ireland | 1–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification |
| 12 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 13 | 15 November 2011 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland | 48 |  Republic of Ireland | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying play-offs |
| 14 | 25 May 2012 | Stadion Aldo Drosina, Pula, Croatia | 49 |  Croatia | 1–3 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 15 | 15 August 2012 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 53 |  Poland | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 6 September 2013 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 64 |  Netherlands | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 18 | 12 November 2014 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway | 74 |  Norway | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 19 | 31 March 2015 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 77 |  Iceland | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 20 | 5 September 2015 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 80 |  Lithuania | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 21 | 17 November 2015 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 85 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 22 | 7 October 2016 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 91 |  Gibraltar | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 23 | 28 March 2017 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 95 | Croatia | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 24 | 26 March 2019 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | 112 | Gibraltar | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 25 | 8 June 2019 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 113 | Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 26 | 9 June 2022 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta | 142 |  Malta | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League D |
Honours
Levadia
- Meistriliiga: 2004, 2006, 2007
- Estonian Cup: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07
Flora
- Meistriliiga: 2019, 2020
- Estonian Cup: 2019–20
- Estonian Supercup: 2020, 2021
Individual
- Estonian Footballer of the Year: 2010, 2011, 2013
- Estonian Silverball: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2019
Order of the White Star, 4th Class
References
- "Vassiljev, Konstantin" (in Estonian). ESBL.
- "Levadia krooniti meistriks" [Levadia crowned champions]. Postimees (in Estonian). 26 October 2006.
- "Vassiljev avas Lendava Nafta eest väravatearve" [Vassiljev opened his goal tally for Nafta Lendava]. Postimees (in Estonian). 17 March 2008.
- "Ametlik: Vassiljev liitus Sloveenia meistriga" [Official: Vassiljev joined Slovenian champions]. Postimees (in Estonian). 1 February 2008.
- "Konstantin Vassiljev sõlmis Permi Amkariga kolmeaastase lepingu" [Konstantin Vassiljev signed a three-year contract with Amkar Perm] (in Estonian). ERR Sport. 29 August 2011.
- "Permi Amkar kaotas Moskva Spartakile, Vassiljev sai vigastada" [Amkar Perm lost Spartak Moscow, Vassiljev injured] (in Estonian). ERR Sport. 11 September 2011.
- "Konstantin Vassiljev lõi Permi Amkaris oma esimese värava" [Konstantin Vassiljev scored his first goal for Amkar Perm] (in Estonian). ERR Sport. 20 August 2012.
- "Ametlik: Konstantin Vassiljev siirdub Poola liigasse" [Official: Konstantin Vassiljev heading to the Polish league] (in Estonian). ERR Sport. 26 August 2014.
- "Ametlik: Konstantin Vassiljev leidis uue koduklubi" [Official: Konstantin Vassiljev found a new club]. Postimees (in Estonian). 26 August 2014.
- "Vassiljev sai debüütmängus vigastada" [Official: Konstantin Vassiljev heading to the Polish league] (in Estonian). ERR Sport. 29 August 2014.
- "Video: Vassiljev kõmmutas taas kaugelt värava" [Video: Vassiljev scored from a distance once again]. Postimees (in Estonian). 3 November 2014.
- "Vassiljev sõlmis uue klubiga lepingu" [Vassiljev signed a contract with a new club]. Postimees (in Estonian). 18 June 2015.
- "Vassiljevi eurohooaeg algas napi võiduga" [Vassiljev's European season began with a narrow victory]. Postimees (in Estonian). 2 July 2015.
- "Leping tehtud! Konstantin Vassiljev sai oma tahtmise" [Contract signed! Konstantin Vassiljev got his wish]. Postimees (in Estonian). 3 July 2017.
- Elissaar, Kasper (27 February 2019). "EKSKLUSIIV 11 aastat välismaal mänginud Vassiljev lõi käed Floraga: oli võimalus reisida, aga tahtsime perega koju (Pohlak: tahame parimaid Eesti jalgpallureid)". Soccernet.ee. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- Süvari, Aet (10 March 2019). "Vassiljev: Viljandi on raske vastane" (in Estonian). ERR. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- Elissaar, Kasper (31 October 2019). "Üks legend lahkub, teine jääb: Vassiljev sõlmis Floraga uue lepingu". Soccernet.ee. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- Ilves, Kris (18 November 2020). "Vassiljev toetab Voolaidi jätkamist: väline surve nõuab, et keegi peab lendama, aga tegelikult mitte (maestro pikendas Floraga lepingut)". Soccernet.ee - Jalgpall luubi all!. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- "Konstantin Vassiljev". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- "Konstantin Vassiljev" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association.
- "Konstantin Vassiljev". Soccerway.
- "Vassiljev, Konstantin". National-Football-Teams.com.
- "Konstantin Vassiljev". 90minut (in Polish).
- "Konstantin Vassiljev" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association.
External links
- Konstantin Vassiljev at the Estonian Football Association (in Estonian)
- Konstantin Vassiljev – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Konstantin Vassiljev – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Konstantin Vassiljev at 90minut.pl (in Polish)