Recent from talks
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Ruslan Rotan
View on Wikipedia
Ruslan Petrovych Rotan (Ukrainian: Руслан Петрович Ротань; born 29 October 1981) is a Ukrainian former professional footballer and current manager of Polissya Zhytomyr. He was a member of the Ukraine national team.
Key Information
Club career
[edit]Rotan's career started off for Dnipro in the 1999–2000 season. He played a total of 105 matches for Dnipro and scored 11 goals.
He transferred to Dynamo Kyiv in the summer of 2005 and was given the number 14. In Dynamo, he played 50 matches and scored five goals in the Ukrainian Premier League.
During winter break 2007–08 Rotan was transferred back to his home club of Dnipro. The transfer fee was undisclosed. However, he signed a three-year contract with Dnipro. He now wears the number 29 jersey.
He became the top assister of the Ukrainian Premier League of the season 2008–2009.[1]
In the summer of 2014, after his Dnipro contract had expired, Rotan went on trial with Rubin Kazan, nearly signing with the club before turning down the offer due to the political situation around the 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Rotan eventually signed a new three-year contract with Dnipro on 8 August 2014.[citation needed]
In the 2014–15 season, Rotan helped Dnipro reach the UEFA Europa League Final in Warsaw on 27 May 2015, in which he equalised the score at 2–2 with a free kick against holders Sevilla FC, who eventually won 3–2.[2]
International career
[edit]Rotan made his debut for Ukraine on 12 February 2003, replacing Andriy Voronin for the final eight minutes of a goalless friendly against Turkey in İzmir. He scored three goals in seven games in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, going on to play three of their five matches (one start) as they reached the quarter-finals at the tournament. When Ukraine hosted UEFA Euro 2012, he played five minutes as a substitute for Voronin in their opening 2–1 victory over Sweden at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv. With 100 caps, Rotan is Ukraine's third-most capped player of all time. He was also on Ukraine's World cup 2006 squad. In the summer of 2017, Ruslan signed a one-year contract with the Slavia Prague club. He played 7 matches there.[3]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dnipro-2 Dnipropetrovsk | 1997–98 | Druha Liha | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| 1998–99 | 16 | 2 | – | – | – | 16 | 2 | |||||
| 1999–2000 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 11 | 4 | ||||
| 2000–01 | Persha Liha | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 2001–02 | 15 | 1 | – | – | – | 15 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 46 | 7 | 3 | 1 | – | – | 49 | 8 | ||||
| Dnipro-3 Dnipropetrovsk | 2000–01 | Druha Liha | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02 | 9 | 3 | – | – | – | 9 | 3 | |||||
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 1999–2000 | Vyshcha Liha | 10 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2000–01 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 2001–02 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 2 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 5 | ||||
| 2003–04 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8[a] | 0 | – | 38 | 4 | |||
| 2004–05 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7[a] | 1 | – | 31 | 3 | |||
| Total | 105 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 1 | – | 139 | 14 | |||
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2005–06 | Vyshcha Liha | 28 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 36 | 5 |
| 2006–07 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4[b] | 2 | 1[c] | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||
| 2007–08 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | – | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 50 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 73 | 8 | ||
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 2007–08 | Vyshcha Liha | 8 | 0 | – | – | – | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | Ukrainian Premier League | 26 | 3 | – | 2[d] | 0 | – | 28 | 3 | |||
| 2009–10 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 3 | ||||
| 2010–11 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | – | 26 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | – | 27 | 3 | |||
| 2012–13 | 25 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 10[d] | 0 | – | 38 | 4 | |||
| 2013–14 | 26 | 0 | – | 8[d] | 2 | – | 27 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 15[d] | 3 | – | 36 | 5 | |||
| 2015–16 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4[d] | 0 | – | 30 | 5 | |||
| 2016–17 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 211 | 23 | 23 | 3 | 43 | 5 | – | 277 | 31 | |||
| Slavia Prague | 2017–18 | Czech First League | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2017–18 | Ukrainian Premier League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 438 | 49 | 58 | 7 | 74 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 572 | 64 | ||
International
[edit]- Scores and results list Ukraine's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rotan goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 September 2004 | Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 2 | 3 September 2005 | Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 8 October 2005 | Meteor Stadium, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 15 August 2006 | Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine | 3–0 | 6–0 | Friendly | |
