User:NikolayXVII/sandbox

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Ilyaovych and the family name is Mudryj.

Kolya

Personal information
Full name	Mykolày Mykhailo Ilyaovych Mudryj
Date of birth	(1992-09-07) 7 September 1992
Place of birth	Chelles, Seine-et-Marne
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Winger, Forward
Team information
Current team	Juventus
Number	10
Youth career
1998-2005	AS Chelles
2005-2009	Red Star
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2010	Red Star	24	(7)
2010–2012	Montpellier	61	(46)
2012–2024	Juventus	35	(26)
2024–2028	River Plate	35	(26)
2028–2030	Red Star	35	(26)
Total		154	(94)
International career
2008–2009	France U16	17	(9)
2010	France U17	4	(3)
2010–2011	France U18	6	(4)
2011	France U19	1	(1)
2011–	Ukraine	32	(21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mykolày Mykhailo Ilyaovych Mudryj (Ukrainian: Миколай Михайло Ілляович Мудрий; born 7 September 1992), known simply as Kolya (pronounced [kolʲə]), is a professional football coach and former professional footballer who played primarily for Juventus and the Ukrainian national football team. Playing primarily as an attacking winger or second striker, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time. In his early career, he initially played as a winger, preferably on the left side although being right-footed, and is known for pace, energy, skill and precise passing.

Born and raised in Chelles, Kolya began his senior club career playing for Red Star after joining their youth academy at the age of 14. After five years with the club, he would then join Montpellier HSC for two seasons before joining Juventus in 2012, where he won (3) trophies, including 1 Serie A titles, 1 Coppa Italia titles and X UEFA Champions Leagues over thirteen years. Kolya would then return to France to join Red Star.

A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Kolya holds the records for most goals in Serie A (274+), a Serie A season (36+), and most hat-tricks in Serie A (17+) and the UEFA Champions League (8+). He is also the record goalscorer in the Derby d'Italia (the football derby between Juventus and rivals Internazionale of Milan) with (0) goals. Making his senior international debut for Ukraine at the age of 19, he has since earned over 100 caps for the nation. With more than 60 goals at international level, he is also the nation's all-time goal-scorer.

Early Life and Career

Kolya was born in the commune of Chelles in the Seine-et-Marne department. He is of Ukrainian heritage, with his parents being originally from Zaporizhzhia, in eastern Ukraine. Before moving to Monaco, he grew up in the Grande Prairie district in Chelles, and attended a local public school as a child, where he was considered academically gifted but rather unruly.

He comes from a very athletic family: both his older brother, Valentyn, and twin brother Andrij were professional footballers, while his younger sister Anastasiya was a professional volleyball player who played for Les Mariannes 92, Roma, and the French national team.

Kolya began his football career in the Île-de-France region playing for local club AS Chelles. He quickly progressed through the youth ranks - often playing in age groups above his own. He was scouted then by semi-professional club Red Star FC, with whom he joined the youth academy in 2005.

Club Career

Red Star FC

2009-2010: Development

After spending four years in Red Star's youth academy, on 17 July 2009, aged only 16, he signed a professional four-year contract with the club, being promoted to the first team by manager David Giguet. Kolya made his first professional appearance for Red Star on 5 August 2009 in a 2-1 loss against FC Libourne, coming on as a 84th minute substitute for Yoann Delaneuville. His first professional start for the club came on 12 September 2009 in a 1-0 victory over Chamois Niortais. He would then score scoring his debut professional goal the following week, in a 4-0 victory over Aurillac FCA on 26 September 2009. He appeared in 27 matches in all competitions for Les Audoniens and scored 7 goals.

Montpellier HSC

2010-12: Breakthrough & League Title

Kolya officially joined Montpellier on 1 July 2010. While Kolya had predominantly played as a centre midfielder in his youth, manager René Girard decided to play him on the left wing because he believed that his pace, natural ball control and skill would be more effective against full backs than centre-backs. He simultaneously made his club and European debut on 29 July in the first leg of Montpellier's UEFA Europa League third qualifying round with Hungarian club Győri ETO. In the match, Giroud scored his first goal for the club in the first half. Montpellier won the match courtesy of Giroud's goal, but were defeated on aggregate after losing on penalties in the second leg. Giroud made his league debut in the team's first match of the campaign; a 1–0 win over Bordeaux. On 28 August, he scored his first league goal in a 1–0 away win against Valenciennes. On 25 September, Giroud scored two goals in a home victory over Arles-Avignon. The double brought his career goal tally to nine against the Bouches-du-Rhône-based club. A week later, he scored Montpellier's lone goal in a 3–1 loss to Lille. In November 2010, Giroud scored game-winning goals in consecutive weeks against Toulouse and Nice.

