Erik Sviatchenko
Danish footballer (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erik Sergiyovych Sviatchenko (Ukrainian: Ерік Сергійович Святченко; born 4 October 1991) is a Danish-Ukrainian footballer who plays as a centre-back for MLS side Houston Dynamo.
|
Sviatchenko in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Erik Sergiyovych Sviatchenko | ||
| Date of birth | 4 October 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Viborg, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dynamo | ||
| Number | 28 | ||
| 2001–2003 | Houlkær IF | ||
| 2003–2004 | Søndermarken | ||
| 2004–2006 | FK Viborg | ||
| 2006–2009 | Midtjylland | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2016 | Midtjylland | 111 | (10) |
| 2016–2018 | Celtic | 42 | (1) |
| 2018 | → Midtjylland (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2018–2023 | Midtjylland | 144 | (15) |
| 2023– | Houston Dynamo | 73 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2009 | Denmark U18 | 2 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | Denmark U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2010 | Denmark U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Denmark U21 | 8 | (2) |
| 2015–2016 | Denmark | 5 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:57, 1 August 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
FC Midtjylland
Sviatchenko joined the FC Midtjylland academy in 2006 at the age of 14.[2] Prior to that he had played for clubs around his hometown of Viborg: Viborg FF, Houlkær IF, Søndermarken IK, and FK Viborg.[3][4] In 2009, he was named the Midtjylland Academy Player of the Year.[2]
On 8 May 2009 Sviatchenko made his first team and Superliga debut, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 win over AC Horsens.[5] That was his only first team appearance during the 2008–09 season. He scored his first goal for Midtjylland on 14 April 2010 to give FCM a 1–0 win against AGF.[5] He finished the 2009–10 campaign with 5 appearances and 1 goal for the first team.[6]
The 2010–11 season saw Sviatchenko establish himself as a first team regular. He appeared in 13 of FCM's first 22 Superliga matches plus 2 Danish Cup matches.[5] However, on 3 April 2011, Sviatchenko tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee after colliding with teammate Rilwan Hassan during training.[7][8][9] The injury ended his season and kept him out for 11 months.[9] FCM would finish the season 4th in the Superliga.[10]
On 4 March 2012, Sviatchenko made his return from injury, getting the start and playing 90 minutes in a 2–1 loss to Lyngby.[5] The following week he scored in a 4–1 win over Horsens.[5] Sviatchenko ended the 2011–12 season by playing every minute of the final 15 games of the season, helping Midtjylland to a 3rd-place finish.[5][11]
On 23 August 2012, Sviatchenko made his debut in a continental competition, losing 3–0 to Swiss side BSC Young Boys in a Europa League qualifier. Midtjylland and Sviatchenko would win the 2nd leg 2–0 but be eliminated 3–2 on aggregate.[5] On 20 May 2013 Sviatchenko scored in the 90th minute to give FCM a 3–2 win against AGF.[5] He ended the season with 28 appearances and scored 2 goals in the Superliga as FCM finished 6th table, plus 2 appearances each in the Cup and Europa League.[6][12]
Prior to the 2013–14 season, Sviatchenko was made vice-captain.[7] On 2 March 2014 Sviatchenko scored the opening goal in a 5–1 win over Copenhagen.[5] During the match he sprained his ankle. He was able to finish the game but underwent ankle surgery a month later and missed the rest of the season.[13][14] Sviatchenko ended the season with 17 appearances and 3 goals in the league.[6] At the time of his injury Midtjylland were top of the table with a 5-point gap, but with Sviatchenko out injured they finished 3rd, 7 points behind champions Aalborg.[13][15]
After missing the first 3 weeks of the 2014–15 season due to his ankle, Svaitchenko made his season debut on 10 August 2014, coming on as a late sub in 3–1 win over Sønderjyske Fodbold.[16] He played in 6 games before a thigh injury forced him to miss the rest of 2014.[17][16] He returned on 23 February 2015, scoring a goal in a 3–0 win over Odense Boldklub in the first match of 2015.[16] Sviatchenko finished the season with 19 appearances and 1 goal in league play, helping Midtjylland finish top of the table and win their first Superliga title in club history.[16][18][19]
