Andrei Kanchelskis
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Andrei Antanasovich Kanchelskis ( uk, Андрій Антанасович Канчельскіс; russian: Андрей Антанасович Канчельскис; born 23 January 1969) is a professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of
Navbahor Namangan PFC. Navbahor Namangan ( uz, Navbahor Namangan Futbol Klubi) is an Uzbek professional football club based in Namangan. The club's name means ''New Spring.'' They play in Uzbekistan Super League. Name Navbahor origins from Persian word ''Now-Ba ...
in the Uzbekistan Super League. During his playing career, he won two
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
titles in England and two
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when t ...
s. Kanchelskis began his career with his hometown team Zirka Kropyvnytskyi in 1986, before transferring to Dynamo Kyiv in the
Soviet Top League The Soviet Top League, known after 1970 as the Higher League (russian: Чемпионат СССР по футболу: Высшая лига), served as the top division of Soviet Union football from 1936 until 1991. The professional top level ...
, and later to
rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...
. He then moved abroad, signing for English club
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
, where he helped the team win their first league championship in 26 years. He moved to Everton in 1995 where he spent 18 months, before transferring to Italian club
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...
for a record fee for a Soviet-born player. Following an injury-marred spell in Italy, Kanchelskis moved to Scottish club Rangers, where he won a
domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...
in his first season. After falling out of favour, his career became nomadic, playing for
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
and
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in England, and Saudi club Al Hilal, before playing in Russia for the first time for
Saturn Ramenskoye FC Saturn Ramenskoye (russian: Фк Сатурн Ра́менское) is a Russian football club, based in the town of Ramenskoye in Moscow Oblast. It is also sometimes referred to as FC Saturn Moscow Region (russian: Фк Сатурн Моск ...
and Krylia Sovetov, where he played his last games before retiring in 2007. Kanchelskis is the only player to have scored in each of the
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
,
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wir ...
, and
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derbies. After his playing career had finished, Kanchelskis became the general director of Nosta Novotroitsk in 2008, before moving into club management in 2010, managing Torpedo-ZIL Moscow and
Ufa Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...
in Russia, and then
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
n team
Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 49,325 in 2019 ...
in 2014 for three months. In 2016, Kanchelskis returned to management with Solyaris Moscow, and between 2018 and 2020, he had two spells in charge of Navbahor Namangan in
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
. Internationally, Kanchelskis represented three different teams. He first played for the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
in 1989, and scored the nations' last ever goal before the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
in 1991. During 1992, he played for the CIS, a brief association of former
Soviet republics The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...
, who he represented at UEFA Euro 1992. Following the tournament, he elected to represent
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
rather than
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
, the country of his birth. After boycotting the team for the
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
, he returned and played for Russia during
Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
, and won his last
cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
in 1998. Overall, Kanchelskis was capped 59 times, scoring seven goals. In his youth career for the Soviet Union U21 team, he won the European U21 Championship in 1990.


Club career


Early life and career in the Soviet Union

Kanchelskis was born in Kirovohrad in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
's
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
to a Lithuanian father, Antanas, and a Ukrainian mother. Kanchelskis started his career with hometown team Zirka Kropyvnytskyi, known at the time as Zirka Kirovograd. In 1988, he was called up to the army, and had the choice of two teams to transfer to - Dynamo Kyiv and
Dnipro Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...
. Choosing Dynamo, he received a salary of 250
rubles The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...
per month, and described his time in the army as a "good school of life". At Dynamo, Kanchelskis was coached by the legendary
Valeriy Lobanovskyi Valeriy Vasylyovych Lobanovskyi ( uk, Вале́рій Васи́льович Лобано́вський ; russian: Вале́рий Васи́льевич Лобано́вский; 6 January 1939 – 13 May 2002) was а Ukrainian football play ...
, who he believes is the best manager he played for. Lobanovskyi favoured a
4–4–2 In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...
formation, a system which focussed on getting the ball to the flanks and crossing into the penalty box, which Kanchelskis describes as an "English style of play". Kanchelskis had decided to become a winger having seen Brazilian
Jairzinho Jair Ventura Filho (born 25 December 1944), better known as Jairzinho (), is a Brazilian former footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and top scorer of th ...
playing in his youth. His first goal for Dynamo came on 4 November 1988 at the Republican Stadium, scoring the equalising goal against Dynamo Moscow in a 2–1 victory. Kanchelskis eventually decided to leave Dynamo due to lack of game time, causing upset to his mentor Lobanovskyi, who he admired and respected greatly. He then transferred to
Shakhtar Donetsk Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...
in 1990, where his salary was increased to 700 rubles per week.


