Taras Volodymyrovych Mykhalyk ( uk, Тарас Володимирович Михалик; born 28 October 1983) is a Ukrainian amateur
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
for Votrans Lutsk. He is a versatile player, having professionally played at every position except
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
.
Club career
Mykhalyk is a product of the football youth system of his native
Volyn region
Volyn Oblast ( uk, Воли́нська о́бласть, translit=Volýnsʹka óblastʹ; also referred to as Volyn or Lodomeria) is an oblast (province) in northwestern Ukraine. Its administrative centre is Lutsk. Kovel is the westernmost town ...
, where he was a striker.
[Тарас Михалик продовжив контракт (Mikhalik renewed his contract)](_blank)
– official website of Dynamo Kyiv, 18 November 2008
After graduating from the
Vocational technical school in his region, Mykhalyk enrolled in the Institute of Physical Education at the Volyn National University, and played in the team there that participated in the championship of the Volyn Oblast.
The 18-year-old Mykhalyk joined the
Ukrainian First League
The Persha Liha ( uk, Перша ліга) or Ukrainian First League is a professional football league in Ukraine and the second tier of national football competitions pyramid. Members of the league also participate in the Ukrainian Cup. It is t ...
club
CSKA Kyiv in 2001. He established himself into the starting line-up of the squad, playing 89 matches in the four seasons that he was there. He also managed to net 10 goals.
Dynamo Kyiv
Ukrainian giants
Dynamo Kyiv
Football Club Dynamo Kyiv (, ) is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club based in Kyiv. Founded in 1927 as a Kyivan football team of republican branch of the bigger Soviet Union, Soviet Dynamo Sports Club, Dynamo Sports Soc ...
bought Mykhalyk in the
2005–06 season, originally signing a five-year contract.
He was almost immediately loaned off to
Zakarpattia Uzhhorod
Football Club Hoverla Uzhhorod ( ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Uzhhorod. Following the end of the 2015–16 season it was expelled from the Ukrainian Premier League because of debts to (current and former) players. . Mykhalyk has stated in an interview that he was really surprised to get a call from Dynamo Kyiv president
Ihor Surkis
Ihor Mikhaylovich Surkis ( uk, Ігор Михайлович Суркіс; born 22 November 1958) is a Ukrainian oligarch best known for being an owner and President of Dynamo Kyiv since 2002. His brother, Hryhoriy Surkis, was the head of the Fo ...
inviting him to come and try out for the team, as he never even had any attention from scouts of his local
Volyn Lutsk
Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. Th ...
of the
Ukrainian First League
The Persha Liha ( uk, Перша ліга) or Ukrainian First League is a professional football league in Ukraine and the second tier of national football competitions pyramid. Members of the league also participate in the Ukrainian Cup. It is t ...
. Even more shocking was a call-up to the main
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team ( uk, Збірна України з футболу) represents Ukraine in men's international football and is governed by the Ukrainian Association of Football, the governing body for football in Ukraine. Uk ...
by coach
Oleh Blokhin
Oleg Vladimirovich Blokhin, or Oleh Volodymyrovych Blokhin ( uk, Оле́г Володи́мирович Блохі́н, rus, Оле́г Влади́мирович Блохи́н; born 5 November 1952), is a former Ukrainian and Soviet footbal ...
not long afterward.
Mykhalyk came back to Dynamo in January 2006. The head coach at the time,
Anatoliy Demyanenko recognized the player's great potential, but Mykhalyk constantly struggled to break through to the starting line-up of the team. When he did play, he was used as a central midfielder.
On 10 July 2007, Mykhalyk saved Dynamo, scoring two goals in the 2007
Ukrainian Super Cup
The Ukrainian Super Cup ( uk , Суперкубок України) is an association football game of the Ukrainian Premier League in traditional super cup format that acts as the grand-opening for every new football (soccer), football competiti ...
