Serhiy Atelkin

Serhiy Atelkin (Ukrainian: Сергій Ателькін, 8 January 1972 – 1 October 2020) was a Ukrainian footballer. Atelkin became the first player from the independent Ukraine to play in the Italian Serie A.[1]

Serhiy Atelkin
Personal information
Full name Serhiy Valeriyovych Atelkin
Date of birth (1972-01-08)8 January 1972
Place of birth Kirovske, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR
Date of death 1 October 2020(2020-10-01) (aged 48)
Place of death Lviv, Ukraine
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Kirovske sports school
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989 Antratsyt Kirovske
1989–1997 Shakhtar Donetsk 158 (47)
1996 → Kremin Kremenchuk (loan) 14 (5)
1996 → Shakhtar-2 Donetsk (loan) 1 (0)
1997–1999 Lecce 16 (3)
1998–1999 → Boavista (loan) 10 (3)
2000–2002 Shakhtar Donetsk 45 (14)
2000–2002 → Shakhtar-2 Donetsk (loan) 14 (3)
2002 Metalurh Donetsk 12 (1)
2002 → Metalurh-2 Donetsk (loan) 4 (0)
Total 270 (76)
International career
1997 Ukraine 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Atelkin started to play football on streets and a local Soviet tournament for teenagers and children "Leather Ball" (Kozhanyi Myach).[2] Eventually he was invited to play for an amateur city team and then a regional amateur team of Donetsk Oblast where he was noticed by Shakhtar Donetsk head coach Valeriy Yaremchenko.[2] Initially he was invited to play for the Shakhtar's reserves along with Oleksandr Martyuk and Dmytro Shutkov.[2]

Atelkin made his name playing as a striker for the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk (1990–1997, 2000–2002), U.S. Lecce (Italy 1997–1998) and Boavista FC (Portugal 1998–1999). Despite success in domestic competitions, Atelkin only played for the Ukraine national football team twice. In 1996 Atelkin spent a short stint in Kremenchuk for FC Kremin Kremenchuk. During the 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup the second round match between Shakhtar and Vicenza, Atelkin was noticed by the Lecce's scouts and the Vicenza sports director Sergio Vignoni who later became sports director for Lecce and vouched for him.[2] After that he signed a three-year contract with the Italian club that just got promotion to the Serie A. In 1998 Atelkin got injured and lost his sports form, while U.S. Lecce got relegated. Due to more strict limitations on foreign players Atelkin lost his place on the team, but was loaned out to play in Portugal. However he never fully regained his former form and was not able to make a team. At the end of the 1999 season he returned to Lecce to find out that he was not needed. Atelkin, through legal proceedings, broke his three-year contract to become a free agent.

Next year, Atelkin was able to sign a new contract with his former club Shakhtar Donetsk, for which he only played 14 games in two seasons. In 2002 Atelkin signed with Metalurh Donetsk, but only played one game. He returned to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2003.

Achievements

He was also notable for joining Oleh Matveyev as one of the better forward partnership in the 1990s in the Ukrainian Premier League. Together with Andriy Shevchenko he holds a record for the most goals scored (4) in the finals of the Ukrainian Cup. He also had three seasons of scoring over 10 goals (1993, 1997, 2001). In 2002, he finally became the champion of Ukraine with FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Atelkin was also a four-time holder of the Ukrainian Cup.

Personal life and death

In interview to Sport-Ekspress in 2007, Atelkin said that he was studying and training to become a coal miner by attending a local vocational school (technicum) in Kirovske.[2]

According to official web-site of Shakhtar, Serhiy Atelkin suffered from a heart attack in the beginning of December 2008.[3]

Atelkin died of a second heart attack on 1 October 2020, at the age of 48.[4][5] His obituary among others was also posted by Lecce Sports Union.[6]

Career statistics

Club
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Shakhtar 1989 0000--1[7]010
1990 5020--2[8]090
1991 15030----180
1992 17250----222
1992–93 291121----3112
1993–94 271131----3012
1994–95 1967120--287
1995–96 700011--81
Kremin 1995–96 14541----186
Shakhtar 1996–97 241141----2812
1997–98 1562155--2212
Lecce 1997–98 163------163
1998–99 --40----40
Boavista 1998–99 103------103
Shakhtar 1999–00 9121----112
2000–01 211152106--3619
2001–02 1525140--243
Metalurh D 2002–03 12140----161
Total for Shakhtar 2036140922123026882
Career totals 25573521022123033295

International games
Serhiy Atelkin: International Games
GameDateVenueOpponentMinutesResultCompetition
1.1997-10-11Yerevan, Armenia Armenia10WonWC 1998 Qual
2.1997-10-29Zagreb, Croatia Croatia54LostWC 1998 Qual (play-off)

References
  1. Fedor Larin. A game out of the life of Serhiy Atelkin (Матч жизни Сергея Ателькина). Terrikon. 8 January 2019
  2. Сергей Ателькин: бутсы для финала. terrikon.com
  3. "Страница не найдена".
  4. Умер Сергей Ателькин. Ему было 48 лет (in Russian)
  5. Ex-internacional ucraniano que passou no Boavista morre aos 48 anos. maisfutebol.iol.pt. 1 October 2020
  6. Calcio leccese in lutto: addio a Sergej Atelkin. leccezionale.it. 1 October 2020
  7. USSR Federation Cup
  8. USSR Federation Cup
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