DonetskWay Ukrainian Player of the Year 2015 Nominees & Vote

To vote please visit - https://donetskway.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/donetsk-way-ukrainian-footballer-of-the-year-2015/

проголосувати за гравця року тут - https://donetskway.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/donetsk-way-ukrainian-footballer-of-the-year-2015/

 –Yarmolenko won his first league title with Dynamo in 2015

Andriy Yarmolenko

Our 2014 player of the year has continued his form into 2015.  He has continued his scoring form and continues to create goals for both club and country, becoming the main man for both sides.  His exploits at Dynamo saw them secure their first title for 5 years and secured the Ukrainian Cup again, while his goals for Ukraine saw them secure qualification for Euro 2016, he continues to close in on Andriy Shevchenko’s goal scoring record.  Despite a gentleman’s agreement, and interest from abroad, including Everton, Yarmolenko remained at Dynamo with rumours of further agreements for a move in the summer of 2016.  His goals for Dynamo in the Champions League helped them secure a minimum of a Europa League place.

Konoplyanka played a crucial role for Dnipro and Ukraine in a successful 2015 before making his move to join Seville in La Liga

Yevhen Konoplyanka

Another stellar year from our 2013 winner Yevhen Konoplyanka has seen him become one of the top footballers in Europe.  He was instrumental in the Dnipro side which reached the Europe League final and played an important role in the final itself, which Dnipro ultimately lost.  After his exploits with Dnipro, Konoplyanka got his dream move into one of Europe’s top divisions as he joined Seville, despite being linked to countless clubs around Europe.  This form saw him named in the Europa League Squad of the Year and has seen him nominated for the UEFA Team of the Year.  After a slow start at Seville, adapting to the clubs style he has become one of the key men and has been earning glowing reviews from pundits most notably for his performance against Real Madrid.  He has continued to excel with Ukraine, taking his number of goals to double figures and was pivotal in their qualification to Euro 2016.  Mykhaylo Fomenko even made Konoplyanka captain for the two legged play-off against Slovenia.

Boyko produced man of the match performances on the way to the Europa League Final

Denys Boyko

The Dnipro keeper put in a string of fantastic performances in the sides run to the Europe League final.  He managed to put in a host of man of the match performances’ for Myron Markevychs’ side, including world class saves to keep Dnipro in the tie.  He played every minute of Dnipro’s run (19 games) and kept sheets in all four home knock out ties.  He has not however managed to dislodge Andriy Pyatov as the Ukraine number one, but has proven more than capable on the big stage should he be required to step up.  His form for Dnipro has also seen him be nominated as one of the top four goalkeepers (alongside Gigi Buffon, Manuel Neuer and Joe Hart) in European competition this year and is a contender for UEFA Team of the Year.

Kovalenko was the Golden Boot Winner at the U20 World Cup in New Zealand

Viktor Kovalenko

The Shakhtar youngster continues to impress and grow in stature.  He is maturing and is showing signs of being a key player in Mircea Lucescu’s side in the future.  He received the golden boot at the U20 World Cup where he scored five goals for Ukraine in only four games and played an instrumental role in getting Shakhtar to the UEFA Youth League final.  This form saw him get linked to some of Europe’s elite clubs, but Shakhtar have tied him down and invested in his future.  He broke into Myhaylo Fomenko’s Ukraine squad for the European Qualifiers but didn’t break into the side but has returned to the U21 side to continue his development.  He has had an excellent year and if he continues his progression he will be a star for Ukraine for many years to come.

Seleznyov continues to score crucial goals for Dnipro and Ukraine

Yevhen Seleznyov

The Donetsk born forward continues to do what he does best, put the ball in the back of the net.  He is another player from the list who was part of the Dnipro squad which reached the europe League final, scoring crucial goals on the path to Warsaw, before somewhat controversially being left on the bench for the final.  For Ukraine he has scored some crucial goals, keeping them in contention for qualifying, before ultimately starting the play-off ties and helping Ukraine secure qualification for Euro 2016.  He too has been linked with transfers away from Dnipro as he has shown he is a natural goalscorer, an asset for any side.

Karavaevs form has seen his break into the Ukraine squad

Oleksandr Karavaev

Karavaev is one of a number of players for Zorya Luhansk who has improved and shown he can compete with the best in the country.  He is one of several Shakhtar players to be on loan to Zorya and could be a key player for both sides in the years to come.  He has broken into the Ukraine squad, although to date his only contributions have come from the bench as yet, he could have a key role to play for Ukraine at Euro 2016.

Please vote in our poll and share the link as we look forward to name the Donetsk Way Ukrainian Footballer of the Year for 2015 at the end of December.

Previous Winners :

2014 – Andriy Yarmolenko

2013 – Yevhen Konoplyanka

Article by Petro Chymera, Vice-President of the UK Ukrainian Sports Supporters Club and Co-founder of the Viktor Leonenko Hall of Fame.  Follow Petro on twitter – @PMChymera89 & @DonetskWay2012