Yevhen Konoplyanka

Yevhen Olehovych Konoplyanka (Ukrainian: Євген Олегович Коноплянка; born 29 September 1989) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga I club CFR Cluj and the Ukraine national team.

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming conventions, the patronymic is Olehovych and the family name is Konoplyanka.
Yevhen Konoplyanka
Konoplyanka with Sevilla in 2015
Personal information
Full name Yevhen Olehovych Konoplyanka
Date of birth (1989-09-29) 29 September 1989
Place of birth Kirovohrad, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 CFR Cluj
Number 22
Youth career
2002–2004 Olimpik Kirovohrad
2004–2005 DYuSSh-2 Kirovohrad
2006 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Dnipro-2 Dnipropetrovsk
2007–2015 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 157 (35)
2015–2017 Sevilla 32 (4)
2016–2017 → Schalke 04 (loan) 17 (1)
2017–2019 Schalke 04 40 (5)
2019–2021 Shakhtar Donetsk 28 (4)
2022–2023 Cracovia 36 (2)
2023– CFR Cluj 2 (0)
International career‡
2006 Ukraine U17 1 (0)
2007–2008 Ukraine U19 9 (3)
2008–2011 Ukraine U21 16 (5)
2010– Ukraine 87 (21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2023

Konoplyanka began his professional career at Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, where he made his debut in 2007 and featured in 211 matches across all competitions, scoring 45 goals and helping them to the 2015 UEFA Europa League Final. He then moved on a free transfer to the opponent team who won that match, Sevilla, and won the Europa League in his only season in Spain before joining Schalke 04 on an initial loan. In 2019, Konoplyanka returned to his native country with Shakhtar Donetsk, and spent his later years at Cracovia and CFR Cluj.

A full international for Ukraine from 2010, Konoplyanka has earned over 80 caps and scored 21 goals. He represented his nation in the 2012 and 2016 editions of the UEFA European Championship, and is a three-time Ukrainian Footballer of the Year winner.

Club career

Early career

At age seven, Konoplyanka signed up for a karate class, which he did simultaneously with football, eventually reaching black belt.[2] He is a product of the youth system of Olimpik Kirovohrad, and coach Yuriy Kevlych.[2] He also participated in the Ukrainian National Youth Competition, representing DYuSSh-2 Kirovohrad.

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk

Konoplyanka was signed as a youth by Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk at age 16.[2] In the winter of 2006, he was promoted to the reserves with a starting salary of $300.[3]

Konoplyanka with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 2013

Konoplaynka's senior team debut came in a Ukrainian Premier League match on 26 August 2007 in a home game against Zakarpattia Uzhhorod which ended 0–0.[4] Konoplyanka came on during the 83rd minute, replacing Jaba Kankava.

His first goal in the Ukrainian Premier League came 28 February 2010 in a home game against Zorya Luhansk which ended 2–2.[5] In the second half of the 2009–10 season, Konoplyanka started and played the full 90 minutes in all of the remaining games.

In March 2011, Dynamo Kyiv interim coach Oleh Luzhnyi expressed his desire to see Konoplyanka in his ranks and the media reported that Dynamo would make an offer to Dnipro worth €14 million.[6] In response, Dnipro coach Juande Ramos placed a sensational scare price-tag ranging from €50–€60 million, commenting that "in order to build a great team, great players should play there."[7]

In January 2014, Konoplyanka nearly moved to English team Liverpool for £16 million, his buyout clause, but Dnipro president Ihor Kolomoyskyi refused to sanction the transfer.[8]

Konoplyanka was a major catalyst in Dnipro's successful 2014–15 season where he helped them to a 3rd place in the domestic league and a place in the Europa League final. He was named in the competition's squad of the season.[9]

Sevilla
Konoplyanka with Sevilla during a 2016 press conference.

On 2 July 2015, Sevilla announced that Konoplyanka was undergoing a medical.[10] A week later, the Spanish club confirmed that he had joined on a free transfer, and signed a four-year deal, with a reported release clause of €40 million.[11][12]

On 11 August, he made his competitive debut for Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup against Barcelona, as a 68th-minute substitute for captain José Antonio Reyes. He scored an 81st-minute equaliser as Sevilla came from behind to draw 4–4, but they lost 5–4 after extra time.[13] Ten days later, he made his La Liga debut in a goalless draw at Málaga, again as a 65th-minute substitute for Reyes, and on 16 September, he scored on his UEFA Champions League debut, concluding a 3–0 group stage win over Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Estadio Ramon Sánchez Pizjuán with his first touch of the game.[14] Ten days later, after coming off the bench against Rayo Vallecano, he attained his first league goal for the Andalusians, winning the match 3–2 with a late free kick for a first victory of the season.[15]

At the end of the calendar year, Konoplyanka was one of the shortlisted nominees for UEFA Team of the Year.[16] He was an unused substitute in the 2016 UEFA Europa League Final, where Sevilla beat Liverpool 3–1 in Basel to claim their fifth trophy. He played seven matches in their Copa del Rey campaign, scoring a late equaliser as a substitute in a 2–2 draw at Celta Vigo in the semi-finals (6–2 aggregate),[17] and also came off the bench in the final where they lost 2–0 to Barcelona after extra time. On 9 August, he scored a penalty in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid, an eventual 3–2 loss following extra time in Trondheim.[18]

