Viktor Kovalenko (footballer)
Ukrainian footballer (born 1996)
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Viktor Viktorovych Kovalenko (Ukrainian: Ві́ктор Ві́кторович Ковале́нко; born 14 February 1996) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Olympiakos Nicosia and the Ukraine national team.
|
Kovalenko with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Viktor Viktorovych Kovalenko | ||
| Date of birth | 14 February 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Kherson, Ukraine | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2015 | Shakhtar Donetsk | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2021 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 130 | (23) |
| 2021–2024 | Atalanta | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Spezia (loan) | 26 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | → Spezia (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Empoli (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2025 | Empoli | 6 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | Aris Limassol | 6 | (0) |
| 2026 | Olympiakos Nicosia | 13 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011–2012 | Ukraine U16 | 13 | (4) |
| 2010–2013 | Ukraine U17 | 20 | (11) |
| 2013–2015 | Ukraine U19 | 20 | (5) |
| 2015 | Ukraine U20 | 5 | (5) |
| 2015–2018 | Ukraine U21 | 13 | (6) |
| 2016– | Ukraine | 33 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 June 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 11 November 2021 | |||
Club career
Shakhtar Donetsk
Kovalenko is product of youth team of Shakhtar Donetsk.[2] He made his début in the Ukrainian Premier League for Shakhtar in the game against Vorskla Poltava on 28 February 2015.[3] On 9 May 2015, he made his first direct contribution for the first team when assisting the fifth and sixth goals for Shakhtar in a 7–3 win over Hoverla Uzhhorod.
On 20 February 2020, Kovalenko scored the winning goal in Shakhtar's 2–1 win against Benfica in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 32 clash.[4]
On 17 October 2020, Kovalenko scored twice in the first 18 minutes of Shakhtar's 5–1 hammering of FC Lviv in the Ukrainian Premier League.[5]
Atalanta
On 1 February 2021, with less than six months remaining in his contract with Shakhtar, Kovalenko signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Serie A club Atalanta for a reported fee of €700,000.[6] He made his debut for the club on 21 March, as an 87th-minute substitute for fellow countryman Ruslan Malinovskyi in a Serie A 2–0 win at Verona.[7]
Loans to Spezia
On 8 August 2021, Kovalenko joined fellow Serie A side Spezia on a season-long loan.[8]
On 2 August 2022, he returned to Spezia on another loan, with Spezia holding an obligation to buy if the club avoids relegation.[9]
Release by Atalanta
Kovalenko was released from his contract by Atalanta in August 2024 at the end of the summer transfer window.[10]
Empoli
On 11 February 2025, Kovalenko signed for Empoli on a free transfer after being released.[11]
Aris Limassol
In September 2025 Kovalenko moved to Cypriot First Division club Aris LImassol on a two-year contract.[12]
Olympiakos Nicosia
In February 2026 he moved to Olympiakos Nicosia.
International career
Kovalenko was called up by Ukraine to play in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He scored two goals in a 6–0 victory over Myanmar[13] and added a hat-trick against the United States to secure 3–0 win at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, as the team reached the round of 16.[14] He won the Golden Boot of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup with five goals.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 25 May 2025[15]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2014–15 | Ukrainian Premier League | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | Ukrainian Premier League | 23 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 15[a] | 2 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 4 | |
| 2016–17 | Ukrainian Premier League | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8[b] | 3 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 10 | |
| 2017–18 | Ukrainian Premier League | 27 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5[c] | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 5 | |
| 2018–19 | Ukrainian Premier League | 25 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 7 | |
| 2019–20 | Ukrainian Premier League | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9[e] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| 2020–21 | Ukrainian Premier League | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | |
| Total | 130 | 23 | 18 | 3 | 48 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 200 | 32 | ||
| Atalanta | 2020–21 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Spezia (loan) | 2021–22 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 1 | ||
| Spezia (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||
| Empoli (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| Empoli | 2024–25 | Serie A | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 199 | 26 | 22 | 4 | 48 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 273 | 36 | ||
- Seven appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of 11 November 2021
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 2016 | 10 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 0 | |
Honours
Shakhtar Donetsk
- Ukrainian Premier League: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
- Ukrainian Cup: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2015, 2017
Individual
- FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Shoe: 2015[16]
- Ukrainian Premier League Best young player: 2015–16[17]
- Golden talent of Ukraine: 2015 (U-19), 2016 (U-21)