| 5 | 6 September 2006 | Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, Kyiv, Ukraine | 2–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualification | |
| 6 | 22 August 2007 | Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 7 | 15 August 2013 | Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, Kyiv, Ukraine | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 8 | 9 October 2016 | Marshal Józef Piłsudski Stadium, Kraków, Poland | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Managerial
[edit]- As of match played 24 May 2025
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Ukraine U21 | 27 December 2018 | Present | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 62 | 40 | +22 | 47.37 | |
| Oleksandriya | 21 December 2022 | Present | 78 | 32 | 28 | 18 | 95 | 77 | +18 | 41.03 | |
| Ukraine (interim) | 28 February 2023 | 4 June 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0.00 | |
| Ukraine U23 | 4 July 2023[5] | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | |
| Career total | 119 | 51 | 39 | 29 | 161 | 120 | +41 | 42.86 | |||
Honours
[edit]As a Player
[edit]Dynamo Kyiv
- Ukrainian Premier League: 2006–07; runner-up: 2005–06
- Ukrainian Cup: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2006, 2007
Dnipro
- Ukrainian Premier League runner-up: 2013–14
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2014–15[2]
- Ukrainian Cup runner-up: 2003–04
Individual
- UEFA Europa League: Squad of the season 2014–15
- Ukrainian Footballer of the Year: 2016
As a Coach
[edit]Individual
- Best Coach of Ukrainian Premier League: 2024–25[6]
- SportArena Coach of the Round: 2025–26 (Round 1,[7] Round 7,[8] Round 10,[9]),
- Ukrainian Premier League Coach of the Round: 2025–26 (Round 7[10]),
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Украина. Премьер-лига - Статистика игроков - Чемпионат.com". Championat.ru. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ a b Rose, Gary (27 May 2015). "Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 2-3 Sevilla". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Полтавець Руслан Ротань – головний тренер молодіжної збірної України з футболу - ipoltavets.com". 26 September 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "Rotan, Ruslan". National Football Teams. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Олімпіада-2024: стало відомо, хто буде очолювати збірну України з футболу на змаганнях у Франції". 24 Канал. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Ротаня признали лучшим тренером сезона в УПЛ
- ^ "Сторчоус, Білик, Ррапай і вся збірна 1-го туру Прем'єр-Ліги – але тут є й представники Динамо та Шахтаря". sportarena.com. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Педріньйо, Бруніньйо, Караваєв і Філіппов: уся збірна 7-го туру Прем'єр-Ліги". 30 September 2025. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
- ^ "Велетень, Хоакінет, Проспер і герой Рівного: вся збірна 10-го туру Прем'єр-Ліги". 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ^ "Експерти визначили найкращого тренера, гравця та символічну збірну 7-го туру". 1 October 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
External links
[edit]- Ruslan Rotan at the Ukrainian Premier League
- Ruslan Rotan at the Football Premier League (archived) (in Ukrainian)
- Ruslan Rotan at UAF (in Ukrainian)
Ruslan Rotan
View on GrokipediaRuslan Petrovych Rotan (born 29 October 1981) is a Ukrainian professional football manager and former player, primarily positioned as a central midfielder during his playing career.[1] Currently the head coach of Polissya Zhytomyr in the Ukrainian Premier League since June 2025, Rotan previously led the Ukraine national under-21 team from 2018, guiding them to the quarter-finals of the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[1][2] He served as interim head coach of the senior Ukraine national team in 2023 and managed the Olympic team to the quarter-finals at the 2024 Paris Games, marking Ukraine's debut appearance in the men's football tournament.[3][4] As a player, Rotan won the Ukrainian Footballer of the Year award in 2016, secured one Ukrainian Premier League title, two Ukrainian Cups, one Ukrainian Super Cup, and one Czech Cup.[5] In December 2024, he was named Ukraine's best football coach of the year.[6]
Early life
Youth and development in Poltava
Ruslan Rotan was born on 29 October 1981 in Poltava, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (now Ukraine).[7] His father, Petro Rotan, had previously played as a professional footballer for the local club Vorskla Poltava, providing an early familial connection to the sport amid the structured yet resource-constrained youth systems of the late Soviet era.[8] [9] Rotan initiated his football training in Poltava at the youth academy of Vorskla Poltava FC, where he developed foundational skills in a regional environment shaped by the transition from Soviet centralized sports infrastructure to independent Ukrainian leagues following the USSR's dissolution in 1991.[10] This period emphasized grassroots participation and local club pipelines, fostering resilience among talents in underfunded provincial settings outside major urban centers like Kyiv or Dnipropetrovsk. By around age 12, Rotan's potential led to his recruitment into broader professional pathways, though his Poltava roots underscored the role of familial and community influences in nurturing post-Soviet athletic development.[11]Playing career