On 4 August 2015 Sviatchenko scored his first career goal in a continental competition to give Midtjylland a 1–0 win at APOEL in a Champions League qualifier. However FCM lost 2–1 at home and were eliminated on away goals.[20] In the Europa League playoffs, Sviatchenko helped Midtjylland beat Southampton 2–1 on aggregate to reach the Europa League group stage for the first time in club history.[20][21] He played every minute of the group stage to help FCM finish 2nd and advance to the Round of 32.[20] Sviatchenko wore the captain's armband regularly during the season due to captain Kristian Bach Bak being injured for most of the season.[20] He made 13 appearances and scored 2 goals in the Superliga prior to being sold.[20]
Celtic
On 17 January 2016, Sviatchenko signed with Scottish Premiership club Celtic on a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the transfer fee worth a reported £1.5 million.[22][23] He made his Celtic debut on 31 January in a 3–1 loss to Ross County in the League Cup semifinals, coming off the bench after 13 minutes following a red card to Efe Ambrose.[5][24] Sviatchenko picked up his first goal for the Hoops on 17 April, scoring in a 2–2 draw with Old Firm rivals Rangers in the Scottish Cup semifinals, with Rangers advancing on penalties.[5] He appeared in 14 Premiership games to help Celtic win their 5th straight league title.[20]
During the 2016–17 season, Sviatchenko made 28 appearances and scored a goal in league play to help the Hoops win their 6th straight Premiership title. He also made 3 appearances in the Cup and 3 in the League Cup as Celtic won both to complete the domestic treble and finish the season unbeaten domestically.[6][25]
On 2 August 2017 Sviatchenko damaged his knee ligaments in 1–0 win versus Rosenborg in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Rosenborg, which prevented him from playing for three months.[26] He returned to training in November and made the bench a couple of times, but did not make another appearance for Celtic.[27]
Return to FC Midtjylland
On 16 January 2018, Sviatchenko returned to FC Midtjylland on loan until the end of the 2017–18 season.[27][28] He made his first appearance in 7 months on 9 February, playing 90 minutes in a 2–0 win over AC Horsens.[29] Sviatchenko scored 1 goal and played in 16 of the 17 possible league games during the loan, helping Midtjylland win their 2nd Superliga title in club history.[29][30] That loan move was made permanent on 27 May 2018 for a fee of £1m and Sviatchenko agreeing to a four-year contract.[31][30][32]
During the 2018–19 season Sviatchenko made 27 appearances and scored 1 goal in league play as FCM were unable to defend their title, finishing 2nd in the table, 11 points behind Copenhagen.[6][33] In the cup, Sviatchenko made 4 appearances and scored once to help Midtjylland win their first Danish Cup title in club history.[5][34]
Sviatchenko became club captain during the 2019–20 season, with the previous captain Jakob Poulsen departing the club.[35] On 18 August 2019, Sviatchenko scored in the 90th minute to rescue a draw with Hobro IK.[5] He finished the season with 6 goals and 32 appearances, anchoring a defense that allowed a league best 29 goals all season to lead Midtjylland to a Superliga title.[6][35][36] Following the season he was named Superliga Player of the Year.[37] On 12 June, Sviatchenko agreed to a contract extension until June 2024.[35][4]
During the 2020–21 season, Midtjylland reached the Champions League group stage for the first time in club history, with Sviatchenko appearing in 5 of the 6 group games as FCM finished bottom of the group.[5] On 24 October he scored in the 90+4th minute to give Midtjylland a 3–2 win over Brøndby.[5] Sviatchenko ended the Superliga season with 28 appearances and 3 goals, helping FCM have the fewest goals allowed for the second straight year.[6][38] They were unable to repeat as champions though, finishing 1 point behind Brøndby.[38]
Sviatchenko made 25 appearances and scored 4 goals in the Superliga during the 2021–22 season as FCM finished second, three points behind champions Copenhagen.[6][39] Sviatchenko helped Midtjylland win their second ever Danish Cup, making 4 appearances and scoring 1 goal during the tournament.[6][40]
Sviatchenko made 26 appearances and scored 3 goals across all competitions in the 2022–23 season prior to being sold.[6] His 325 total games for Midtjylland are the second most in club history.[2]
Houston Dynamo
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On 24 March 2023, Sviatchenko was sold to American MLS side Houston Dynamo, signing a two-year contract with a club option for 2025.[41][2] The official transfer fee was undisclosed, but was reportedly just over 10 million Danish krone/1.48 million U.S. dollars.[42]
International career
Due to his dual citizenship, Sviatchenko was eligible to play for Ukraine,[43] but agreed to a call-up for the Danish national team in March 2015. He made his international debut on 25 March 2015 at NRGi Arena in Aarhus, starting against the United States in a 3–2 friendly win, in central defence alongside Simon Kjær.[44][45][46] He scored his first international goal on 11 October 2015 in a 2–1 friendly loss to France.[46][47]