Schalke 04

On 30 August 2016, Konoplyanka was loaned to Schalke 04 with an obligatory buyout clause at the end of the campaign for €12.5 million.[19] He made his debut on 9 September in a 2–0 home loss to reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich,[20] and scored his first goal on 20 October, the game's only in an away Europa League group game at Krasnodar.[21] Six days later, he struck twice in the first half of a 3–2 win at 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal.[22] In a mid-table season, his only goal of 17 league games was scored on 17 December to equalise in a 1–1 draw with SC Freiburg at the Veltins-Arena.[23]

Shakhtar Donetsk

On 2 September 2019, Konoplyanka signed a three-year deal with Shakhtar Donetsk.[24]

Cracovia

After becoming a free agent, on 11 February 2022 Konoplyanka signed a half-year contract with an extension option for Ekstraklasa club Cracovia. He left the team following the conclusion of the 2022–23 season, after scoring two goals in 36 league matches.[25][26]

CFR Cluj

On 25 July 2023, it was announced that Konoplyanka joined Romanian team CFR Cluj.[27] He made his debut for the club on 3 August, in a 1–2 away loss to Adana Demirspor in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

International career
Konoplyanka challenging Sweden's Mikael Lustig at Euro 2012

In April 2010, Konoplyanka was first called up to Ukraine's senior national team by head coach Myron Markevych.[28] He made his international debut on 25 May, playing the entirety of a 4–0 friendly win over Lithuania in Kharkiv. Four days later at Arena Lviv, he scored the equaliser as Ukraine came from behind to defeat Romania 3–2 in another friendly. Participated in the final match of Cyprus International Football Tournaments in 2011, when Ukraine won Sweden.[29]

In the Euro 2012 tournament, Konoplyanka started in all three of Ukraine's matches as the co-hosts exited in the group stage. In their opening game at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, he assisted Andriy Shevchenko's winning goal with a corner for a 2–1 victory against Sweden.[30]

On 11 September 2012, Konoplyanka scored a long-range goal in a 1–1 draw against England at Wembley Stadium in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier. The BBC said of his performance: "the tremendous Yevhen Konoplyanka delivered a masterful performance to dictate in midfield".[31] He scored two more goals in Ukraine's qualifying campaign, in victories over San Marino and Montenegro, but the team lost to France in a play-off for the tournament.

Konoplyanka scored twice in 11 matches as Ukraine qualified for Euro 2016, their first successful qualification campaign. He captained the team for their 3–1 aggregate win over Slovenia in the play-off in November 2015.[32]

He was included in Ukraine's squad for Euro 2016 in France, where Ukraine failed to score and finished bottom of the group.[33]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 23 October 2023[34][35]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 2007–08 Ukrainian Premier League 201000–30
2008–09 Ukrainian Premier League 1200000–120
2009–10 Ukrainian Premier League 22420––244
2010–11 Ukrainian Premier League 2563030–316
2011–12 Ukrainian Premier League 2882120–329
2012–13 Ukrainian Premier League 2023093–325
2013–14 Ukrainian Premier League 2781184–3613
2014–15 Ukrainian Premier League 21740171–428
Total 15735162398–21245
Sevilla 2015–16 La Liga 324711221[lower-alpha 1]1528
2016–17 La Liga 0000002[lower-alpha 2]121
Total 3247112232549
Schalke 04 (loan) 2016–17 Bundesliga 1712382–276
Schalke 04 2017–18 Bundesliga 27432––306
2018–19 Bundesliga 1312060–211
Total 57675142–7813
Shakhtar Donetsk 2019–20 Ukrainian Premier League 2041091–305
2020–21 Ukrainian Premier League 80104010140
2021–22 Ukrainian Premier League 000020–20
Total 2842015110465
Cracovia 2021–22 Ekstraklasa 100–––100
2022–23 Ekstraklasa 26222––284
Total 36222––384
CFR Cluj 2023–24 Liga I 200010–30
Career total 31451341081134243176
  1. Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  2. One appearance and one goal in UEFA Super Cup and one appearance in Supercopa de España