Club career
Ruslan Rotan began his professional career with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, debuting in the 1999–2000 Ukrainian Premier League season at age 18.[12] Over his initial spell from 2000 to 2005, he made 105 league appearances and scored 11 goals for the club.[13] In 2005, Rotan transferred to Dynamo Kyiv, where he featured in 50 league matches and netted 5 goals across three seasons, though his playing time was limited.[14] Rotan returned to Dnipro on loan in 2008, signing permanently thereafter and remaining until 2017, amassing a total of 416 appearances and 45 goals for the club across both spells.[15] During the 2014–15 season, as team captain, he contributed significantly to Dnipro's unexpected run to the UEFA Europa League final, starting in ten matches and scoring once in the competition; Dnipro lost 3–2 to Sevilla FC in Warsaw on 27 May 2015, with Rotan equalizing via a 44th-minute free kick.[16] [17] The club's subsequent financial troubles, including debts leading to expulsion from the Ukrainian Premier League in 2018 and demotion to amateur divisions, marked the end of its professional era.[18] In July 2017, Rotan joined SK Slavia Prague on a one-year contract, making 14 appearances and contributing to their 2017–18 Czech Cup victory.[5] He returned to Dynamo Kyiv in January 2018 for a brief stint, playing 9 league matches before retiring on 31 May 2018 at age 36, having exceeded 400 appearances in the Ukrainian Premier League overall.[19] Throughout his career, Rotan demonstrated commitment to Ukrainian football despite economic challenges facing clubs like Dnipro.[15]International career
Rotan debuted for the Ukraine national football team on 12 February 2003 in a 0–0 friendly draw against Turkey, entering as a substitute in the final minutes.[11][20] Over his international tenure spanning 2003 to 2018, he accumulated exactly 100 caps, ranking him among Ukraine's most capped players, and scored 8 goals, many from set pieces leveraging his proficiency in free kicks and corners.[21][22] He featured in Ukraine's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance at the tournament, though limited to reserve duties amid a group stage exit following defeats to Spain and Saudi Arabia and a draw with Tunisia.[11] Rotan contributed to subsequent qualification campaigns, including the 2010 and 2014 World Cup cycles, where his midfield tenacity and leadership helped maintain competitiveness despite Ukraine's failure to advance beyond playoffs or groups. For UEFA Euro 2012, co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland, he made a brief substitute appearance in the group stage opener against Sweden, part of a campaign ending in elimination after three draws.[23] Rotan assumed the captain's armband for 24 matches, including during Euro 2016 qualifiers and friendlies, providing veteran stability to a squad integrating younger talents like Andriy Yarmolenko amid tactical shifts under coaches Mykhaylo Fomenko and beyond.[24] His role extended to Euro 2016 proper, where Ukraine exited the group stage winless, but his experience underscored continuity in national representation.[22] Rotan retired from international duty following a March 2018 friendly victory over Japan, concluding a career that symbolized enduring commitment to Ukraine's independent football identity post-Soviet era.[23]Managerial career
National youth and Olympic teams
Rotan transitioned to coaching following his playing retirement in July 2018, initially serving as an assistant at Olimpik Donetsk before his appointment as head coach of the Ukraine national under-21 team on 28 December 2018.[2] Under his leadership, the U-21 side demonstrated consistent competitiveness in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers, emphasizing disciplined defensive structures and rapid counter-attacks tailored to the squad's technical strengths drawn from domestic leagues. The team's pinnacle achievement came at the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Georgia and Romania, where Ukraine advanced to the semi-finals after topping Group B with victories over Croatia (2–1) and Spain (3–1 in extra time, following a 1–1 draw) and a 2–2 draw against Romania. This performance marked Ukraine's best finish since 2006 and automatically qualified the nation for the men's Olympic football tournament for the first time in its independent history, as European semi-finalists earn continental slots. Rotan's selections prioritized merit-based integration of prospects from war-affected regions, navigating disruptions from the 2022 Russian invasion by conducting training camps abroad and relying on scouting networks within Ukraine's professional academies.[2] Subsequently, Rotan assumed control of the Ukraine Olympic team (U-23 eligible) for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, retaining core U-21 personnel such as Maksym Braharu and Oleh Ocheretko.[25] Drawn into Group B alongside Argentina, Morocco, and Iraq, Ukraine secured a 2–1 upset win over Morocco on 27 July 2024 with goals from Maksym Bragaru and Volodymyr Brazhko, but losses to Iraq (1–2 on 24 July) and Argentina (0–2 on 30 July) resulted in third-place group elimination with three points. The campaign highlighted resilience amid logistical challenges, including player relocations due to ongoing conflict, though defensive vulnerabilities against set pieces contributed to the early exit.[2] Rotan's contract with the Ukrainian Association of Football for these roles concluded after the Olympics on 13 August 2024.[2]Senior club management
