Sergey Kovalets
Ukraine- Biography of Sergey Kovalec
- Career at Dynamo Kiev and Other Clubs
- International Career
- Coaching Career
- Personal Life
- Work as an Expert
Biography of Sergey Kovalec
Early Life and Professional CareerSergey Kovalec is a Ukrainian footballer, midfielder, and coach. He was born in Krasilov, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, and began his football journey at the DYuSSH Krasilov under the guidance of Victor Andreevich Bezyadin and Yakov Davidovich Gorbachev. In 1984, he started playing for the adult team "Sluch" in Krasilov. The following year, he was invited to join the masters team of Podillya in Khmelnytskyi. In 1986, he served in the army and played for the army team "Zvezda" in Berdychiv, becoming the champion of the IX Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in 1986. After completing his military service, he received an offer from "Niva" in Vinnitsa but decided to return to his hometown club "Podillya" to start his professional career. He had an impressive season, becoming one of the top scorers and best players of the team.
Career at Dynamo Kiev and Other Clubs
In October 1989, Kovalec signed a contract with Dynamo Kiev, where he quickly became a part of the first team. He played for Dynamo Kiev in two UEFA Champions League tournaments and four UEFA Cups. In early 1995, he transferred to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Throughout his career, he also played for other Ukrainian clubs such as Chernomorets Odessa, Metalurg Zaporizhzhia, and Karpaty Lviv. Kovalec served as the captain of both Karpaty and Dynamo Kiev. He played 268 games in the Ukrainian Premier League and scored 33 goals. In the Soviet Top League, he played 34 games and scored 7 goals. In 1996, he became the first Ukrainian player to sign an advertising contract with a foreign company, becoming the face of Lotto in Ukraine.
International Career
Kovalec represented the Ukrainian national team in 10 matches. He made his debut on April 29, 1992, in a friendly match against Hungary. This was the first match in the history of the Ukrainian national team. He played his last match for the national team on November 13, 1994, against Estonia. He reached the milestone of 10 games for the national team, becoming the third player alongside Sergey Bezhinar to achieve this feat.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Kovalec ventured into coaching. From 2005, he worked in the coaching staff of Metalist Kharkiv under the guidance of Miron Markevich. In 2008, he became the head coach of FC Lviv, but the team could not maintain its position in the Premier League and mutually terminated their contract at the end of the season. From the summer of 2009 to January 2010, he served as the head coach of FC Oleksandriya. From January 2010 to October 2011, he returned to be the head coach of FC Obolon. In 2012, he briefly worked in Slovakia as the head coach of Tatran, helping the team remain in the top division. He also had coaching stints at Metalurh Zaporizhzhia and the Ukrainian U21 national team. In 2016, he became the head coach of Trakai FK in Lithuania and later returned to Tatran in Slovakia. He also coached FC Obolon-Brovar in the Ukrainian First League.
Personal Life
Kovalec has been married to Angelika Kamyshna since 1992. They have three children together: a stepdaughter Alina (born 1989), a daughter Daria (born 1998), and a son Kirill (born 1993).
Work as an Expert
From spring to summer 2016, Kovalec worked as a football expert on the channels "Football 1" and "Football 2".
