Ukrainian midfielder Kovalenko Alexander was once very famous in his homeland. Speaking in several teams, the midfielder achieved great personal success, which is why he was appreciated in each of the clubs.
Carier start
Kovalenko Alexander Alexandrovich was born on March 24, 1976 in Dnepropetrovsk, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. As a teenager, a young Ukrainian became interested in the prospect of playing soccer at a professional level and went to a sports school to hone his skills. The stubbornness and talent of the young athlete was noticed by the coaching staff of Konstantinovsky “Metallurg”, where the player moved by signing his first professional contract.
Thanks to his rapid growth on the Kovalenko field, Alexander, after only half a season, switched to Makeevka Shakhtar, where he immediately assumed the duties of one of the team’s leading players. For two and a half seasons, the midfielder showed a high level of play, for 87 games in the squad having drawn up 15 goals and facilitating Shakhtar getting into the First League, due to second place in the 1993/1994 season and at the beginning of the 1996/1997 championship, he ended up in the Premier League, but already as part of another club.
Parish in the Dnieper
Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro was the first to sign a talented player. Already in the first season for the new club, Kovalenko Alexander, a football player with no experience playing in the elite of Ukrainian football, made his final in the Ukrainian Cup, leaving in the decisive match against Shakhtar Donetsk for a few minutes, and also 4th place in the national championship .
A successful performance in the Premier League contributed to the invitation of the player to the youth team, for which Alexander Kovalenko played in 4 meetings in 1997, after which he no longer participated in the games of the national team. Nevertheless, at the club level, the results of the midfielder remained decent - the second season as a part of Dnipro, the midfielder played almost entirely, while training with the youth team for some time. As a result, in the 1997/98 championship, the Dnepr were again fourth, and Kovalenko with an asset of 25 games and 3 goals moved to the silver medalist of the championship - in Donetsk “Shakhtar”.
Donetsk success
Alexander could not play the basis of the Pitmen for a long time - due to minor injuries, his condition, according to the coach, did not meet the required level, and the midfielder played for the club’s second line-up for almost the entire season, where he scored 2 goals in 27 meetings. After only one season, Alexander, dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, decided to move to another club, accepting the invitation of another Donetsk team - “Metallurg”.
In the very first season, Alexander Kovalenko was able to break into the core of the team and contributed to its rise, in comparison with the previous championship. “Metallurg”, showing in the course of the championship a more confident game and solidarity, rose 7 lines up, taking seventh place. The midfielder himself played in 21 matches of the major league, scoring only one goal, but making the center of the Donetsk club field very reliable.
The next two seasons for the midfielder were a continuation of the first - the player, like the whole team, progressed, and after 7th place followed 5th, and then the first medal was won in the elite division of Ukraine. According to the results of the championship 2001/02, “Metallurg” took third place - Kovalenko in that championship played in 15 matches. But in the wake of success, the player’s position in the team began to deteriorate. As a result, despite the club securing success - the third place in the second season in a row - the midfielder practically did not go on the field, playing in 3 matches, and after the championship the football player left the team.
The game for Kryvbas
The new club for Kovalenko Alexander was “Krivbass”. The team from Krivoy Rog was the middle peasant of the major league, and the experience of the midfielder greatly contributed to the growth of the entire team. For the first half of the season, the Ukrainian regularly took to the field, bringing points to the team, but after a winter break he could only play three matches for the Krivbass double, as a result of which he left the club in the summer of 2004, announcing his retirement.
Life and death after football
Despite the end of the game on the field, Kovalenko’s life remained connected with football. Shortly after completing his career, Alexander entered the judiciary courses and since 2006 began to take part in regional and amateur competitions. Personal experience allowed the ex-footballer to quickly get the second category of referee, and in 2009 he acted as an assistant to the chief referee of the match in several meetings of the second league of the championship of Ukraine.
In 2010, Kovalenko ceased to be involved in the championship games and for some time ceased to appear in media reports until the shocking news about the suicide of a famous player was published in newspapers on December 21. A football player jumped out of the window of his apartment, crashed to death. Alexander was never named the official reason for the suicide, noting that suicides among former players are not uncommon. But, despite the tragic end, Alexander Kovalenko will be remembered for a long time as an example to follow in terms of professional attitude to football both in the game arena and outside it.