Luzhniy Oleg Romanovich is a football player, coach, whom his homeland can be proud of. It is about this wonderful person that the article will be discussed.
Becoming a player and coach
Soviet, and later Ukrainian athlete, coach Oleg Romanovich Luzhny was born on August 5, 1968 in the city of Lviv. As a player, he spent the bulk of his career defending the colors of Dynamo Kyiv. He acted as a right-back. He was one of those who created a whole series of sensational victories in Kiev in the Champions League, held in the second half of the nineties.
Carier start
The debut of the young defender in the national team of the USSR took place at the age of 20. Subsequently, he spent 8 matches in a T-shirt of the national team of the country. These games were from 1989 to 1990. But, unfortunately, the football player Oleg Luzhny was forced to miss the world football championship, which took place in Italy in 1990, due to an injury. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist, Luzhny joined the Ukrainian national team and spent more than fifty matches for it. But as part of this team, he was not able to break into the final tournament of world and European championships. Ukrainian football players three times dropped out at the playoff stage of the qualifying rounds. It should be noted that for a long time Oleg Luzhnoy had the honor of bringing the national team to the football field with the rank of team captain.
London period
In the summer of 1999, the player put his signature on an agreement with one of the leading English clubs - London's Arsenal. Oleg pleasantly surprised with his game the head coach of the “Gunners” Arsene Wenger. This happened in the games of his now former team against the Londoners as part of the Champions League tournament. Then the Kievans in full-time confrontation achieved victory with a total score of 4: 2. Accepting the offer of the management of the English club, he signed a 3-year contract, and he was awarded a T-shirt with 22nd number.
For the first year of his performance as a member of the famous club, Oleg Luzhny achieved good results. He played 30 matches, received a warning twice and was once removed during the match. He became the silver medalist of the English championship and played in the final match of the UEFA Cup, where his team lost to the Turkish “Galatasaray”. In addition, Luzhny entered the field in two games of the Champions League.
In the next season, he went on the green lawn both in the main team, and replacing other players. He could play more often, but rather frequent injuries and an already respectable age by football standards made themselves felt. 38 matches were held in the national championship, a couple in the League Cup, plus European Cup matches. In general, more than fifty matches are recruited during the season, which is a serious test for any player. “Arsenal” again finished in second place in the championship of England, missing the team “Manchester United”, and became the finalist of the national Cup.
Season 01/02 was the most successful for Oleg Luzhny as part of the London club. The gunners finally won the English football championship. In addition, having won the final game of the English Cup of compatriots from Chelsea, they won the cup. Thus, the wards of Arsene Wenger made a kind of “golden double”. It is noteworthy that in one of the matches, Luzhny in the absence of other experienced players in the club was the team captain. In 2002, the contract expired for a Ukrainian footballer, but the team’s management proposed to extend it for another year.
In the last 12 months spent at Arsenal, he participated in 17 games in the Premier League, receiving 3 warnings. The Londoners took their already familiar second place, again missing the club from Manchester to the top of the table.
The last match of Luzhny was the final match of the FA Cup, in which his club played against Southampton. Having splendidly spent the whole match, Oleg was awarded the title of player of the match and rightfully, together with the team, raised the national cup over his head. His career in one of the strongest clubs not only in England but also in Europe was completed on a major note.
Player Retirement
Despite a few suggestions from the middle-league clubs of the English league, Oleg Luzhny went to play in Lithuania, where he completed his playing career. As a football player himself later admitted, he could have performed at a fairly high level for several years.
He had one of the best careers among Ukrainians in the English Premier League. In addition to winning the trophies mentioned above, he was recognized several times as the defender of the month and was included in the top ten defenders at the end of the season. In general, he played his segment of time in England very well, but he came there already as a rather mature master of a leather ball. Now, if he had been invited 2-3 years earlier, there would undoubtedly be more victories and trophies.
Coaching career stage
What about this stage in the life of a football player will tell us a biography? Oleg May Luzhny in May 2006, took up the duties of assistant coach of Dynamo from the capital of Ukraine. From November to December 2007, he temporarily led the team. After appointing a new head coach at the beginning of 2008, he returned to the performance of his main duties as a team. Later, he again had to take the reins of team management into his own hands, and he did this with his characteristic skill and confidence.
Here is such a rich and interesting life with the favorite of many football fans - Oleg Romanovich Luzhny. Young people have something to be proud of and with whom to take an example!