Kovalenko Alexander: biography of the Ukrainian player

Ukrainian midfielder Kovalenko Alexander was once very famous in his homeland. Acting as part of several teams, the midfielder achieved great personal success, due to what was valued in each of the clubs.

Carier start

Kovalenko Alexander Alexandrovich was born on March 24, 1976 in Dnepropetrovsk, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. As a teenager, a young Ukrainian became interested in the prospect of playing football at a professional level and went to the sports school to perfect his skills. Perseverance and talent of the young athlete noticed the coaching staff of Constantin's "Metallurg", where the player moved and signed his first professional contract.

Thanks to his rapid growth on the field Kovalenko Alexander after only half a season moved to Makeyev's "Shakhtar", where he immediately took over the duties of one of the leading players of the team. Two and a half seasons the midfielder demonstrated a high level of the game, for 87 matches in the composition having issued 15 goals and contributing to the output of "Shakhtar" in the First League, due to the second place in the season of 1993/1994 and at the beginning of the championship 1996/1997 was in the Premier League, But already as part of another club.

Coming to the "Dnepr"

The first Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro was able to sign a talented player. Already in the first season for the new club Alexander Kovalenko, a football player with no experience in the elite of Ukrainian football, brought in his finals in the Cup of Ukraine, coming out in the decisive match against the Donetsk "Shakhtar" for a few minutes, as well as the fourth place in the national championship .

Successful performance in the Major League contributed to the invitation of the player to the youth team, for which Kovalenko Alexander played in four games in 1997, after which he did not take part in the games of the national team. Nevertheless, at the club level, the results of the midfielder remained worthy - the second season in the "Dnipro" midfielder played almost entirely, some time training with the youth team. As a result, in the 1997/98 championship Dniproane was again the fourth, and Kovalenko with an asset in 25 games and 3 goals was transferred to the silver medalist of the championship - to the Donetsk "Shakhtar".

Donetsk successes

To play in the basis of "miners" Kovalenko Alexander could not for a long time - because of small injuries his condition, according to the coach, did not correspond to the required level, and almost all the season the midfielder played for the second club, where he scored 2 goals for 27 meetings. After only one season, Alexander, dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, decided to move to another club, having accepted the invitation of another Donetsk team - "Metallurg".

In the first season, Kovalenko Alexander was able to break into the basis of the team and contributed to its rise, in comparison with the previous championship. "Metallurg", showing in the course of the championship more confident game and solidarity, rose 7 places up, taking seventh place. The midfielder himself played in 21 league games, scoring only one goal, but making the center of the Donetsk club is very reliable.

The next two seasons for the midfielder were the continuation of the first - the player, like the whole team, progressed, and after the 7th place the 5th followed, and then the first medal in the elite division of Ukraine was won. According to the results of the championship 2001/02 "Metallurg" took the third place - Kovalenko in that championship played in 15 matches. But on the wave of success, the position of the player in the team began to deteriorate. As a result, despite the consolidation of success by the club - the third place in the second season in a row - the midfielder practically did not go on the field, having played in 3 matches, and after the championship the player left the team.

The game for "Kryvbas"

A new club for Kovalenko Alexander was "Kryvbas". The team from Krivoy Rog was the middle peasants of the highest league, and the experience of the midfielder greatly promoted the growth of the whole team. The first half of the season the Ukrainian regularly went on the field, bringing points to the team, but after the winter break he was able to play only three games for a double, "Kryvbas", which in the summer of 2004 left the club, announcing the retirement.

Life and death after football

Despite the end of the game on the field, Kovalenko's life remained connected with football. Soon after the completion of his career, Alexander entered the judging courses and from 2006 began to take part in regional and amateur competitions. Personal experience allowed the ex-football player to quickly get a second category of referee, and in 2009 he acted as assistant referee of the match in several meetings of the second league of the championship of Ukraine.

In 2010, Kovalenko ceased to be involved in the games of the championship and for some time stopped appearing in the media reports until on December 21 the newspapers published a shocking message about the suicide of a famous player. The football player threw himself out of the window of his apartment, breaking to death. The official reason for the suicide Alexander was never named, noting that suicide among former players is not uncommon. But, in spite of the tragic end, Alexander Kovalenko will long be remembered as an example for imitation in terms of a professional attitude to football both on the playing arena and outside it.