Andrei Karyaka
Encyclopedia
Andrei Konstantinovich Karyaka is a Ukrainian
-born Russian
association football midfielder
who currently plays for FC Dynamo Moscow
.
He has previously played for FC Metalurh Zaporizhya
and FC CSKA Kyiv
in Ukraine, for FC Krylia Sovetov Samara and FC Saturn Moscow Oblast
in Russia and SL Benfica
in Portugal and was a Russian national football team regular. He is one of best Russia
n midfielders in recent years. He is a winger/attacking midfielder who is known for his dribbling, passing and goalscoring ability.
in the 1980s, Karyaka was deeply influenced and inspired by the performances of the local club – FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
. After multiple championships and two quarter-final finishes in European competition, it is not surprising that his major heroes were the Dnipro
leaders, such as Gennadiy Litovchenko
and Oleg Protasov
. Karyaka attended the Dnipropetrovsk Sports Youth School, coached by W. M. Nikulin, starting at the age of 7, and the Dnipropetrovsk Olympic Reserve School starting at the age of 12. In 1985 he moved to Zaporizhzhia where he initially played for the FC Metalurh Zaporizhya
youth team.
against the FC Shakhtar Donetsk
reserve team, and ended in a 1–0 victory for Metalurh, while Karyaka earned a yellow card. His Ukrainian Premier League
debut occurred on 26 March 1996 against his original home team FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
, and ended with a 2–1 Metalurh victory. He scored his first goal on 13 November 1996 in the Ukrainian Cup
, and on 10 April 1997 in the Ukrainian Premier League
. Other memorable games include a tie against Dynamo Kiev in blistering heat on 30 June 1997.
, trained by the ex-Dynamo Kiev midfielder
Vladimir Bessonov. With CSKA, he was able to participate in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
, first playing against Cork City F.C., and consequently, against FC Lokomotiv Moscow
. Yet in the next season, things did not work out as well, and he spent the majority of the 99/00 season playing for the reserve team.
during a trial match against Lada
with his approach and style. He debuted for Samara against FC Anzhi Makhachkala
on 13 August 2000, earning a penalty and rescuing a tie. He spent 5 games on the pitch in the 2000 season. After a thorough preparation for the 2001 season, he secured a regular spot as a left midfielder on the main team. In 2002, Karyaka became the top scorer of Samara with 12 goals in 28 games, and on 19 August 2003 he became the top scorer of the team overall in the history of the Russian Premier League
with 29 goals. That season he scored 10 goals total in 29 games, but his real success at Samara would come in 2004, where he tallied 22 goals in 37 games. 17 of these came in the Russian Premier League
and he missed the best scorer title by only one goal. A number of his goals came from free kicks from 30 yards out and more.
for a comparatively small fee of 2 Million Euros. After excelling in the pre-season, Karyaka initially appeared somewhat regularly on the pitch, but as the season progressed these appearances became more and more rare. Some have attributed this to Ronald Koeman
's desire to get the non-EU players to obtain the required number of games to obtain Portuguese
passports.
n sports newspaper Sovetskiy Sport published an interview with Karyaka in which he called Portugal
backward and uncomfortable, and complained about his role for SL Benfica
. As a consequence of this publication, he was suspended from the team for an extended period of time. However, the interview turned out to be fabricated and in July 2006 Karyaka won a lawsuit against the publication.
as a result of not getting enough playing time, he stayed, and has been used actively in the pre-season training and matchups. Nevertheless, he did not receive any game-time until 21 October 2006, when he was finally substituted in the 69th minute, and scored his first goal of the season 20 minutes later. During the winter 2007, he went back to Russia to play for FC Saturn Moscow Oblast
.
on 24 May 2001, but the Russian and Uzbek
national teams were interested in him as well. On 29 May, he made the decision to play for the Russian team, and consequently received his first call-up on 7 August of the same year, playing his first game on 16 August against Greece. Since then, Karyaka has been one of the vital players for the Russian midfield, starting 27 games and scoring 6 goals. He was part of the 2004 European Football Championship and played all 3 games for 140 minutes.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
-born Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
association football midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who currently plays for FC Dynamo Moscow
FC Dynamo Moscow
Dynamo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow, currently playing in the Russian Premier League. Dynamo's traditional kit colours are blue and white...
.
