Biography
Who is Oleh Protasov?
Early life and playing career
Oleh Protasov started playing football at the age of eight years old in his hometown of Dnipropetrovsk. His father brought him to the Meteor Stadium, and he later enrolled in the Dnipro-75 sports school. In 1983, he was on the roster of Dnipro when the team gained its first domestic title. During the 1985 season, he became the top goalscorer with thirty five goals, which set a record for goals scored in a single season. For this achievement, he received the European Silver Shoe on November 13, 1986.
In 1987, Oleh Protasov moved to Dynamo Kyiv alongside Hennadiy Lytovchenko through a compulsory military service arrangement. During his time in the Soviet Union, he won the Soviet Championship twice and earned the title of Soviet Footballer of the Year in 1987. He scored a total of 125 goals in the Soviet Championship, securing his place as the eighth best scorer of all time in the competition. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, he played for Greek side Olympiacos Piraeus, Gamba Osaka, Veria, and Proodeftiki, retiring from playing in 1999.
International football career
Oleh Protasov represented the Soviet Union national team extensively throughout the 1980s. He made sixty eight appearances for the Soviet Union and scored twenty nine goals, making him the second highest goalscorer in the team's history behind Oleg Blokhin. He participated in the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups, as well as Euro 88, where he scored two goals and helped his team finish as runners-up. Also, he played one game for the Ukraine national team in 1994 and took part in the 1983 Summer Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR representing the Ukrainian SSR.
Managerial career
After ending his playing career, Oleh Protasov transitioned into coaching. He led Olympiacos to the Greek title in 2003 and later coached Romanian team Steaua București. In December 2005, he returned to Ukraine to coach his hometown team, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. He led the club to a sixth place finish in the Ukrainian Premier League during his first season and improved to fourth place in the following season. Before leaving the club in August 2008, his team unexpectedly led the title race ahead of the winter break.
Following his departure from Dnipro, Oleh Protasov managed several other clubs including Kuban Krasnodar in Russia, Iraklis in Greece, Astra Giurgiu in Romania, and Aris. During his time with Kuban Krasnodar, he secured a second place finish in the Russian First League and earned the club promotion to the Russian Premier League before leaving due to financial issues affecting the team budget.
Personal life
Oleh Protasov is married to Natalia, who is the daughter of Yevhen Lemeshko. The couple met through a letter exchange after she read his interview in Nedelya. He is a naturalised citizen of Greece and is multilingual, speaking Greek, English, Russian, and his native Ukrainian language.
Birthday and age
Oleh Protasov was born on February 4, 1964, which makes Oleh 62 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Oleh shares the date with 24 other famous people.
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