Rakitsky Yaroslav - Ukrainian footballer. Characterized as one of the most powerful central defenders of post-Soviet Ukraine. Known for his love of the Donbass. The idol of young athletes of their native land.
early years
The future athlete was born in 1989 in Pervomaisk. As a child, he loved to play football, parents noticed this and decided to send the boy to the section. At that time he was only six years old. Until 2002, he played for a team from his hometown, but this year he joined the Samara-Meteorite team, which was based in Pavlograd. Yaroslav showed himself from the best side, and managers of the leading clubs of Ukraine drew attention to him. As a result, Donetsk Shakhtar won in the fight for the young player.
From 2003 to 2006, the athlete played for the Pitmen's youth squads. In 2005 he was given to the team, which belonged to the school of the Olympic reserve. No matter where the Ukrainian played, he was always one of the best on the field. All the trainers who worked with him during this period noted their focus on the fight and their readiness to always go all the way.
Adult career
Football player Yaroslav Rakitsky from 2006 to 2008 played for Shakhtar-3. He was the main player of the team and showed great expectations. In just two years, he played in thirty-one bouts and scored four goals.
At the end of 2008 will begin to be attracted to the first team. Mircea Lucescu has always been famous for giving young athletes a chance, and this time luck smiled at the defender. At first, he only went through training with the club, but did not take part in official tournaments. Despite this, in the summer of 2009 he will make his debut at the base of the Donetsk team. In the second match he will score his first goal. This will be a Ukrainian Cup game. Very soon, the footballer will make his debut in the national championship. Two weeks later, Rakitsky Yaroslav first played in the Europa League. It is worth noting that earlier Mircea Lucescu did not let out young players from the first minutes.
From the 2010-2011 season. becomes a full-fledged player in the foundation of the Donetsk club. In total, Shakhtar played one hundred and fifty games and scored eight times at the opponents' goal.
Interest from European giants
Quite an interesting athlete is Yaroslav Rakitsky. His biography has some more interesting facts, which include transfer rumors.
Despite the fact that the football player spent his entire career for the Pitmen, there was interest in him from well-known teams. Most of all, Barcelona wanted to entice the defender into its ranks. Josep Guardiola was personally interested in this transfer. He was impressed by the style of games of the young Ukrainian, but the deal did not take place due to the fact that Shakhtar did not want to let go of his pupil. In 2011, a Catalan coach called Rakitsky “a rising star in Eastern Europe.”
Also in the press repeatedly appeared information about interest from the London Arsenal. This club is famous for its ability to acquire young players and make them world-class athletes. Arsene Wenger said that he sees the defender in his team, but the transfer did not take place. The Gunners invited the more experienced Per Mertezaker.
Yaroslav Rakitsky: Ukraine national team
From 2008 to 2011 he was the main soccer player of the youth team. In parallel, he played for the first team. He was one of the youngest players to debut in a T-shirt of the Ukrainian national team.
For the “blue-yellow" he played in twenty-nine fights and scored four goals. The athlete was repeatedly criticized by Ukrainian fans. The fact is that he never sings the national anthem. Despite the fact that this is everyone’s personal choice, it was the player of the Donetsk team who often often deserved angry “chants” from the stands of patriotic spectators.
As part of the team, he was a participant in the European Championship in 2012. In 2016, he will go to the continental championship in France as the main football player. It is believed that a pair of defenders Rakitsky Yaroslav and Yevgeny Khacheridi is one of the strongest in the former Soviet Union.