In the Coupe de la Ligue, Montpellier surprisingly reached the final of the competition. In the semi-finals against Paris Saint-Germain, Giroud played the entire match, which went into extra time. In the 117th minute, he scored the match-winning goal to send Montpellier to its first major final since the 1993–94 season when the club reached the final of the Coupe de France. In the 2011 Coupe de la Ligue Final, Montpellier faced Marseille and were defeated 1–0 courtesy of a goal by Taye Taiwo. Giroud played the entire match. Following his goal against Paris Saint-Germain, Giroud went scoreless for nearly two months before converting both club goals against the same opposition in a 2–2 draw at the Parc des Princes. Towards the end of the league season, Giroud scored goals against title contenders Marseille and Lyon. However, Montpellier lost both matches. After finishing the season as the club's top scorer, on 31 May 2011, Giroud signed a contract extension with Montpellier until 2014.

Giroud began the 2011–12 campaign on form scoring in the team's first two league matches of the season against Auxerre and the defending champions Lille. Montpellier won both matches. After scoring a double in a 2–2 draw with Brest, French newspaper Le Parisien affectionately dubbed him le buteur de charme (the charm striker). The nickname paid tribute to his goalscoring ability, as well as personality and looks and was, subsequently, used by several other media outlets in France to describe the player. In the team's next 18 matches in all competitions, Giroud lived up to the nickname by scoring 13 goals. The impressive output consisted of hat-tricks against Dijon and Sochaux, match-winning goals against Nancy, Lyon, and Nice, and a goal each in the Coupe de la Ligue and Coupe de France.

As a result of Giroud's performance and the team as a whole, Montpellier topped the league table in November 2011. In January 2012, Giroud was linked with a transfer to several clubs. Montpellier's owner Louis Nicollin responded to the rumours on French radio station RTL and surprised many by deeming one club "not big enough" for Giroud, while also declaring that the striker would cost "at least €50 or €60 million". At the start of the second half of the campaign, Giroud scored in back-to-back league matches against Lyon and Nice. Two weeks later against Ajaccio, he assisted on Montpellier's second goal and scored the team's final goal in a 3–0 win. On 24 March 2012, Giroud scored in the 1–0 win over Saint-Étienne. The victory placed Montpellier at the top of the table and the club remained there for the rest of the campaign capturing its first league title in club history after beating Auxerre 2–1 on the final day of the season. Giroud finished the season with a league-leading 21 goals and 9 assists. Despite being tied on goals with Paris Saint-Germain attacker Nenê, he was named the league's top scorer by the Ligue de Football Professionnel due to finishing with more goals in open play.

Juventus FC

2013-2014: A New Era

Juventus at the start of a new era for I Bianconeri, with head coach Antonio Conte overhauling the Piedmontese side with the departure of 13 senior squad members, including Alessandro Del Piero, Felipe Melo, Lúcio, and Fabio Grosso. Kolya made his competitive debut for Juventus in Serie A on August 21, providing two assists in a 2-0 victory against Fiorentina. He made his first appearance in front of fans at the Juventus Stadium a week later, providing an assist in a 1–1 draw against Cagliari. His first goal for Juventus came in a 1-0 Champions League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, scoring the only goal of the game in the 88th minute. A rich vein of form, including 5 goals in 7 games in the Champions League saw the 20-year-old Kolya start to establish himself as one of the best players in the world during the 2012–13 campaign. Already an idol to the Tradizione Bianconera, the club's oldest ultras supporters, he scored 15 goals in 36 games across all competitions, helping the team to their second consecutive Serie A title.

Amid rumours that he would join Real Madrid during the 2013-14 summer transfer window, Kolya quelled media speculation by signing a new five-year contract with Juventus, committing to the Piedmontese club until the end of the 2017-18 season.

Kolya was awarded the number 10 shirt, previously worn by the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and Roberto Baggio, ahead of the start of the 2013-14 season...

2014-2016: Trequartista & Captaincy

Throughout the previous season, Kolya also began to gain recognition as a club symbol and as a leader, and in July of 2014, he became the official team captain, and the youngest Serie A club captain ever at the age of 21.

International Career

Due to his Ukrainian parents, in 2009, media reported that Kolya was eligible to represent several national teams - France (through being born there and having a French passport) and Ukraine (through his Ukrainian heritage). He represented France in his youth at every age group for which he eligible.

Youth Career

Kolya began his international career with the French national youth football team and earned caps at all levels for which he was eligible. He made his youth international debut on 23 September 2008 in the team's opening match of the campaign against Wales in Llanelli. France won the match 4–2. The team recorded impressive victories over Uruguay and Italy in the Tournoi du Val-de-Marne and defeated the Republic of Ireland by an aggregate score of 8–2 over the course of two matches. On 31 January 2009, he scored in the 2009 Aegean Cup Final against Norway. Kolya scored the winning goal to give France a 2–1 lead and the team won the match 2–1 to win the tournament.

