Alexander Gritsay Ukrainian football player, midfielder. Date of Birth: 30.09.1977 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Alexander Hrytsai

Alexander Hrytsai is a Ukrainian footballer and midfielder who has played for the Ukrainian national team. He began playing football at the Cherkasy Sports School of Olympic Reserve in second grade, where he was introduced to the sport by his older brother Oleg. His first coach was Valeriy Mykolaiovych Podhorna.

After finishing his time at the sports school, Hrytsai played for amateur teams in the Chernihiv region. It was there that he caught the attention of Semen Osinovsky, the coach of FC Cherkasy, who invited Hrytsai to join the team. His brother Oleg was already playing for Cherkasy at that time. The team performed well and aimed to be promoted to the top league.

Hrytsai soon received several offers from clubs in Russia and Dnipro’s FC Dnipro to continue his career. He chose to join a Ukrainian club and in 2000, he relocated to Dnipro along with his brother. He made his debut in the top league in March 2000, in a match between Dnipro and Kryvbas.

Hrytsai’s best years in his career were spent with the Dnipro club. He twice became a medalist in the championship, played in the final of the Ukrainian Cup, participated in European competitions, and received a call-up to the Ukrainian national team, making his debut on August 22, 2007, in a friendly match against the Uzbekistan national team.

After eight seasons with the Dnipro club, Hrytsai moved to Krivbas in 2009. After completing the second half of the season with Krivbas, he responded to an offer from the coach of Kyiv’s Arsenal, Oleksandr Zavarov, to join the capital club. He successfully established himself in the starting lineup at his new club.

In January 2012, after the expiration of his contract, despite consistently playing in the starting lineup, the management of the Kyiv club decided not to renew the agreement with the 34-year-old midfielder. Following this, Hrytsai accepted an invitation from Zorya Luhansk and signed a two-year contract with the club.

Hrytsai graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk State Institute of Physical Culture in 2008. He met his wife, Irina, at the birthday party of footballer Serhiy Kosylov. They have a son named Oleg and a daughter named Masha.