Oleksii Ihorovych Shliakotin (Ukrainian: Олексій Ігорович Шлякотін; born 2 September 1989) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Hong Kong Premier League club Rangers.
 Shliakotin with Rangers in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Oleksii Ihorovych Shliakotin | ||
| Date of birth | 2 September 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR | ||
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rangers | ||
| Number | 30 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2007 | Dynamo Kyiv | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Dynamo Kyiv | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Czarni Żagań | 8 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Chornomorets-2 Odesa | 7 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Zagłębie Sosnowiec | 31 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Korona Kielce | 9 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Korona Kielce II | 9 | (0) |
| 2015 | União da Madeira | 0 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Biu Chun Glory Sky | 8 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Rangers | 4 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Rangers | 11 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Sham Shui Po | 13 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Rangers (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2024– | Rangers | 1 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Ukraine U17 | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 September 2024 | |||
Club career
editBorn in Kyiv, Ukraine, Shliakotin is a graduate of the Dynamo Kyiv football academy of Valeriy Lobanovskyi, where he was enrolled in 1997, aged 8, by Oleksandr Lysenko, and played at its various levels. By doing so, he left his family home when was eleven.[1] In 2005, he was called up to Ukraine national under-17 team. In 2006, he signed his first professional contract with the second division team Dynamo-3 Kyiv.
In July 2010, Shliakotin moved to Poland, where he played for the next five years.[2] In January 2011, he received an offer from MŠK Žilina, champions of Slovakia, but transfer never materialised.[3]
In January 2012, Shliakotin was brought to the attention of Leszek Ojrzyński,[4] and subsequently signed for Korona Kielce,[5] where he has worked with Maciej Szczęsny.
In early July 2015, Shliakotin signed a two-year deal with recently promoted C.F. União.[6][7]
In 2016, he moved to Hong Kong to sign for Hong Kong Premier League club Biu Chun Glory Sky.[8]
In May 2017, Shliakotin was nominated for "Goalkeeper of the Year", and "Player of The Year" in Hong Kong Premier League.[9] Three of his saves were nominated for "Save of the Year" in Hong Kong Premier League.[10]
On 2 August 2017, it was revealed that Rangers had signed Shliakotin.[11]
On 22 October 2020, Rangers announced that Shliakotin would return to the club after two years away from the game.[12]
On 4 October 2022, he joined Sham Shui Po.[1]
On 31 January 2024, Shliakotin was loaned to Rangers, before joining them on a permanent basis in July 2024.[citation needed]
Personal life
editShliakotin is married to Panamanian restaurateur Elizabeth Caballero. [13] He spoke out about the invasion in Ukraine, saying: "It’s definitely the worst feeling I’ve ever experienced in my life – definitely the hardest moments I’ve ever been through" and that his parents were living in Kyiv when the invasion took place.[14] As a result, his parents and sister lost their house and took refuge in Germany, where they received "refugee status".[1]
Having lived in Hong Kong for seven years, he said he's open to playing for the national team and is eligible to apply for a Hong Kong passport.[1]
Honours
editRangers
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Ukrainian goalkeeper Oleksii Shliakotin: 'I felt guilty when war began, but I am lucky – and I want to play for Hong Kong'". South China Morning Post. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Ukraiński wielkolud na "Ludowym" - sportowezaglebie.pl". sportowezaglebie.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ Sport.sk, SPORT.SK. "MŠK Žilina "testuje" ukrajinského brankára". msport.aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ Шаповалов, Михаил. "Алексей ШЛЯКОТИН: "Тренер Короны – суперчеловек!"". СПОРТ.UA (in Russian). Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ "Szlakotin podpisał kontrakt". Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ "União da Madeira anuncia chegada de guarda-redes" [União da Madeira announces goalkeeper arrival] (in Portuguese). ZeroZero. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ football24.ua. "Шлякотин: "Униан Мадейра" пригласил меня без всяческих просмотров - Футбол 24". Футбол 24. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Hong Kong Football Association Ltd". hkfa.com. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ "Russian Club in Hong Kong". Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via Facebook.
- ^ "我撐本地波". Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via Facebook.
- ^ "季前熱身初戰取勝 標準流浪下周試阿根廷前鋒". Upower. Retrieved 2 August 2017. (in Chinese)
- ^ Yuen, Chi Ho. "流浪飛馬漸揭神秘面紗 林嘉緯有望重遇盧均宜：很期待". HK01. Retrieved 22 October 2020. (in Chinese)
- ^ "Алексей ШЛЯКОТИН: "У Короны – задача выступить успешнее"". СПОРТ.UA (in Russian). Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ "Hong Kong-based Ukraine footballer Oleksii Shliakotin describes 'helplessness' as parents forced into Kyiv bomb shelters". South China Morning Post. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
External links
edit- Oleksii Shliakotin at Soccerway
- Oleksii Shliakotin on Instagram
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