Alexander Gaidash Ukrainian footballer, striker Date of Birth: 07.08.1967 Country: Ukraine

1. Early Life and Football Career
2. Military Service and Shakhtar Debut
3. Army and Club Transfers
4. Breakthrough at Tavriya Simferopol
5. Contract with Sarıyer
6. Return to Tavriya and International Debut
7. Career in Israel
8. Later Career and Retirement
9. Coaching Career
10. Family

Early Life and Football Career

Aleksandr Haydash was born in Mariupol, Ukraine. He began playing football for the local team Fakel under the guidance of coach Nikolay Petrovich Kravtsov. However, in 1980, he suffered from leg rheumatism and was hospitalized. Thanks to the help of Petr Efimovich Shulman, Haydash was able to continue playing football despite his injury.

In 1984, Haydash joined the 2nd league club Novateur in Zhdanov. He soon caught the attention of coaches from Shakhtar Donetsk, and he spent the next two years with the club's reserves.

Military Service and Shakhtar Debut

In December 1986, Haydash was drafted into the army and served his military duty. After his return, he rejoined Shakhtar, where he played until the summer of 1987. In a memorable match against Dynamo Tbilisi, Haydash scored four goals and earned a penalty for Shakhtar, earning him a spot in the first team.

Army and Club Transfers

After his impressive performance, Haydash was loaned to the 2nd league club SKA Kiev and later played for the reserves of CSKA Moscow. In 1988, he returned to Novateur, but struggled to make an impact.

Breakthrough at Tavriya Simferopol

In 1988, Haydash joined Tavriya Simferopol upon the request of coach Anatoly Zayayev. In 1989, Tavriya performed exceptionally well, finishing sixth in the 1st league and Haydash becoming the league's third-highest goalscorer with 27 goals.

Contract with Sarıyer

In November 1991, Haydash signed a contract with the Turkish club Sarıyer. However, due to injuries and disagreements with the management, his time in Turkey was short-lived, and he returned to Ukraine in the summer of 1992.

Return to Tavriya and International Debut

Despite an offer from Dnipro, Haydash chose to stay with Tavriya for the 1992/93 season. In 1993, he earned two caps for the Ukrainian national team, playing against Israel and Lithuania.

Career in Israel

In December 1993, Haydash moved to Israel, signing for Maccabi Herzliya. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury in his first game and was sidelined for two months. After recovering, he found it difficult to regain his form due to the limit on foreign players and the presence of another successful foreigner in his position.

Haydash returned to Tavriya for the 1994/95 season before moving back to Israel, where he signed with Maccabi Yavne. He performed well for his new team, scoring 13 goals in the league and cup. However, his career in Israel was cut short due to an aggravation of Botkin's disease.

Later Career and Retirement

Haydash returned to Tavriya from 1996 to 1999, serving as team captain. In 1999, he joined Metalurh Mariupol after leaving Tavriya due to financial issues.

In 2001, Haydash suffered a car accident and sustained a broken collarbone. Despite this setback, he returned to the field in May of the same year. He retired after the autumn part of the 2003/04 season, having played 259 matches and scored 95 goals in the Ukrainian top league.

Coaching Career

After his retirement, Haydash worked as a team manager for Tavriya and later as a sporting director for Krymteplitsa. He also served as head coach for various clubs, including Yalos Yalta, Krymteplitsa, and Phoenix-Ilyichevets.

Family

Aleksandr Haydash is married to Elena and has two sons, Andrey and Yevgeniy, who are also professional footballers.