Rotan assumed management of FC Oleksandriya on December 21, 2022, leading the club through the 2024/25 Ukrainian Premier League (UPL) season.[1] Under his guidance, Oleksandriya achieved a historic second-place finish, securing silver medals for the first time in the club's history after a 3-1 victory over Veres Rivne on May 18, 2025, which also qualified them for the UEFA Conference League.[26] [27] This runner-up position marked a significant improvement from prior mid-table finishes, with the team accumulating points through consistent performances despite ongoing wartime disruptions affecting travel and operations in Ukraine.[28] Rotan's tenure emphasized a high-tempo style with high pressing and rotational attacks, contributing to 21 wins in 32 UPL matches during the 2024/25 campaign.[29] [30] He integrated younger players into the squad while navigating resource limitations, avoiding dependencies on controversial oligarch funding that have affected other Ukrainian clubs.[1] On June 1, 2025, Rotan was appointed manager of Polissya Zhytomyr with a contract extending to June 30, 2028, following his departure from Oleksandriya.[1] [31] In the early stages of the 2025/26 UPL season, Polissya experienced mixed results, including a period of losses before recovering to a fourth-place standing by late October 2025, bolstered by wins such as 4-0 over SK Poltava on October 4 and 4-0 over Obolon-Brovar Kyiv on October 25.[32] [33] Rotan continued implementing a high-pressing system aimed at ball dominance and quick recovery, adapting to the club's financial constraints without external scandals.[34] By October 18, 2025, the team had drawn 0-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk, demonstrating defensive resilience amid championship incentives.[35]Career statistics
Club statistics
Rotan recorded 533 appearances, 55 goals, and 86 assists across his club career in domestic leagues, cups, and European competitions, with the majority occurring in the Ukrainian Premier League for Dnipro and Dynamo Kyiv.[15] His contributions included 34 appearances in the UEFA Europa League, notably during Dnipro's 2014–15 campaign that reached the final, and 54 matches in the Ukrainian Cup.[7]| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dnipro | 416 | 45 | 72 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 83 | 8 | 12 |
| Slavia Prague | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| Dnipro-2 | 20 | 2 | 1 |
| Career total | 533 | 55 | 86 |
International statistics
Rotan debuted for the Ukraine national team on 12 February 2003 in a 0–0 friendly draw against Turkey in İzmir, entering as a substitute.[20] He accumulated 100 caps and scored 8 goals across his international career, which concluded with his final appearance on 27 March 2018 in a 2–1 friendly victory over Japan.[36][20] These figures reflect consistent selection as a central midfielder, with Rotan captaining the side on multiple occasions, including during UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying.[24] His major tournament outputs included three appearances at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where Ukraine advanced to the quarter-finals after Rotan contributed three goals in the qualification phase.[37] At UEFA Euro 2012, co-hosted by Ukraine, he started all three group stage matches without scoring.[38] Rotan featured prominently in qualifiers, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup playoffs against Greece, underscoring his role in competitive fixtures despite no further World Cup advancement.[37]| Competition | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| FIFA World Cup qualifiers and playoffs | 27 | 4 |
| UEFA European Championship qualifiers | 14 | 3 |
| FIFA World Cup finals | 3 | 0 |
| UEFA European Championship finals | 3 | 0 |
| International friendlies | 54 | 1 |
| Total | 100 | 8 |
Managerial record
Rotan's managerial career spans youth national teams and senior clubs, with an average tenure of 1.48 years per role.[1] His youth record highlights efficiency in developing talent, including an undefeated run of seven wins to secure Ukraine's first FIFA U-20 World Cup title in 2019.[39] At senior level, he achieved consistent mid-table stability with Oleksandriya, culminating in second place in the 2024–25 Ukrainian Premier League.[40] The following table summarizes key performance metrics across major tenures:| Team/Level | Tenure | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % | Goals For:Against | PPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukraine U21/U20 | Dec 2018 – Jul 2023 | 47 | 23 | 12 | 12 | 48.9 | 1.68:1.17 | 1.72 |
| Olimpik Donetsk | Oct–Dec 2018 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 18.2 | 0.91:1.45 | 0.82 |
| Oleksandriya | Dec 2022 – May 2025 | 79 | 32 | 27 | 20 | 40.5 | 1.25:1.06 | 1.56 |
| Ukraine Olympic | Jul–Aug 2024 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.3 | 1.00:1.67 | 1.00 |
| Polissya Zhytomyr | Jun 2025 – present | 17 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 47.1 | 1.71:1.29 | 1.47 |
