Yaroslav Volodymyrovych Rakitskyi (Ukrainian:Яросла́в Володи́мирович Ракі́цький,pronounced[jɐroˈslɑu̯woloˈdɪmɪrowɪtʃrɐˈkɪtsʲkɪj]; born 3 August 1989) is a Ukrainian professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back forUkrainian Premier League clubChornomorets Odesa. He is best known for his passing ability and free-kicks.
![]() Rakitskyi withShakhtar Donetsk in 2016 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Yaroslav Volodymyrovych Rakitskyi | ||
Date of birth | (1989-08-03)3 August 1989 (age 35) | ||
Place of birth | Pershotravensk,Ukrainian SSR | ||
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Chornomorets Odesa | ||
Number | 44 | ||
Youth career | |||
2002 | Pavlohrad | ||
2003–2004 | Shakhtar Donetsk | ||
2005 | UOR Donetsk | ||
2006–2009 | Shakhtar Donetsk | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2006–2008 | Shakhtar-3 Donetsk | 31 | (4) |
2009–2018 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 210 | (9) |
2019–2022 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 78 | (5) |
2022–2023 | Adana Demirspor | 8 | (0) |
2023–2024 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 24 | (1) |
2025– | Chornomorets Odesa | 1 | (0) |
International career | |||
2009 | Ukraine U20 | 1 | (0) |
2008–2011 | Ukraine U21 | 17 | (3) |
2009–2019 | Ukraine | 54 | (5) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 March 2025 |
He was also a member of theUkraine national team, making his international debut on 10 October 2009 and scoring his first goal on 14 October of the same year. Rakitskyi has amassed over 50caps for Ukraine and represented his country atUEFA Euro 2012 andUEFA Euro 2016.
Club career
editShakhtar Donetsk
edit2009–10 season
editHe moved up to the first team during the2009–10 season, making his debut, at the age of 20, in a 6–1Ukrainian Cup win againstDnister Ovidiopol (now called FC Odesa). He made his league debut for the club 16 days later, coming as a substitute on 31 August in a 3–1 victory overZorya Luhansk. His first goal for Shakhtar came in the following round of the Ukrainian Cup in a 3–1 victory overYednist' Plysky. He also set up the third goal of the match forOleksandr Gladkiy. Rakytskiy scored his second goal of the season in a 4–1group stage win overPartizan Belgrade in theEuropa League. He ended his first season in the Shakhtar first team with 37 appearances, of which 24 came in the league, and 2 goals. He picked his first trophy at Shakhtar, with the team winning the league.[2]
2010–11 season
editRakytskiy started the2010–11 with success in theSuper Cup as Shakhtar comprehensively defeatedTavriya 7–1.[3] His first league goal came in a 3–1 victory overKryvbas on 10 July 2010.[4] He also scored Shakhtar's only goal in a 6–1 aggregate lose toBarcelona in theChampions League quarter final, scoring in the 5–1 first leg defeat atCamp Nou.[5] He played in Shakhtar's 2–0Ukrainian Cup win overDynamo Kyiv.[6] He made a total of 34 appearances in the2010–11 season, scoring twice as Shakhtar retained the Premier League title.[7]
2011–12 season
editShakhtar won thePremier League and theUkrainian Cup in the2011–12 season.[8] On 29 October Yaroslav picked up a red card in a 3–2 victory overOleksandria, after receiving two yellow cards.[9] His first goal of the season came in a 2–0 victory overDynamo Kyiv at theDonbas Arena on 7 April.[10] He scored another goal a few weeks later in a 3–1 victory over Tavriya.[11] He finished the season with 2 goals in 37 appearances, 27 of which were in the league. Shakhtar won the Premier League title for the third year in a row[12] and also retained theUkrainian Cup in a 2–1 extra time victory overMetalurh Donetsk.Oleksandr Kucher scored the winning goal, after a rebound from Rakytskiy's shot.[13]
2012–13 season
editHe played in Shakhtar's 2–0Super Cup victory over Metalurh Donetsk on 10 July, keeping a clean sheet.[14] He managed clean sheets in a 6–0 win againstArsenal Kyiv on 15 July,[15] a 1–0 victory overKryvbas on 29 July[16] and a 4–0 win overVolyn Lutsk on 6 September.[17] On 26 August he assistedHenrikh Mkhitaryan for the third goal in a 3–0 victory overKarpaty Lviv and kept a clean sheet.[18] and was named Man of the Match.[19] On 15 September he kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 victory againstZorya Luhansk.[20]
2017–18 season
editHe scored in the final as Shakhtar beat rivals Dynamo Kyiv in the 2017–18 Ukrainian Cup final.[21]
Zenit Saint Petersburg
editOn 28 January 2019, he signed a 3.5-year contract withRussian Premier League clubFC Zenit Saint Petersburg.[22] Some Ukrainians have derided Rakitskyi as a "traitor" for moving to the Russian league, as Zenit are based in Russia and thewar in Donbas was ongoing,[23] despite the fact thatAnatoliy Tymoshchuk, another famous Ukrainian footballer, is also working as assistant manager for Zenit.[24]
His move to Russia during the war led to him being stopped from being called up to the national team, which led to his official retirement from international football.[25]
He became a starting player for Zenit, and a favourite of the fans, who made positive songs about him.[26] He also became one of the leaders of the Russian league in accuracy of passes.[27]
At the end of the 2019–20 season, he was voted by the league players as the 8th best player in the league,[28] and number one in his position.[29]
