Artem Milevskiy Belarusian and Ukrainian footballer, forward. Date of Birth: 12.01.1985 Country: Ukraine

Artem Milevskyi - Belarusian and Ukrainian Footballer

Artem Milevskyi is a Belarusian and Ukrainian footballer who played as a forward. He started his career in Belarus, training at the Minsk Youth Sports School "Smena" from the age of seven under the guidance of his first coach Nikolai Volkov. He represented the Belarusian youth national team and played his last match for them on September 28, 2000.

In 2000, at the age of 15, Milevskyi moved to Ukraine and joined the football academy of renowned coach Pavel Yakovenko. From 2001 to 2002, he played for the reserve team of FC Borisfen, and then moved to the second team of Dynamo Kyiv. In the following years, he became a regular player for the main team of Dynamo Kyiv.

In November 2012, Milevskyi was moved to Dynamo Kyiv's reserve team by head coach Oleg Blokhin, who cited a decrease in his physical form as the reason. This decision led to rumors of interest from various clubs such as Besiktas, Kasimpasa, and Arsenal Kyiv. Milevskyi even negotiated a loan move to Livorno, but it did not materialize due to delays in confirmation from Dynamo Kyiv. He eventually left the club on September 5, 2013, when his contract expired, and joined Turkish club Gaziantepspor on a 3-year deal.

Milevskyi made his debut for Gaziantepspor on September 20, 2013, in an away match against Akhisar Belediyespor. He scored his first goal for the club on September 28, 2013, in a home match against Karabukspor. However, he terminated his contract with Gaziantepspor on December 31, 2013, due to non-payment of his salary. He received a compensation of 100,000 euros for the contract termination.

In late July 2014, Milevskyi joined Croatian club Hajduk Split. He scored his first goal for Hajduk on October 26, 2014. He played a total of 27 official matches for the club, scoring 3 goals.

Milevskyi had subsequent stints with Split and Romanian club Concordia before signing a two-year contract with Russian club FC Tosno in September 2016. However, his contract was terminated after a month.

On July 6, 2017, Milevskyi signed a 1.5-year contract with Dynamo Brest. He played 38 matches for the club, scoring 10 goals and providing 13 assists. He left the club in July 2018. Later that year, he joined Hungarian club Kisvarda on a two-year contract.

On January 12, 2019, Milevskyi signed a contract with Dynamo Brest again. In the same year, he won the national championship with the team. In December 2020, he signed a contract with Ukrainian Premier League club Minaj. After the season, he left the club. On September 23, 2021, he announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 38.

In the National Team
Although he expressed his desire to play for the Ukrainian national team, Milevskyi faced obstacles as the Belarusian Football Federation did not want to release him to Ukraine. A scandal ensued, which was mediated by FIFA President Joseph Blatter and the president of the Russian Football Union Vyacheslav Koloskov. Eventually, a memorandum was signed, and Milevskyi voluntarily renounced his Belarusian citizenship.

Despite not playing any games for the Ukrainian national team, Milevskyi was included in the squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. He made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in a group stage match against Saudi Arabia. He played in the round of 16 match against Switzerland, scoring a penalty in the shootout. He also participated in the Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns.

Controversies
Throughout his career, Milevskyi has been involved in several sports controversies, mostly related to his extravagant lifestyle.

Family
Milevskyi's younger sister, Ksenia, is a former Belarusian tennis player who achieved the title of "International Class Master" at the age of 17. She was ranked second among junior players worldwide and reached the top 250 in the WTA rankings. She retired in 2012 and is currently working as a tennis coach.