, which ended up being a 2:2 draw. After the
penalty shootout
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
, Dynamo won 4:2.
When
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
coach
Yuri Semin
Yury Pavlovich Syomin (russian: Юрий Павлович Сёмин; born 11 May 1947) is a Russian football coach. He has managed FC Lokomotiv Moscow for 4 different stints, for a total of over 23 years. The recent history of the Russian club ...
took over Dynamo in December 2007, he began to make sweeping reforms. These included reforming the defence and not depending so much on long passes. During this process, Semin had Mykhalyk eventually switch entirely to defence. By the time of the
2008 Channel One Cup in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, which Dynamo won, Mykhalyk played the entire competition as a central defender.
During the winter transfer season of 2008–09, Mykhalyk was linked with the
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
team
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...
and even nicknamed the "Ukrainian
Gattuso" due to his impressive performances in Dynamo Kyiv and internationally.
Mykhalyk renewed his contract with Dynamo Kyiv, which was due to expire at the end of 2010, in November 2008. His new contract is to last five years, ending in 2013. After three years in Dynamo, the player has earned the team's trust enough to have even been the captain on several occasions.
On 6 April 2009 Mykhalyk suffered a
meniscus
Meniscus may refer to:
*Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity
*Meniscus (liquid)
The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...
injury after a challenge from
Metalurh Donetsk
Football Club Metalurh Donetsk ( uk, Футбо́льний клуб «Металу́рг» Доне́цьк, ) was a Ukrainian professional football club based in Donetsk that went bankrupt in July 2015.
History
Club predecessor
Football ...
midfielder
Velizar Dimitrov in the
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League ( uk, "Українська Прем'єр-ліга", ''Ukrayinska Premier Liha'') or UPL is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Vyshcha Liha ( uk, Вища ліга, ''Top League'') ...
, which ended the player's season early. Не recovered from this injury in October 2009.
Lokomotiv Moscow
In the summer of 2013 Mykhalyk, being a free agent, signed 3-year deal with
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
side
Lokomotiv Moscow
FC Lokomotiv Moscow (''FC Lokomotiv Moskva'', russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб "Локомотив" Москва, ) is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv have won the Russian Premier League on three oc ...
. Under Lokomotiv manager
Leonid Kuchuk Mykhalyk usually played at defensive midfield position. His maiden goal in
RFPL scored on 5 October 2013, when he levelled the score to get his team a 2–2 draw, coincided with his first red card in Russia.
He left Lokomotiv at the end of the 2018–19 season. He didn't appear in any league games in that season, but played 3 games in the
2018–19 Russian Cup
The 2018–19 Russian Cup, also known as the Olimp Russian Cup was the 27th season of the Russian football knockout tournament since the dissolution of Soviet Union. The Russian Cup is organized by the Russian Football Union.
The competition ...
which Lokomotiv won.
International career
Mykhalyk was a member of the
Ukrainian Under-21 National football team that finished as runners-up in the
UEFA U-21 Championship 2006
2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 15th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. In December 2005, Portugal was selected to host the finals of the competition, which took place from 23 May–4 June 2006. The tournament was w ...
. He was in the main squad in
Oleksiy Mykhailychenko
Oleksiy Oleksandrovych Mykhaylychenko ( uk, Олексій Олександрович Михайличенко; born 30 March 1963) is a Ukrainian football coach and former professional player. He is a Distinguished Master of Sports of the U ...
's squad even up to the final, which Ukraine lost to
the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
3–0.
Mykhalyk received his first call-up for the
senior national team by head coach
Oleh Blokhin
Oleg Vladimirovich Blokhin, or Oleh Volodymyrovych Blokhin ( uk, Оле́г Володи́мирович Блохі́н, rus, Оле́г Влади́мирович Блохи́н; born 5 November 1952), is a former Ukrainian and Soviet footbal ...
for a match against Azerbaijan on 15 August 2006. Ukraine went on to win 6–0 and Mykhalyk played 30 minutes of the game.