For his time in Zenit, Rakitskyi was praised for his versatility in the defence and for his help to the attack.[30][31]
On 24 February 2022, Rakitskyi was dropped from Zenit's line-up to playReal Betis in theEuropa League knockout round play-offs following a social media post that spoke out against theRussian invasion of Ukraine that started that very day.[32]
On 2 March 2022, Rakitskyi left Zenit by mutual consent.[33][34]
Adana Demirspor
editOn 23 July 2022, Rakitskyi joined Adana Demirspor on a one-year deal, plus an optional year.[35][36]
Return to Shakhtar Donetsk
editOn 16 January 2023 Rakitskyi rejoined Shakhtar Donetsk on a deal that lasted to the endof the season.[33] He joined the club as afree agent.[33] In the spring of 2022 Rakitskyi had already played in Shakhtar Donetsk charity matches during Shakhtar's "Global Tour for Peace".[33] On 30 June 2024, Shakhtar announced that Rakitskyi had left the club at the end of his contract.[37]
Chornomorets Odesa
editOn 28 March 2025, Rakitskyi joinedUkrainian Premier League sideChornomorets Odesa.[38] He made his debut againstKarpaty Lviv on 30 March 2025.[39]
International career
editRakitskyi made his debut for thenational team on 10 October 2009, at the age of 20, in a 1–0 victory overEngland in aWorld Cup qualifier. His first goal for Ukraine came just four days later and a 6–0 win againstAndorra. He scored his second goal in a 2–1 friendly win overChile on 7 September 2010[40] and scored his third goal in another friendly match, a 2–2 draw withRomania which saw Ukraine take victory 4–2 in a penalty shootout and the finals of this tournament came out (Cyprus International Football Tournaments 2011[41]
Since the start of the war in Donbas, Rakitskyi faced repeated questioning in the press about his refusal to sing theUkrainian national anthem when he played for Ukraine. He has not been called up to the national team since his transfer to Zenit Saint Petersburg.[23]
The popular opinion was that he stopped being called up to the national team due to political reasons,[42][43] when some commented how not calling him up was unprofessional,[44] while others accused Rakitskyi of "putting himself before the interests of the national team" by moving to Russia.[45][46]
Rakitskyi subsequently retired from the national team in 2019.[25]
Career statistics
editClub
editClub | Season | League | National Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Shakhtar Donetsk | 2009–10 | Ukrainian Premier League | 24 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 9[a] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
2010–11 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10[b] | 1 | 1[c] | 0 | 34 | 2 | ||
2011–12 | 27 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 37 | 2 | ||
2012–13 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 35 | 1 | ||
2013–14 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7[d] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
2014–15 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
2015–16 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 17[e] | 1 | 1[c] | 0 | 38 | 3 | ||
2016–17 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8[f] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
2017–18 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
2018–19 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
Total | 210 | 9 | 26 | 2 | 82 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 326 | 14 | ||
Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2018–19 | Russian Premier League | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 |
2019–20 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5[b] | 1 | 1[g] | 0 | 37 | 1 | ||
2020–21 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
2021–22 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7[h] | 1 | 1[g] | 0 | 23 | 2 | ||
Total | 78 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 108 | 7 | ||
Adana Demirspor | 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Shakhtar Donetsk | 2022–23 | Ukrainian Premier League | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
2023–24 | Ukrainian Premier League | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[a] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
Total | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 | ||
Chornomorets Odesa | 2024–25 | Ukrainian Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career total | 321 | 15 | 32 | 2 | 104 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 478 | 24 |
- ^abcdeAppearances in theUEFA Europa League
- ^abcdefghAppearances in theUEFA Champions League
- ^abcdefghAppearance in theUkrainian Super Cup
- ^Six appearances in the UEFA Champions League, one appearance in the UEFA Europa League
- ^Ten appearances in the UEFA Champions League, seven appearances and one goal in the UEFA Europa League
- ^One appearance in the UEFA Champions League, seven appearances in the UEFA Europa League
- ^abcAppearance in theRussian Super Cup
- ^Six appearances in the UEFA Champions League, one appearance in the UEFA Europa League
International
edit- As of 20 December 2018[50]
Ukraine | |||||
Year | Apps | Goals | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | 4 | 1 | |||
2010 | 4 | 1 | |||
2011 | 5 | 1 | |||
2012 | 7 | 0 | |||
2013 | 6 | 1 | |||
2014 | 3 | 0 | |||
2015 | 9 | 0 | |||
2016 | 6 | 0 | |||
2017 | 4 | 0 | |||
2018 | 6 | 1 | |||
Total | 54 | 5 |
- Scores and results list Ukraine's goal tally first.