International
As of match played 26 March 2023[34][36]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Ukraine 201062
201192
2012102
2013102
201460
2015103
201692
201782
2018104
201972
202010
202210
Total8721
Scores and results list Ukraine's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Konoplyanka goal.[37]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 29 May 2010Ukraina Stadium, Lviv, Ukraine2 Romania2–23–2Friendly
2 17 November 2010Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland6  Switzerland2–22–2
3 2 September 2011Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv, Ukraine10 Uruguay2–12–3
4 11 November 2011NSC Olympiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine14 Germany2–03–3
5 29 February 2012HaMoshava Stadium, Petah Tikva, Israel16 Israel2–03–2
6 11 September 2012Wembley Stadium, London, England24 England1–01–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 7 June 2013Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro28 Montenegro2–04–0
8 6 September 2013Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine30 San Marino5–09–0
9 9 June 2015Linzer Stadion, Linz, Austria44 Georgia2–02–1Friendly
10 15 June 2015Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine45 Luxembourg3–03–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
11 5 September 201546 Belarus3–03–1
12 29 May 2016Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Turin, Italy52 Romania1–33–4Friendly
13 3 June 2016Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, Bergamo, Italy53 Albania3–13–1
14 11 June 2017Ratinan Stadium, Tampere, Finland63 Finland1–02–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
15 10 November 2017Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine68 Slovakia2–12–1Friendly
16 3 June 2018Stade Camille Fournier, Évian-les-Bains, France72 Albania1–04–1
17 4–1
18 6 September 2018Městský fotbalový stadion, Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic73 Czech Republic1–12–12018–19 UEFA Nations League B
19 16 November 2018Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia77 Slovakia1–21–4
20 7 June 2019Arena Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine81 Serbia3–05–0UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
21 5–0

Honours

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk[35]

Sevilla[35]

Shakhtar Donetsk[35]

Individual

References
  1. "Yevhen Konoplyanka". FC Schalke 04 official website. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. Коноплянка: "Всегда знал, что могу играть на этом уровне". Football.ua (in Russian). 23 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  3. Коноплянка: "Пока склоняюсь к тому, чтобы остаться в "Днепре"". Football.ua (in Russian). 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  4. Протокол матча. Чемпионат.ру (in Russian). 26 August 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  5. Протокол матча. Чемпионат.ру (in Russian). 28 February 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  6. "Динамо" купить лідера "Дніпра" за 14 мільйонів євро?". ua-football.com. 28 March 2011.
  7. Хуанде Рамос: "Пятьдесят-шестьдесят миллионов евро – это была бы хорошая цена за Коноплянку". ua-football.com. 7 April 2011.
  8. "Liverpool fail in bid to sign £16m Ukraine forward Yevhen Konoplyanka". The Guardian. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  9. "UEFA Europa League squad of the season". UEFA.com. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  10. "Konoplyanka está en Sevilla para pasar reconocomiento médico" [Konoplyanka is in Seville to take a medical] (in Spanish). Sevilla FC. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  11. "Yevhen Konoplyanka signs for Sevilla from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk". ESPNFC. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  12. "Konoplyanka ya es jugador cien por cien del Sevilla FC" [Konoplyanka is a 100% Sevilla player] (in Spanish). Sevilla FC. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  13. "Barcelona 5–4 Sevilla". BBC Sport. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  14. Aitken, Nick (15 September 2015). "Sevilla make Mönchengladbach pay the penalty". UEFA. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  15. "Un misil de Konoplyanka sella el primer triunfo del Sevilla" [A missile from Konoplyanka seals Sevilla's first triumph] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  16. "Team of the Year – Midfielders – Yevhen Konoplyanka". UEFA.com. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  17. Law, Matt (11 February 2016). "Result: Sevilla advance to Copa del Rey final". Sports Mole. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  18. "Carvajal wonder goal wins Super Cup for Madrid". UEFA. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  19. "Konoplyanka se marcha al Schalke 04" [Konoplyanka goes to Schalke 04] (in Spanish). Sevilla FC. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  20. "Bundesliga: Clinical Bayern put Schalke to the sword". Deutsche Welle. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  21. "Europa League: Schalke's Konoplyanka downs Krasnodar, Mainz held by Anderlecht". Deutsche Welle. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  22. "3:2! Konoplyanka rettet Schalke das Achtelfinale" [3–2! Konoplyanka guides Schalke into the last 16]. kicker. (in German). 26 October 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  23. "Konoplyanka rescues point for Schalke against Freiburg". Bundesliga. 17 December 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  24. "Yevhen Konoplyanka is Shakhtar player". Shakhtar Donetsk. 2 September 2019.
  25. "Konoplyanka nowym zawodnikiem Pasów" (in Polish). Cracovia. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  26. "EVGENII KONOPLYANKA ODCHODZI Z CRACOVII" (in Polish). Cracovia. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  27. "Bine ai venit, Yevhen Konoplyanka!" [Welcome, Yevhen Konoplyanka!] (in Romanian). CFR Cluj. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  28. Маркевич назвал первый состав. Football.ua (in Russian). 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  29. "Sweden - Ukraine 1:2".
  30. Doyle, Paul (11 June 2012). "Euro 2012: Ukraine v Sweden – as it happened". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  31. Ben Smith (11 September 2012). "Tom Cleverley given reality check on night of frustration for England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  32. Sever, Grega (17 November 2015). "Ukraine survive Slovenia onslaught". UEFA. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  33. Ukrainian football team returns home from France. Ukraine Today. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  34. "Коноплянка Євгеній" [Konoplyanka Yevhen]. Footpass (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  35. Yevhen Konoplyanka at Soccerway. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  36. "Євген Коноплянка" [Yevhen Konoplyanka]. Football Federation of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  37. "Yevhen Konoplyanka". European Football. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  38. "UEFA Europa League squad of the season". UEFA.com. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
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