Serhiy Shcherbakov

Sergei Gennadiyevich Scherbakov (Russian: Серге́й Геннадиевич Щербаков, Ukrainian: Сергій Геннадiйович Щербаков, Serhiy Hennadiyovych Shcherbakov; born 15 August 1971) is a former Ukrainian football (soccer) midfielder and a Russian football youth coach and functionary.

For the boxer, see Sergei Scherbakov. For the serial killer, see Sergey Shcherbakov.

Sergei Scherbakov
Personal information
Full name Sergei Gennadiyevich Scherbakov
Date of birth (1971-08-15) 15 August 1971
Place of birth Bryansk, Russian SFSR, USSR
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1992 Shakhtar Donetsk 70 (16)
1992–1993 Sporting CP 25 (5)
International career
1990 USSR U18
1991 USSR U20 6 (5)
1991 USSR U21 3 (1)
1992 Ukraine 2 (0)
1992 Russia U21[1] 6 (7)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Soviet Union
UEFA European Under-18 Championship
Winner1990 Hungary
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

In Portuguese media and some FIFA sources, the footballer is also known as Serguei Cherbakov.[2] In Portugal Scherbakov was known as a Russian footballer despite the fact of playing for Ukraine.[3]

Career

A native of Bryansk, a city near the border with Ukraine, Sergei was born in a sports family where his father was a footballer for Soviet Novator Mariupol playing as a central defender, while mother of Sergei was a gymnast.[4] As an athlete, he was brought up by youth coaches of Shakhtar and soon made his way to the main squad, already at his 17 he played his first game.[4] In total, Shcherbakov played in the Soviet Top League 52 games over three seasons and scored 12 times.[4] With dissolution of the Soviet Union, he along with Shakhtar joined the Vyshcha Liha that commenced on territory of the independent Ukraine.[4]

He capped for USSR U-20 team at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship. He shared the golden shoe with Pedro Pineda in that tournament as the highest scorer with 4 goals. In 1991 following the performance of the Soviet youth teams, Scherbakov was invited to PSV Eindhoven where he spent six weeks, but for uncertain reasons was not able to sign a contract.[4] After receiving an offer from Sporting in 1992 he did not think twice.[4]

Shcherbakov had been brought to Sporting CP by Bobby Robson who also joined the club in July 1992.[4] At that time among his assistants Robson had José Mourinho.[4] Robson was complaining about "terrible situation" in the club and periodically had arguments with the club's president.[4] The manager was fired following their Uefa Cup exit against Casino Salzburg during winter break of the 1993–94 season with Sporting CP in the lead.[4] The players hosted a dinner party for him, but afterwards Sergey was involved in a serious car accident that left him paralysed from the waist down, and has used a wheelchair ever since.[5] Shcherbakov went to a pub used by the Russian community, stayed until early hours and then shot a set of traffic lights. His car was hit side on. Had he been wearing the seat belt, the injuries would have been minor.[6] The Resident newspaper also reported that he had been "over the legal alcohol limit" at the time and had jumped a red light. The accident fractured Shcherbakov's skull and his spinal column in three places. During rehabilitation he vowed he would once again don the Sporting jersey on the pitch someday but he never regained use of his legs. After the crash, Sir Bobby Robson said that had the crash not happened, Shcherbakov would have gone on to become one of the best midfielders in Europe. He was only 22.[7]

Currently, he is working with several football-related charities, such as the Federation of Football that unites football lovers that have cerebral paralysis, as well as a youth scout, and lives in Moscow.

Career statistics

Club
Club Season League Domestic
Cup		 European
Cup		 UEFA
Cup		 Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shakhtar Donetsk 1988 Soviet Top League 001000001020
1989 15030000040220
1990 17530000020225
1991 20720000000227
Soviet Top League total 5212900000706812
1992 Vyshcha Liha (Ukraine) 18453000000237
Shakhtar total 70161430000709119
Sporting CP 1992–93 Primeira Divisão 17440000000214
1993–94 8110006100152
Sporting total 25550006100366
Career total 952119300617012725

International
Ukraine national team
YearAppsGoals
199220
Total20

Honours

Individual

References
  1. Foreigners in the youth team (ЛЕГИОНЕРЫ В МОЛОДЕЖКЕ). Sport-Express. 2004
  2. FIFA World Youth Championship Portugal 1991™. FIFA (www.fifa.com)
  3. Cherbakov condena Sporting de “deselegância” por enviar email de aniversário aos sócios com conteúdo sobre o seu acidente. theworldnews.net
  4. The side effect of freedom. A star of the post-Soviet football that has never shone (Побочный эффект свободы. Так и не засиявшая звезда постсоветского пространства). UA-Football. 1 April 2020
  5. Dart, James (5 July 2007). "Did Denis Law score seven goals and still end up on the losing side?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
  6. Robson, Bobby; Harris, Bob (1999). My autobiography : an Englishman abroad (Updated ed.). London: Pan Books. pp. 161, 162. ISBN 978-0330369855.
  7. Smyth, Rob; Ashdown, John (7 April 2010). "Is the Premier League Big Four the most dominant ever?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
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