No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 14 October 2009 | Comunal,Andorra la Vella, Andorra | Andorra | 4–0 | 6–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
2. | 7 September 2010 | Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium,Kyiv, Ukraine | Chile | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
3. | 8 February 2011 | Paralimni Stadium,Paralimni, Cyprus | Romania | 1–0 | 2–2 | Cytavision Cyprus Tournament 2011 |
4. | 6 September 2013 | Arena Lviv,Lviv, Ukraine | San Marino | 9–0 | 9–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
5. | 27 March 2018 | Stade Maurice Dufrasne,Liège, Belgium | Japan | 1–0 | 2–1 | Kirin Challenge Cup |
Honours
editShakhtar Donetsk[47]
- Ukrainian Premier League:2009–10,2010–11,2011–12,2012–13,2013–14,2016–17,2017–18,2022–23,2023–24
- Ukrainian Cup:2010–11,2011–12,2012–13,2015–16,2016–17,2017–18,2023–24
- Ukrainian Super Cup:2010,2012,2013,2014,2015,2017
Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Russian Premier League:2018–19,[51]2019–20,[52]2020–21,[53]2021–22[54]
- Russian Cup:2019–20[55]
- Russian Super Cup:2020,[56]2021[57]
Individual awards
References
edit- ^Yaroslav Rakitskyi atRussian Premier League
- ^"Ukraine 2009/10". Retrieved7 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar age their rage in Super Cup rout". 5 July 2010. Archived fromthe original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved7 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar Donetsk vs Kryvbas 2-0". Retrieved7 September 2012.
- ^"Barcelona vs Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1". Retrieved7 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar sign off with Ukrainian Cup success". 25 May 2011. Archived fromthe original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Ukraine 2010/11". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Ukraine 2011/12". Retrieved13 September 2012.
- ^"Oleksandria vs Shakhtar 2-3". Retrieved18 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar vs Dynamo Kyiv 2-0". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar vs Tavriya 3-1". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Ukraine 2011/12". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar keep hold of Ukrainian Cup". 6 May 2012. Archived fromthe original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Metalurh Donetsk vs Shakhtar Donetsk 0-2". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar Donetsk 6–0 Arsenal Kyiv". Retrieved18 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar vs Krvbas 1-0". Retrieved18 September 2012.
- ^"Volyn vs Shakhtar 0-4". Retrieved18 September 2012.
- ^"Shakhtar Donetsk vs Karpaty 3-0". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Rakitskiy named as Man of the Match". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Zorya vs Shakhtar 0-3". Retrieved18 September 2012.
- ^"Dinamo Kiev vs. Shakhtar Donetsk - 9 May 2018 - Soccerway".
- ^"Yaroslav Rakitskyi joins Zenit".FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. 28 January 2019.
- ^abRobert O'Connor (6 September 2019),Shakhtar Donetsk: The Ukrainian serial winners forced to flee from war, BBC Sport, retrieved6 September 2019
- ^"Kick in the Grass: Fans Jeer Ukrainian Soccer Player's Transfer to Russia".
- ^ab"Ракицкий завершил карьеру в сборной Украины".
- ^"Ракицкий о персональной кричалке фанатов "Зенита": "Приятно настолько, что перевозбуждаюсь. Но меня это смущает и сбивает"".
