Ukrainian footballer
Oleksii Ihorovych Shliakotin (Ukrainian: Олексій Ігорович Шлякотін; born 2 September 1989) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Hong Kong Premier League club Rangers.
Club career
Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Shliakotin is a graduate of the Dynamo Kyiv football academy of Valeriy Lobanovskyi, where he was enrolled in 1997, aged 8, by Oleksandr Lysenko, and played at its various levels. By doing so, he left his family home when was eleven.[1] In 2005, he was called up to Ukraine national under-17 team. In 2006, he signed his first professional contract with the second division team Dynamo-3 Kyiv.
In July 2010, Shliakotin moved to Poland, where he played for the next five years.[2] In January 2011, he received an offer from MŠK Žilina, champions of Slovakia, but transfer never materialised.[3]
In January 2012, Shliakotin was brought to the attention of Leszek Ojrzyński,[4] and subsequently signed for Korona Kielce,[5] where he has worked with Maciej Szczęsny.
In early July 2015, Shliakotin signed a two-year deal with recently promoted C.F. União.[6][7]
In 2016, he moved to Hong Kong to sign for Hong Kong Premier League club Biu Chun Glory Sky.[8]
In May 2017, Shliakotin was nominated for "Goalkeeper of the Year", and "Player of The Year" in Hong Kong Premier League.[9] Three of his saves were nominated for "Save of the Year" in Hong Kong Premier League.[10]
On 2 August 2017, it was revealed that Rangers had signed Shliakotin.[11]
On 22 October 2020, Rangers announced that Shliakotin would return to the club after two years away from the game.[12]
On 4 October 2022, he joined Sham Shui Po.[1]
On 31 January 2024, Shliakotin was loaned to Rangers, before joining them on a permanent basis in July 2024.[citation needed]
Personal life
Shliakotin is married to Panamanian restaurateur Elizabeth Caballero. [13] He spoke out about the invasion in Ukraine, saying: "It’s definitely the worst feeling I’ve ever experienced in my life – definitely the hardest moments I’ve ever been through" and that his parents were living in Kyiv when the invasion took place.[14] As a result, his parents and sister lost their house and took refuge in Germany, where they received "refugee status".[1]
Having lived in Hong Kong for seven years, he said he's open to playing for the national team and is eligible to apply for a Hong Kong passport.[1]
Honours
Rangers
References
External links
