Oleg Yashchuk

Oleg Yashchuk
Personal information
Full nameOleh Rostyslavovych Yashchuk
Date of birth26 October 1977
Place of birthLanivtsi Raion, Ukrainian SSR
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 12 in)
Playing positionStriker
Club information
Current team
Westerlo
Youth career
1990–1993Lviv Sports School
1993–1994Lviv
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1994FC Lviv2(0)
1994Krystal Chortkiv (loan)1(0)
1994–1996Nyva Ternopil34(10)
1996–2006Anderlecht119(31)
2006–2007Ergotelis26(3)
2007–2013Cercle Brugge146(43)
2013Westerlo (loan)13(5)
National team
1994Ukraine U164(3)
1995–1996Ukraine U186(2)
1998–1999Ukraine U213(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 October 2012.
† Appearances (Goals).

Oleg Yashchuk (Ukrainian: Олег Ростиславович Ящук, born 26 October 1977 in Hrybova[1] (Hrynky Rural-rada), Lanivtsi Raion, Ternopil Oblast then Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian professional footballer. He plays as a striker for Westerlo (on loan from Cercle Brugge) and also holds the Belgian nationality.[1] His last name is sometimes transliterated as Iachtchouk or Jasjtsjoek.

Club career

Iachtchouk first made a name for himself in the Ukrainian Premier League in the 1995–96 season. Playing for an unfashionable FC Nyva Ternopil side, then a 17-year old, on matchday 1 he scored a hat trick at Shakhtar Donetsk helping his side to a shock 4-2 away win.[2] He finished the season as the club's top scorer with 10 goals as Nyva narrowly avoided relegation.

Iachtchouk's talent caught the eye of Anderlecht and he signed for the Belgian club at the end of the season. He made a good start in the first team in the 1990s but then became injured for long periods of time. In some seasons he barely played at all because of recurring injuries, yet Anderlecht extended his contract in 2001 for another five years. In 2006 he left the club, having played 119 league matches and scored 31 goals during ten seasons.

He signed for Ergotelis in Greece for the 2006–07 season where he finally managed to shake off his injury problems.

On 14 June 2007, Iachtchouk returned to Belgium, signing a two-year contract with Cercle Brugge who had just appointed his former Anderlecht teammate Glen De Boeck as manager. In January 2009 his contract was extended until 2013, just days after he scored both of his team's goals in a 2-1 win against his former club Anderlecht.[3]

International career

Iachtchouk has played for all of Ukraine's youth national teams (Under-16, Under-18 and Under-21), including a spell alongside Andriy Shevchenko for the Under-18s. In 1994 he became his team's best scorer at the European Under-16 Championship in Ireland where Ukraine finished 3rd.[4] One of the three goals Iachtchouk scored at the tournament was against Belgium.

However, Iachtchouk has not won a single full international cap due to persistent injuries. After he finally recovered he found that his dual Ukrainian/Belgian citizenship is a major obstacle to his call-up for Ukraine; while he does not see himself playing for his new home country.[5]

Awards and honours

Anderlecht
Individual
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Serbia Darko Pivaljević
Cercle Brugge top scorer
20081 — 2009
1alongside Stijn De Smet and Tom De Sutter
Succeeded by
Republic of Ireland Dominic Foley

See also

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Loi accordant des naturalisations, 14 Janvier 2003". Staatsblad Moniteur. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  2. "Shakhtar 2–4 Nyva T". ukrainiansoccer.net. Retrieved 23 December 2007. (inconsistent link, not direct)
  3. "Oleg Iachtchouk prolonge au Cercle Bruges jusqu'en 2013". La Dernière Heure. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  4. "Ukrainian Youth National Teams". ukrsoccerhistory.com. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
  5. "Yaschuk: I am not interested in playing for Belgium". ukrainiansoccer.net. Retrieved 26 December 2007. (inconsistent link, not direct)