- ^"3 игрока "Зенита" – в топ-5 РПЛ по точности пасов. Иванович – первый с 91%".
- ^"Дзюба – лучший игрок сезона РПЛ по версии футболистов второй год подряд. Миранчук и Луценко – в топ-3".
- ^@rfsruofficial (30 September 2020)."⚡️ Исполком РФС утвердил 33 лучших футболиста сезона-2019/20" (Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^"Ракицкий – десятка на позиции центрального защитника. Он делает атаки "Зенита" умнее и вариативнее".
- ^"Сборная первой части РПЛ: бразильцы "Зенита", Акинфеев и катастрофа с правым защитником".
- ^"Zenit drop Ukrainian defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy for speaking out against Russian invasion".JOE. 24 February 2022. Retrieved25 February 2022.
- ^abcdValentina Romanenko (16 January 2023)."Rakitskyi returned to Shakhtar".Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved16 January 2023.
- ^"Ярослав Ракицкий покидает Зенит".fc-zenit.ru/ (in Russian). FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. 2 March 2022. Retrieved2 March 2022.
- ^"Adana Demirspor Yaroslav Rakitskiy transferini açıkladı! Sözleşme detayı..."www.hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved28 July 2022.
- ^"Welcome Rakitskyi!".Twitter. Retrieved28 July 2022.
- ^"Ярослав Ракіцький залишає донецький клуб".shakhtar.com (in Ukrainian). FC Shakhtar Donetsk. 30 June 2024. Retrieved1 July 2024.
- ^Михайло Черниш (28 March 2025)."Офіційно: Ракіцький поновив кар'єру в УПЛ. ФОТО".ua-football.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved28 March 2025.
- ^Олександр Бураков (30 March 2025)."УПЛ. «Карпати» - «Чорноморець» 4:0. Провальний дебют Кучера".ua-football.com (in Ukrainian). Retrieved30 March 2025.
- ^"Ukraine vs Chile 2-1". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Romania vs Ukraine 2-2". Retrieved8 September 2012.
- ^"Бахарев — о Ракицком в "Зените": "На Украине все стали патриотами, на Россию реагируют нервно"".
- ^"Евгений Левченко: "В сборной Украины нет места Ракицкому. И да, футбол – это политика"".
- ^"Украинский журналист Франков о Ракицком: "Игрок ведущей команды России всегда достоин попадания в сборную Украины"".
- ^"Калиниченко о Ракицком: "Он поставил себя выше интересов сборной Украины в сложный период"".
- ^"Федецкий о трансфере Ракицкого: "Недопустимо переходить в чемпионат России. Надо уважать свой народ, землю и край"".
- ^ab"Спасибо, Ярослав!".
- ^"Ярослав Ракицкий защитник ФК Зенит, биография, фото, видео, голы, интервью".
- ^Yaroslav Rakitskyi at Soccerway
- ^"Rakytskiy, Yaroslav".National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved7 September 2012.
- ^"20 игроков "Зенита" впервые стали чемпионами России - новости на официальном сайте ФК Зенит".
- ^"Zenit crowned 2019/20 RPL champions". Russian Premier League. 5 July 2020.
- ^"Sensational Zenit storm to the title with utterly dominant thrashing".Russian Premier League. 2 May 2021.
- ^""Зенит" – восьмикратный чемпион Тинькофф РПЛ!" [Zenit is the eight-times winner of Tinkoff RPL] (in Russian).Russian Premier League. 30 April 2022.
- ^"Late Dzyuba penalty seals Russian Cup for Zenit".Russian Premier League. 25 July 2020.
- ^""Зенит" обыграл "Локомотив" и стал пятикратным победителем Олимп-Суперкубка России" (in Russian).Russian Premier League. 7 August 2020.
- ^"Zenit canter to second consecutive Super Cup win over error-strewn Lokomotiv".Russian Premier League. 17 July 2021.
- ^"Названы 33 лучших футболиста РПЛ сезона-2019/2020".
- ^"РФС объявил список 33 лучших футболистов России по итогам сезона-2020/21". 15 July 2021.
- ^"Футбол. РФС назвал имена 33 лучших футболистов сезона-2018/19". 26 June 2019.
External links
edit- Yaroslav Rakitskyi atUAF andarchived FFU page(in Ukrainian)
- Yaroslav Rakitskyi at Soccerway
- Yaroslav Rakitskyi at FootballFacts.ru(in Russian)