Oleksandr Shovkovskiy

Oleksandr Shovkovskiy is a goalkeeper who represents FC Dynamo Kyiv. He was born on 2 January 1975 in Kiev, Soviet Union.

He took up playing football at the age of 7. He was trained at Dynamo Kyiv football academy, before signing a professional deal with the club in 1993. Oleksandr made his debut appearance for Dynamo Kyiv on 6 March 1994. He’s been a first-choice goalie either for Dynamo and the national team since 1994, except for several periods in his career, when he was sidelined by injuries.

Shovkovskiy is probably the most popular shot-stopper in Ukraine. In 2006 Oleksandr became the first FIFA’s goalkeeper, who had ever succeeded to keep a clean sheet during a penalty shootout in a World Cup match. He was the first Ukrainian footballer to register over 100 appearances in European cups. Playing for Dynamo Kyiv, Shovkovskiy won the Ukrainian Premier League 11 times. From 1993 to 2012 he made over 370 appearances for the Ukrainian side. Oleksandr made more outings for Dynamo Kyiv than any other footballer in the club’s history.

Shovkovskiy was the first-choice goalie for the Ukraine national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Thanks to his brilliant display during the penalty shootout against Switzerland, Ukraine stepped up to the quarterfinals. Oleksandr earned 92 international caps for Ukraine in between 1994 and 2012.