He was a part of the team that played at the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championship scoring both of his goals with the team at the tournament. He scored the only goal in the team's 1–0 victory over Portugal in the group stage and scored his last youth international goal in the team's 2–1 loss to England in the semi-finals. Kolya then made his under-18 debut on 27 October 2010 at the Tournio de Limoges against Greece, scoring twice in a 4–1 victory.

Kolya made his debut with the under-19 team in its first match of the season against Italy on 6 September 2011. In the match, he scored the opening goal and provided an assist on a goals scored by Jean-Christophe Bahebeck, in a 3–1 victory. In Elite Round qualification for the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, Kolya scored a hat-trick in the team's 6–0 rout of the Netherlands. The victory qualified France for the competition. On 11 June 2012, Kolya was named to the squad to participate in the tournament. In the team's opening group stage match against Serbia, he scored twice in a 3–0 win. France reached the semi-finals where the team faced Spain. In the match, with France trailing 3–2 in extra time, Kolya scored the equalising goal three minutes prior to the match's completion to send it to penalties. However, despite Kolya converting the opening penalty for France, Les Bleuets were defeated 4–2.

Due to the under-19 team's semi-final appearance in the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, the nation qualified for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which merited under-20 team appearances for Kolya. He then made his under-20 debut in a 2–0 win against China. In the team's next match against North Korea, Kolya scored the team's first goal in a 3–1 win. Kolya was the top scorer in the team that won France's first ever FIFA U-20 World Cup. In that tournament held in Turkey, he played every minute of all of France's matches except for the final group match against Spain, in which he was an unused substitute. He was named the best player of the tournament.

Senior Career

Shortly after joining Juventus in 2011, Kolya stated in an interview that he wanted to play for the senior Ukrainian national team. In October 2011, Kolya was called up to the senior Ukrainian squad by Oleg Blokhin and subsequently made his international debut on 7 October, coming on as a substitute for Yevhen Konoplyanka in a 3-0 victory against Bulgaria. Kolya scored his first goal for the Ukrainian national team on the 28th of May 2012, scoring the final goal in a 4-0 victory over Estonia in Lviv, Ukraine.  

UEFA Euro 2012

As co-hosts, Ukraine qualified automatically for Euro 2012, marking their debut in the UEFA European Championship. After a highly successful season with Ajax, Kolya was considered one of the young footballers to watch in the tournament. In their opening game against Sweden, Kolya scored a brace in a 3-0 win in Kyiv. He would then score crucial goals in a 1-1 draw with France and a historic 2-1 victory over England, both in Donetsk, ensuring that Ukraine qualified to the knockout stages. Ukraine would go on to meet Italy in the quarter-finals, losing a closely fought game 1-0.  

Coaching Career

Paris Saint-Germain Féminines

Blah

Outside Football

Personal & Family Life

Kolya was born in Chelles, a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, to Ukrainian immigrant parents. He grew up in La Grande Prairie, a neighbourhood well known for high crime rates, poverty, and unemployment. It was there that he was first exposed to football - playing in the streets with other children in the neighbourhood.

“When you’re living in the housing estates, you play outside all the time. Our parents knew if we were playing, we weren't out there causing trouble - and playing all day every day really helps you improve your dribbles and technique, and mentality. I think that’s why the best technical players come from the streets.”

— Kolya, Ballon Sur Bitume

Kolya's first name (Микола in Ukrainian) has multiple ways of being transliterated from its original spelling in the Ukrainian Cyrillic alphabet into the Latin alphabet; Mykolày is the spelling used throughout the player's official web site. It has also been adopted by UEFA and FIFA and is the preferred spelling in most English publications, although Nikolay and Mykola were also used during Kolya's youth.

He has two brothers who are also professional footballers. His twin brother, Andrij, played as a right-back for Monaco, Nice, and CF Montréal, and his older brother, Valentyn, played as a goalkeeper for Lorient and Ajax. He also has a young sister, Anastasiya. Raised an Orthodox Christian, he frequently carries religious icons to matches and has spoken openly about the importance faith has to him, which was shown by his grandmother.

Since 2016, Kolya has been in a relationship with French-Italian musician and actress Stella Lelouch. After keeping their relationship private for almost a year, the couple confirmed their relationship via social media in December of 2017. The couple married in July 2017 an a private ceremony at the Saint-Pierre de Montmartre in Paris. Residing in Paris, Kolya and Lelouch have four children, Joséphine (born 2020), Élie (born 2022), and twins Sofìa and Adélaïde (born 2026).

Kolya completed a laurea (bachelor's degree) in health sciences and dietetics at the Università degli Studi di Torino in July 2017, and earned a laurea magistrale (master's degree) in applied biology and nutritional sciences in April 2022 from the same institution, graduating cum laude (with honours).