He has previously played for FC Metalurh Zaporizhya
FC Metalurh Zaporizhya
FC Metalurh Zaporizhya is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Zaporizhia. The club has always been in the top league, since the first season in 1992 until the season 2010/11 when it took the last position and was relegated to the Ukrainian First League.- Early years :The...
and FC CSKA Kyiv
FC Arsenal Kyiv
FC Arsenal Kyiv is a professional football club from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.-History:In the 1950s, a different club under the same name Arsenal Kyiv won the 1958 Ukrainian SSR Championship. However in 1963 the club was renamed to "Temp Kyiv". In 1964 the club was replaced by FC Dynamo-2 Kyiv...
in Ukraine, for FC Krylia Sovetov Samara and FC Saturn Moscow Oblast
FC Saturn Moscow Oblast
FC Saturn Ramenskoye was a Russian football club, based in the Moscow suburb of Ramenskoye. It is also known as FC Saturn Moscow Region . The club was founded in 1946...
in Russia and SL Benfica
SL Benfica
Sport Lisboa e Benfica , commonly known as simply Benfica or occasionally as Benfica Lisbon, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, Benfica is mostly known for its association football team...
in Portugal and was a Russian national football team regular. He is one of best Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n midfielders in recent years. He is a winger/attacking midfielder who is known for his dribbling, passing and goalscoring ability.
Early career
Growing up in DnipropetrovskDnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
in the 1980s, Karyaka was deeply influenced and inspired by the performances of the local club – FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Football Club Dnipro is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Dnipropetrovsk.-BRIT:The club's franchise traces its history all the way back when the first team that was formed in 1918 by the Petrovsky factory and was called as BRIT . The team participated in the regional competition...
. After multiple championships and two quarter-final finishes in European competition, it is not surprising that his major heroes were the Dnipro
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Football Club Dnipro is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Dnipropetrovsk.-BRIT:The club's franchise traces its history all the way back when the first team that was formed in 1918 by the Petrovsky factory and was called as BRIT . The team participated in the regional competition...
leaders, such as Gennadiy Litovchenko
Gennadiy Litovchenko
Hennadiy Volodymyrovych Lytovchenko is a Ukrainian soccer coach and former midfielder and head-coach of FC Dynamo-2 Kyiv...
and Oleg Protasov
Oleg Protasov
Oleh Valeriyovych Protasov is a former football striker. He was a key member of the Soviet Union national team throughout the 1980s; his 29 goals for the Soviet Union are second in the team's history, behind Oleh Blokhin's 42...
. Karyaka attended the Dnipropetrovsk Sports Youth School, coached by W. M. Nikulin, starting at the age of 7, and the Dnipropetrovsk Olympic Reserve School starting at the age of 12. In 1985 he moved to Zaporizhzhia where he initially played for the FC Metalurh Zaporizhya
FC Metalurh Zaporizhya
FC Metalurh Zaporizhya is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Zaporizhia. The club has always been in the top league, since the first season in 1992 until the season 2010/11 when it took the last position and was relegated to the Ukrainian First League.- Early years :The...
youth team.
Metalurh Zaporizhzhya
Karyaka's debut for the main team occurred on 3 March 1996, in the 1/16 round of the Ukrainian CupUkrainian Cup
The Ukrainian Cup is a national knockout cup competition in Ukrainian football, run by the Football Federation of Ukraine. The winner of the competition is awarded a qualification to the UEFA Cup , under special circumstances the finalist also may enter...
against the FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. Shakhtar has appeared in several European competitions and currently is often a participant of the UEFA Champions League. The club became the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup in 2009, the last year...
reserve team, and ended in a 1–0 victory for Metalurh, while Karyaka earned a yellow card. His Ukrainian Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
debut occurred on 26 March 1996 against his original home team FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Football Club Dnipro is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Dnipropetrovsk.-BRIT:The club's franchise traces its history all the way back when the first team that was formed in 1918 by the Petrovsky factory and was called as BRIT . The team participated in the regional competition...
, and ended with a 2–1 Metalurh victory. He scored his first goal on 13 November 1996 in the Ukrainian Cup
Ukrainian Cup
The Ukrainian Cup is a national knockout cup competition in Ukrainian football, run by the Football Federation of Ukraine. The winner of the competition is awarded a qualification to the UEFA Cup , under special circumstances the finalist also may enter...
, and on 10 April 1997 in the Ukrainian Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
. Other memorable games include a tie against Dynamo Kiev in blistering heat on 30 June 1997.
CSKA Kyiv
In 1998, Karyaka transferred to CSKA KyivFC CSKA Kyiv
FC CSCA Kyiv was a Ukrainian association football club that competed in the Ukrainian Second League. The team withdrew from theprofessional league 4 September 2009.-History:...
