Oleh Shelayev is a Ukrainian footballer playing as a midfielder at Metalist Kharkiv. He was repeatedly called up to the Ukraine national football team. The footballer was born in Luhansk.
Oleh began his football career at Zorya Luhansk where he subsequently made his debut at a serious level. The midfielder played the first match for Black-Whites at the end of November 1993. Shelayev participated in 8 matches of the Ukrainian Premier League during that season. However within the following two seasons he was included in the first squad of the Luhansk team.
Soon Zorya lost its major sponsor – Moscow concern “MALS”. The club sustained serious financial problems and took last place at the championship according to the results of the 1995/96 season being relegated from the premier league. Oleh refused to play for Black-Whites in the minor league and resolved to transfer to Shakhtar Donetsk. In the club’s team the footballer became a holder of the Ukrainian Cup 1997. Nevertheless Shelayev didn’t manage to get in Hirnyky first team. That is why he was released on six-month loan to Dnipro. The footballer played 12 matches scoring two goals for the team from Dnipropetrovsk. After Oleh’s return to Donetsk he went on loan again. That time he joined Metalurh.
After playing for Metalurh 13 matches and scoring three goals Oleh returned to Shakhtar and later transferred to Dnipro on constant basis. At that moment Yevhen Kucherevskyi headed the team and tried to form a strong and competitive team. It was Shelayev who played an important role in his plan. The footballer took the position of a supporting midfield player. In the 2000/01 season Dnipro became second runners-up at the Ukrainian Premier League. Oleh showed good display scoring 6 goals in 24 matches.
The footballer continued developing and showing excellent form. The period from 2004 to 2006 appeared to be the most successful when the player appeared in 112 matches, scored 13 goals becoming a bronze prize-winner at the Ukrainian Premier League and a finalist of the Ukrainian Cup. Due to his good play Oleh was called up to the Ukraine national team featuring for it at 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Even before it, in December 2005, Dripro Dnipropetrovsk was headed by Oleh Protasov. Several seasons later Volodymyr Bezsonov became the team’s head coach. Shalayev didn’t get on well with the new coach and he was released on loan to FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih. After the loan period was over the midfielder resolved to leave Dnipro for which he had been featuring for 9 years. On 10 July 2009 Oleh signed a two-year contract with Metalist Kharkiv; on 22 September of the same year he netted his first goal for the new club in a match against Arsenal Kyiv. Being a member of Yellow-Blues the player became twice bronze medalist of the The Ukrainian Premier League. At the beginning of the 2012/13 season he was in reserve getting game practice though.
Oleh made his debut for the Ukraine national football team on 28 April 2004 taking part in a match against Slovakia that ended in a draw (1-1). In 2006 the footballer and his team set out to Germany to feature at the FIFA World Cup. Shelayev featured in 5 games (he played 4 games completely, 1 game as a substitution) making a pair of two supporting midfielders together with Anatoliy Tymoshchuk. The Ukrainians progressed to the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
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