Along with his native French and Ukrainian, Kolya is also fluent in Italian and English. Growing up, Kolya didn't learn to speak French fluently until the age of five, as he was raised to only speak Ukrainian at home.

Throughout the 2017–18 season, Kolya appeared in the Netflix docu-series First Team: Juventus.

He was a vocal opponent of the War in Ukraine and 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Endorsements

In addition to his salary and bonuses, much of his income derives from endorsements. His main sponsor since 2012 is the sportswear company Adidas. Over time, Kolya established himself as one of their leading brand endorsers. Since 2015, he has worn the latest version of the Adidas Predator range, wearing a unique pairing of the boots, with the right boot fitted tighter than the left.     

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and Goals by Club, Season and Competition

Club	Season	League			League Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Red Star FC	2009-10	National	24	7	3	0	—		27	7
	Total		24	7	3	0	—		27	7
Montpellier	2010-11	Ligue 1	35	27	3	2	—		38	29
	2011-12						—
	Total		35	27	3	2	—		38	29
Juventus	2012-13	Serie A
	2013-14
	2014-15
	2015-16
	2016-17
	2017-18
	2018-19
	2019-20
	2020-21
	2021-22
	2022-23
	2023-24
	Total
River Plate	2024-25
	2025-26
	2026-27
	2027-28
	Total
Red Star	2028-29
	2029-30
	Total
Career total			154	94	15	9	16	12	187	116

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Ukraine	2012	10	7
	2013	9	5
	2014	6	6
	2015
	2016
	2017
	2018
	2019
	2020
	2021
	2022
	2023
	2024
	2025
	2026
	2027
	2028
Total		32	21

List of international goals scored by Kolya

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	28 May 2012	Kufstein Arena, Kufstein, Austria	5	Estonia	0–4	0–4	Friendly
2	11 June 2012	Olympic Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine	7	Sweden	1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012
3	11 June 2012	Olympic Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine	7	Sweden	2–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012
4	15 June 2012	Donbass Arena, Donetsk, Ukraine	8	France	1–1	1–1	UEFA Euro 2012
5	19 June 2012	Donbass Arena, Donetsk, Ukraine	9	England	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2012
6	12 October 2012	Zimbru Stadium, Chisinau, Moldova	11	Moldova	0–1	0–1	2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
7	14 November 2012	Levski Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	12	Bulgaria	0–2	0–2	Friendly
8	22 March 2013	Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland	14	Poland	1–1	1–3	2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
9	22 March 2013	Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland	14	Poland	1–3	1–3	2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
10	7 June 2013	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro	17	Montenegro	0–4	0–4	2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
11	14 August 2013	Olympic Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine	18	Israel	3–1	3–1	Friendly
12	15 November 2013	Metalist Oblast Sports Complex, Kharkiv, Ukraine	19	France	1–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
13	5 March 2014	Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus	20	United States	1–0	3–1	Friendly
14	5 March 2014	Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus	20	United States	2–0	3–0	Friendly
15	9 October 2014	Borisov Arena, Barysaw, Belarus	23	Belarus	0–2	0–2	2016 UEFA Euro Qualification
16	12 October 2014	Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine	24	North Macedonia	1–0	1–0	2016 UEFA Euro Qualification
17	15 November 2014	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	26	Luxembourg	2–0	3–0	2016 UEFA Euro Qualification
18	15 November 2014	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	26	Luxembourg	3–0	3–0	2016 UEFA Euro Qualification

Honours

Club

Montpellier HSC

• Coupe de la Ligue (1): 2010-11

Juventus

• Serie A (1): 2014-15
• Coppa Italia (1): 2013-14
• Supercoppa Italiana (1): 2014-15
• UEFA Champions League (x):
• UEFA Super Cup (x):
• FIFA Club World Cup (x):

International

France U-16

• Aegean Cup (1): 2009

France U20

• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2013

Ukraine

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2016
• FIFA World Cup: 2018
• UEFA Nations League: 2020–21
• UEFA European Championship (1): 2028

Individual

• Ballon d'Or (x):
• Capocannoniere (x):
• European Golden Shoe (x):
• FIFA World Player of the Year (x):
• FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball (x):
• Golden Boy (1): 2013
• Guerin d'Oro (2): 2014, 2015
• Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2030
• Serie A Footballer of the Year (x):
• Serie A Goal of the Season (1): 2013-14,
• Serie A Team of the Year (1): 2014,
• Serie B Footballer of the Year: 2012
• Serie B top scorer: 2011–12 (26 goals)
• UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season (x):
• UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2010
• UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month (2): November 2010, April 2011
• UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year (1): 2010-11

Orders

• Hero of Ukraine: 2028
• Commendatore dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia: 2030