Russian footballer (born 1969)
Viktor Savelyevich Onopko (Russian: Виктор Савельевич Онопко ; born 14 October 1969) is a former Russian football defender . He is the assistant manager of both FC Rostov in the Russian Premier League and the Russia national team .
As a player, Onopko held the record for most international appearances for the Russia national team until 2015.[ 1]
Club career
Onopko's career as a player started in 1986. During that time, he played for Shakhtar Donetsk , Spartak Moscow , Real Oviedo , Rayo Vallecano , Alania Vladikavkaz and Saturn Ramenskoye . He retired as a player in 2005.
International career
Eligible to play for both the Ukrainian and Russian national teams , Onopko chose the latter (unlike his brother Sergey , who opted to play for Ukraine). He amassed 109 caps (plus 4 for the CIS , including in the 1992 Euros ). He played in the 1994 and 2002 world cups , as well as 1996 Euros . Onopko was in the preliminary squad for Euro 2004 but was dropped due to injury. With the national team, in 2003 he won the Cyprus friendly tournament [ 2]
After retiring, in 2009, he was part of the Russia squad that won the 2009 Legends Cup .
Coaching career
Onopko worked for 11 years as an assistant coach for CSKA Moscow .
On 26 July 2021, he was hired as an assistant to Valeri Karpin in the Russia national team .[ 3]
In February 2022, after FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian clubs and the national teams from international competitions amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Karpin returned as manager to FC Rostov and hired Onopko as his assistant there as well.[ 4] [ 5]
Personal life
Onopoko was born in Voroshilovgrad (now called Lugansk) in the Soviet Union . Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, he acquired both Ukrainian and Russian citizenships .
Viktor has a younger brother, Serhiy , who also played as a professional footballer.
Career statistics
Club
International goals
Honours
Spartak Moscow
Individual
External links
See also
References