, trained by the ex-Dynamo Kiev midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
Vladimir Bessonov. With CSKA, he was able to participate in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
, first playing against Cork City F.C., and consequently, against FC Lokomotiv Moscow
FC Lokomotiv Moscow
The following years were rather successful as Lokomotiv were consistent in the national championships. However, performances after World War II suffered and actually in the space of five year Lokomotiv were relegated to the Soviet First League twice. In 1951, Lokomotiv came second and eventually...
. Yet in the next season, things did not work out as well, and he spent the majority of the 99/00 season playing for the reserve team.
Krylia Sovetov
In the summer of 2000, Karyaka was able to impress the at-the-time FC Krylia Sovetov Samara coach Aleksandr TarkhanovAleksandr Tarkhanov
Aleksandr Fyodorovich Tarkhanov is a retired Soviet football player and a current Russian coach. He last managed FC Krylia Sovetov Samara.His son Yuri Tarkhanov is a professional footballer.-International career:...
during a trial match against Lada
Lada
Lada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
with his approach and style. He debuted for Samara against FC Anzhi Makhachkala
FC Anzhi Makhachkala
FC Anzhi Makhachkala is a Russian football club based in Makhachkala, capital of the Republic of Dagestan, which plays in the Russian Premier League. The word "Anzhi" is part of Anzhi-Qala the old name of Makhachkala.-History:The club was founded in 1991 and has played in the Russian league since...
on 13 August 2000, earning a penalty and rescuing a tie. He spent 5 games on the pitch in the 2000 season. After a thorough preparation for the 2001 season, he secured a regular spot as a left midfielder on the main team. In 2002, Karyaka became the top scorer of Samara with 12 goals in 28 games, and on 19 August 2003 he became the top scorer of the team overall in the history of the Russian Premier League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
with 29 goals. That season he scored 10 goals total in 29 games, but his real success at Samara would come in 2004, where he tallied 22 goals in 37 games. 17 of these came in the Russian Premier League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
and he missed the best scorer title by only one goal. A number of his goals came from free kicks from 30 yards out and more.
2005/2006 Season
In 2005 FC Krylia Sovetov Samara encountered financial difficulties and saw this as a fitting moment to have Karyaka move on to a bigger club along with rescuing money to help the budget. As a result, he moved to SL BenficaSL Benfica
Sport Lisboa e Benfica , commonly known as simply Benfica or occasionally as Benfica Lisbon, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, Benfica is mostly known for its association football team...
for a comparatively small fee of 2 Million Euros. After excelling in the pre-season, Karyaka initially appeared somewhat regularly on the pitch, but as the season progressed these appearances became more and more rare. Some have attributed this to Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
's desire to get the non-EU players to obtain the required number of games to obtain Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
passports.
Controversial Press Statement
In January 2006, the RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n sports newspaper Sovetskiy Sport published an interview with Karyaka in which he called Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
backward and uncomfortable, and complained about his role for SL Benfica
SL Benfica
Sport Lisboa e Benfica , commonly known as simply Benfica or occasionally as Benfica Lisbon, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, Benfica is mostly known for its association football team...
. As a consequence of this publication, he was suspended from the team for an extended period of time. However, the interview turned out to be fabricated and in July 2006 Karyaka won a lawsuit against the publication.
2006/2007 Season
Although many expected Karyaka to leave SL BenficaSL Benfica
Sport Lisboa e Benfica , commonly known as simply Benfica or occasionally as Benfica Lisbon, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, Benfica is mostly known for its association football team...
as a result of not getting enough playing time, he stayed, and has been used actively in the pre-season training and matchups. Nevertheless, he did not receive any game-time until 21 October 2006, when he was finally substituted in the 69th minute, and scored his first goal of the season 20 minutes later. During the winter 2007, he went back to Russia to play for FC Saturn Moscow Oblast
FC Saturn Moscow Oblast
FC Saturn Ramenskoye was a Russian football club, based in the Moscow suburb of Ramenskoye. It is also known as FC Saturn Moscow Region . The club was founded in 1946...
.
International career
Although born in Ukraine, and called up for various of their youth national teams, Karyaka never came on pitch for a single national team game. He received a call up to the Ukraine national football teamUkraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
on 24 May 2001, but the Russian and Uzbek
Uzbekistan national football team
The Uzbekistan national football team represents Uzbekistan in association football and is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Uzbekistan...
national teams were interested in him as well. On 29 May, he made the decision to play for the Russian team, and consequently received his first call-up on 7 August of the same year, playing his first game on 16 August against Greece. Since then, Karyaka has been one of the vital players for the Russian midfield, starting 27 games and scoring 6 goals. He was part of the 2004 European Football Championship and played all 3 games for 140 minutes.