 Zozulya withDnipro in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roman Vyacheslavovych Zozulya | ||
| Date of birth | (1989-11-17)17 November 1989 (age 35) | ||
| Place of birth | Kiev,Ukrainian SSR,Soviet Union (nowKyiv, Ukraine) | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2006 | Dynamo Kyiv | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2011 | Dynamo Kyiv | 35 | (3) |
| 2006 | →Dynamo-3 Kyiv | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | →Dynamo-2 Kyiv | 59 | (10) |
| 2011–2016 | Dnipro | 85 | (22) |
| 2016–2017 | Betis | 6 | (0) |
| 2017 | →Rayo Vallecano (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2021 | Albacete | 142 | (26) |
| 2021–2022 | Fuenlabrada | 35 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | Rayo Majadahonda | 18 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Ukraine U17 | 14 | (2) |
| 2007–2008 | Ukraine U19 | 15 | (4) |
| 2008–2011 | Ukraine U21 | 22 | (1) |
| 2010–2016 | Ukraine | 33 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:03, 18 March 2025 (UTC) | |||
Roman Vyacheslavovych Zozulya (Ukrainian:Роман В'ячеславович Зозуля, born 17 November 1989) is a Ukrainian professionalfootballer who plays as astriker.
He played in theUkrainian Premier League forDynamo Kyiv andDnipro. In 2016 he moved to Spain, playing sixLa Liga games forReal Betis before featuring in 175Segunda División games forAlbacete andFuenlabrada, scoring 19 goals.
Zozulya made his international debut for Ukraine in 2010, and made 33 appearances and scored 4 international goals over the next six years. He was part of their squad atUEFA Euro 2016.
Born inKyiv, Zozulya was a product of the Dynamo youth system progressing through Dynamo-3 and Dynamo-2. In 2008, after the2007–08 season he was promoted to the main team
On 27 February 2014, in aEuropa League match againstTottenham Hotspur, Zozulya was sent off after he directed a head-butt towardsJan Vertonghen.[1] Zozulya was sent off and had to be restrained from attacking Vertonghen, who was accused of faking the degree of contact.[2] Tottenham went on to win the game 3–1, knocking Dnipro out.[3]
Zozulya was a member of the Dnipro team that reached thefinal of the Europa League in thefollowing season. On 12 March 2015, he scored the only goal of a home win overAFC Ajax in the first leg of the round of 16.[4] He missed the final defeat toSevilla FC inWarsaw due to injury.[5]
On 27 July 2016, Zozulya signed a three-year contract withLa Liga sideReal Betis.[6] He made his debut on 11 September in a 3–2 win atValencia CF, as an 80th-minute substitute forÁlex Alegría.[7] He played six games, starting once on 22 January in a goalless draw at home toSporting Gijón.[8]
On 31 January 2017, Zozulya joinedRayo Vallecano on loan until the end of the season. His arrival was met with protests from the club's fans, unhappy over his purported far-right links after a picture of him wearing a shirt with theTryzub and lyrics of poetTaras Shevchenko was featuring the logo of theRight Sector. Zozulya vehemently denied any such links in an open letter to Rayo's fans, declaring that he has only assisted the legitimateUkrainian army during theRussian military intervention in Ukraine.[9][10] On 1 February 2017, Zozulya had his contract cancelled due to the reactions of Rayo fans and returned to Betis.[11] This meant that he could not play anymore in the 2016–17 season because theRoyal Spanish Football Federation rules say players cannot register for more than two teams in one campaign.[11]
On 8 September 2017,free agent Zozulya signed a one-year contract withAlbacete Balompié.[12] On 25 March 2019, Zozulya endured more harassment during an Albacete away game againstLugo, when the fans of the latter club sang chants aimed at Zozulya, explicitly wishing him death for supposedly supporting the Nazi political movement.[13] As a result of the incident, the fans of Albacete requested thatLa Liga seriously punish Lugo. Zozulya received the best player award for the month of October 2019, based on the fans' votes.[14] On 15 December 2019, the league game between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete was abandoned by the referee, after abuse and threats from the home fans over Zozulya's alleged far-right-wing political views.[15] The second half of the game was scheduled to be played the following June, following the resumption of football after thecoronavirus pandemic.[16]
On 31 July 2021, afterAlba's relegation, Zozulya signed a two-year contract with fellow second division sideCF Fuenlabrada.[17]
On 8 December 2022, Zozulya signed forPrimera Federación clubRayo Majadahonda on a deal until the end of the2022–23 season.[18] On 21 January, away toDeportivo de La Coruña, the home fans chanting allegations of Nazism towards Zozulya; the referee suspended the game using protocols for racist chanting, and messages were displayed through the loudspeakers and scoreboards for the chants not to be repeated.[19] He played 18 times for the team from theCommunity of Madrid, scoring once as an added-time winner in a 2–1 victory away toReal Madrid Castilla, who had led until the 88th minute.[20]
Zozulya debuted forUkraine on 2 June 2010 againstNorway atUllevaal Stadion inOslo. He scored a goal afterYevhen Konoplyanka fired a long shot atJon Knudsen, who fumbled with the ball and let Zozulya kick the ball into the net. He was substituted in the 81st minute.[21][22] He was member of the Ukrainian 23-man squad forEuro 2016.[23]
Zozulya is the founder of theNarodna Armiya (People's Army) organisation which is a part of thecivil volunteer movement helping Ukrainian forces in thewar in Donbas. In particular Zozulya's organisation is providing food, clothing and technical equipment toUkrainian Army and helps families of the military.[24][25] In 2016, he received a special commendation from theMinistry of Defense of Ukraine for his support to theArmed Forces of Ukraine.
Together withRuslan Rotan Zozulya is also the co-founder and sponsor of theRotan and Zozulya Academy of Football inDnipro.
His sister Olena is married with another Ukrainian football playerKyrylo Kovalets.[26]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Super Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2007–08 | Ukrainian Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008–09 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | ||
| Total | 35 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 6 | ||
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 2011–12 | Ukrainian Premier League | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 2012–13 | 23 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 11 | ||
| 2013–14 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 11 | ||
| 2014–15 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 5 | ||
| Total | 85 | 22 | 11 | 3 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 126 | 33 | ||
| Betis | 2016–17 | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Albacete | 2017–18 | Segunda División | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 9 |
| 2018–19 | 37 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 11 | ||
| 2019–20 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | ||
| Total | 135 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 135 | 26 | ||
| Career total | 255 | 51 | 18 | 5 | 39 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 313 | 65 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 2010 | 1 | 1 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 1 | |
| Total | 33 | 4 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 June 2010 | Ullevaal Stadium,Oslo, Norway |  Norway | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 22 March 2013 | National Stadium,Warsaw, Poland |  Poland | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 15 November 2013 | Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex,Kyiv, Ukraine |  France | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 29 May 2016 | Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino,Turin, Italy |  Romania | 1–1 | 4–3 | Friendly |
Dynamo Kyiv
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
.jpeg)
Ukraine:Decoration of the President of Ukraine for Humanitarian Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation[28] Ukraine: Honorary badge of the Chief of General Staff for Services to the Armed Forces of Ukraine
|  | |