He went on to play five more games under Blokhin's leadership, two more friendly matches and three
UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying games.
Mykhalyk was reunited with his former under-21 manager in 2008 when
Oleksiy Mykhailychenko
Oleksiy Oleksandrovych Mykhaylychenko ( uk, Олексій Олександрович Михайличенко; born 30 March 1963) is a Ukrainian football coach and former professional player. He is a Distinguished Master of Sports of the U ...
took the helm of the national team in its attempt to qualify for the
2010 World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
after Blokhin's failure to qualify for the Euro. Mykhalyk established himself as one of the main players this time, playing center-back usually alongside
Shakhtar Donetsk
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...
's
Dmytro Chyhrynskyi
Dmytro Anatoliiovych Chyhrynskyi ( uk, Дмитро Анатолійович Чигринський; born 7 November 1986) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League Greece club Ionikos.
He spent most ...
. He went on to play 7 out of the 10 qualifying games as well as 3 friendlies. Ukraine finished second in its qualifying group and was drawn to play against Greece in the play-offs. However Mykhalyk did not take part in these games because of injury, neither did Chygrynskiy who had recently transferred to
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Founded ...
and did not get enough game practice there. Ukraine went on to lose the play-off round due mostly to its weak defence and the Ukrainian Football Federation did not renew Mykhailychenko's contract.
Career statistics
Notes
Personal life
Taras Mykhalyk is not single, which he confirmed in a recent interview, stating that he spends much of spare time with his girlfriend. He also stated that on the winter breaks his favorite pastime is hunting, while in the summer he prefers to go fishing.
Mykhalyk's father works in a school as a teacher of physical education, while his mother works in the regional state administration. He is from a large family: he has one older brother and five younger sisters. He stated that he is financially aiding his parents, and helping to pay for the education of one of his sisters at the
Kyiv Theological Seminary
The Kiev Theological Academy (1819—1919) was one of the oldest higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, situated in Kyiv, then in the Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine). It was considered as the most senior one among simila ...
and another at the National Aviation University.
[Тарас Михалик: "До мене ніхто з луцьких селекціонерів не приглядався" (Taras Mykhalyk: "None of the scouts from Lutsk paid attention to me")](_blank)
ua-football.com
Honours
Club
;Dynamo Kyiv
*
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League ( uk, "Українська Прем'єр-ліга", ''Ukrayinska Premier Liha'') or UPL is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Vyshcha Liha ( uk, Вища ліга, ''Top League'') ...
:
2006–07,
2008–09
*
Ukrainian Cup
The Ukrainian Cup ( uk, Кубок України) is an association football national knockout cup competition run by the Ukrainian Association of Football. The competition is conducted almost exclusively among professional clubs. Since the 2003 ...
:
2005–06,
2006–07
*
Ukrainian Super Cup
The Ukrainian Super Cup ( uk , Суперкубок України) is an association football game of the Ukrainian Premier League in traditional super cup format that acts as the grand-opening for every new football (soccer), football competiti ...
:
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
2007
;Lokomotiv Moscow
*
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...
:
2017–18
*
Russian Cup:
2014–15,
2016–17,
2018–19
;Ukraine under-21
*
UEFA Under-21 Championship: runner-up
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mykhalyk, Taras
1983 births
Living people
Ukrainian footballers
Ukraine international footballers
Ukraine under-21 international footballers
Ukrainian Premier League players
Ukrainian First League players
Ukrainian Amateur Football Championship players
FC CSKA Kyiv players
FC Dynamo Kyiv players
FC Hoverla Uzhhorod players
FC Lokomotiv Moscow players
FC Volyn Lutsk players
Ukrainian expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Russia
Ukrainian expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Russian Premier League players
UEFA Euro 2012 players
Association football midfielders
Ukrainian football managers
Sportspeople from Volyn Oblast