Andrey Demchenko Playmaker Date of Birth: 20.08.1976 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Andrey Demchenko

Andrey Demchenko was born in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, where he began his football career. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, he moved to Russia and started playing for CSKA Moscow. He was called up to the Russian youth and U-21 national teams, and was considered a promising player.

In 1994, after the European Youth Championship in Spain, where players like Kluivert, Raul, De La Pena, and Davids shone, Demchenko, with the help of his agent at the time, Konstantin Sarsania, went on a two-week trial to Ajax in Amsterdam. The Dutch club signed him, although not without difficulties. They initially offered him a salary of $5,000 per month for the first year, while he wanted $15,000. They showed him Kluivert's contract, signed a year earlier for $3,000, and since the club renegotiated contracts every year, Demchenko had to negotiate. He thought for three hours and hesitated to sign the contract, as he was also wanted by Bayern Munich, Stuttgart, and Fiorentina, who saw him as the top scorer of the European Championship.

Ultimately, then-coach Louis van Gaal came and gave Demchenko only 15 (according to other sources, 3) minutes to decide, and he agreed. The contract was signed for 3.5 years. In his first season, Ajax won the UEFA Champions League and became the Dutch champions. Demchenko's shining moment came in the Super Cup match against Zaragoza when he almost scored. However, as time went on, van Gaal left, and Demchenko remained a young player with potential among stars like Kluivert, De Boer, Blind, Musampa, Wouters, Finidi, Litmanen, Overmars, Seedorf, Davids, Rijkaard, and others.

Then Danish coach Morten Olsen arrived, who did not include Demchenko in the squad and did not want to renew his contract, which he was informed of shortly before the start of the Dutch championship. There was little time left for job opportunities in Europe, although he had previously received offers from Spain and the Netherlands. A revolution began at Ajax when De Boer was refused. Another contributing factor was that Demchenko did not have his own agent, which was surprising for a foreign player in such a prestigious club.

Demchenko lost control and returned home, and soon began playing for Zaporizhia's "Metalurh," where he started his career. Despite offers from Europe, it would have been worth staying in Europe. With his experience from the Ajax school, he could have continued to play in the same Holland.