Personal life
Erik Sviatchenko was born in Viborg, Denmark to Sergei and Helena Sviatchenko 4 October 1991.[48][6] His parents moved to Denmark from Ukraine with Erik's older brother, Phillip, in 1990.[48][49][50] Erik also has a twin sister, Alexandra.[48] Erik is a Christian.[50]
Sviatchenko's wife, Anne Sviatchenko (née Rudmose), is a former professional footballer and has played for Team Viborg, Skovbakken IK, ASA, Celtic and the Denmark national team.[51][52] Erik and Anne met when they were 14 through his sister Alexandra.[51] Anne signed for the Celtic women's team in February 2016, one month after Sviatchenko had joined the men's team.[51] They were married in June 2017 in Viborg,[53] and have two children together.[4]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Midtjylland | 2008–09 | Danish Superliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Danish Superliga | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 2010–11 | Danish Superliga | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||||
| 2011–12 | Danish Superliga | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| 2012–13 | Danish Superliga | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | |||
| 2013–14 | Danish Superliga | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 3 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Danish Superliga | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | Danish Superliga | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 12[d] | 1 | — | 25 | 3 | |||
| Total | 111 | 10 | 5 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | — | 131 | 11 | ||||
| Celtic | 2015–16 | Scottish Premiership | 14 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | Scottish Premiership | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9[e] | 0 | — | 43 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18 | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 42 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 63 | 2 | |||
| Midtjylland (loan) | 2017–18 | Danish Superliga | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| Midtjylland | 2018–19 | Danish Superliga | 27 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 2[e] | 0 | — | 33 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Danish Superliga | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 34 | 6 | |||
| 2020–21 | Danish Superliga | 28 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 9[e] | 0 | — | 41 | 3 | |||
| 2021–22 | Danish Superliga | 25 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | 11[f] | 1 | — | 41 | 6 | |||
| 2022–23 | Danish Superliga | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9[g] | 3 | — | 26 | 3 | |||
| Total | 144 | 15 | 15 | 2 | — | 33 | 4 | — | 192 | 21 | ||||
| Houston Dynamo | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 9[h] | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Major League Soccer | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[i] | 1 | 3[j] | 0 | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2025 | Major League Soccer | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||||
| 2026 | Major League Soccer | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 80 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 101 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 393 | 29 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 62 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 504 | 39 | ||
- Includes Danish Cup, Scottish Cup, and the U.S. Open Cup
- Includes Scottish League Cup
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
- Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Three appearances in and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
- Four appearances in Leagues Cup, five appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Appearances in Leagues Cup
International
- Denmark's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Sviatchenko goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2015 | Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark |  France |
1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly | [59] |
Honours
Midtjylland
- Danish Superliga (3): 2014–15, 2017–18, 2019–20[19]
- Danish Cup (2): 2018–19, 2021–22
Celtic
- Scottish Premiership (2): 2015–16, 2016–17
- Scottish Cup (1): 2016–17
- Scottish League Cup (2): 2016–17, 2017–18
Houston Dynamo
- U.S. Open Cup (1): 2023
Individual
- Tipsbladet Player of the Fall: 2019[60]
- Tipsbladet Player of the Spring: 2020[60]
- Danish Superliga Player of the Year: 2019–20[37]