Moving to England with Manchester United

Kanchelskis signed for
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
in a £650,000 deal on 26 March 1991, with United manager
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
describing it as a "justifiable risk". Ferguson had discovered Kanchelskis through a VHS tape sent to him by Norwegian
agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...
Rune Hauge Rune Hauge (born 23 April 1954) is a Norwegian football agent. Hauge represented John Jensen and Pål Lydersen during their transfers to Arsenal in the early 1990s. This would lead to Arsenal manager George Graham becoming embroiled in allegat ...
, and had been able to personally scout him during a
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
match against
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. At the time, Kanchelskis was a rarity in English football, being one of just 11 players in the First Division from outside the British Isles. He made his United debut in the penultimate league game of the 1990–91 season, a match which United lost 3–0 to
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
at
Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international fo ...
, with Ferguson resting several first team players due to their participation in the European Cup Winners' Cup Final. During his time with United, he received help settling in from George Scanlan, employed by the club as an interpreter, who he became close friends with and who later helped write his first autobiography. Kanchelskis came into a United squad who finished the season in 6th position, with Ferguson under increasing pressure to win the league championship. Kanchelskis won the 1991 European Super Cup with United, defeating
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
winners
Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Be ...
1–0. He established himself as a regular member of the United team, playing in 34 out of 42 league games in the 1991–92 season, as United finished second to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
in a title race that they had led for most of the season, before being overhauled during the final few weeks. However, compensation for Kanchelskis and his teammates had come at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
on 12 April 1992 when a 1–0 win over Nottingham Forest gave them their first ever
Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by t ...
triumph. Kanchelskis scored five league goals that season, finding the net eight times in all competitions. His first United goal was against
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
in a 2–0 league win at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wembl ...
on 2 November 1991. On the opening day of the new Premiership season, Kanchelskis was one of just 11 foreign players starting in the league. Though he primarily played on the right wing, such was the fluidity of United's attacking play that Kanchelskis could switch wings and be as effective, as against defending champions Leeds early in the season, with opposite winger
Ryan Giggs Ryan Joseph Giggs (né Wilson; 29 November 1973) is a Welsh football coach and former player. Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Giggs played his entire professional career for Manchester United and briefly served as ...
delivering a ball from the right to Kanchelskis, drifting from the left wing to the back post, heading into the goal to score United's first in a 2–0 win. Kanchelskis was a regular in the first half of the season before being replaced for the second half of the season by
Lee Sharpe Lee Stuart Sharpe (born 27 May 1971) is an English professional golfer, former professional footballer, sports television pundit and reality television personality. As a player was predominantly a left winger from 1988 to 2004, he notably play ...
, who returned from a bout of
viral meningitis Viral meningitis, also known as aseptic meningitis, is a type of meningitis due to a viral infection. It results in inflammation of the meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord). Symptoms commonly include headache, fever, sen ...
, with Giggs now the favoured choice in Sharpe's previous position on the left flank. Nevertheless, Kanchelskis was a key part of the team who won the first ever
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
title, scoring three goals in 27 league games appearances, as United's 26-year league title wait came to an end. The 1993–94 season brought more success as United won the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
title and the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
, and Kanchelskis was now United's first choice right-winger. 1993–94 was also the first season of squad numbers in the Premier League, and Kanchelskis was issued with the number 14 shirt. Kanchelskis was sent off in the last minute of the League Cup final for deliberate handball;
Dean Saunders Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and s ...
scored from the resulting penalty, ensuring a 3–1 loss to
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...
, a defeat which eventually cost United a domestic treble. Kanchelskis was United's leading goalscorer in the 1994–95 season with 15 goals in 32 games, but missed the final few weeks of the season due to a
hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the groin. Groin her ...
, and during that time United surrendered the league title to
Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
and the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
to Everton. United were also without the suspended
Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French actor, director, producer, and former professional footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Cantona is credited as having made Manchester United a d ...
(who was banned for eight months after he assaulted a spectator against
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
in late January), while
Andy Cole Andrew Alexander Cole (born 15 October 1971) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. His professional career lasted from 1988 to 2008, and is mostly remembered for his time with Manchester United, who paid a Briti ...
was cup-tied for the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
games. His highlight of the 1994–95 season came on 10 November 1994, when he scored a hat-trick for United in their 5–0 home win over neighbours City in the
Manchester derby The Manchester derby refers to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United, first contested in 1881. City play at the City of Manchester Stadium in Bradford, east Manchester, while United play at Old Trafford in the borough of ...
. He had also found the net twice against
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
in a crucial match at
Ewood Park Ewood Park () is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the Football League and Premier League, who have played there since 1890. It is an all seater multi-sports facili ...
on 24 October which United won 4–2. Kanchelskis had played 145 times for United and scored 48 goals in the space of four years, but he had fallen out with manager
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
earlier in the season and failed to patch up his differences with the manager. He was placed on the transfer list in July 1995 and on his departure, he was eventually replaced on the right-hand side of United's midfield by
David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending ...
.


Leaving United and signing for Everton

Bryan Robson Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in ...
made an approach bid to sign Kanchelskis for
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the ...
when it was announced that United would be selling him, bidding £4.5m in July 1995, while there was also interest from
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...
. Robson believed his friendship with Kanchelskis could secure the transfer in Middlesbrough's favour. Kanchelskis confirmed that he would be leaving United, blaming Ferguson for his imminent departure, and eventually agreed to join Everton in August, but the transfer was cancelled due to a claim by Shakhtar Donetsk for money. Kanchelskis was subsequently registered with United for
European competition The European Competition is a student competition in which students of all ages submit creative, artistic, or written pieces of work on the activities of the European Union. Tendered by European Movement Germany, it is the oldest student competition ...
, with the belief he could yet remain with the club, but a compromise between United, Everton and Shakhtar was reached, and he signed for Everton after the beginning of the 1995–96 season, in time for a fixture against
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. Everton paid a club record £5m fee for Kanchelskis, signing a four-year contract worth £13,000 per week. United manager Ferguson later claimed in his autobiography that he was offered a bung of £40,000 to force through a transfer by Grigory Essaoulenko, the agent of Kanchelskis, who denied the allegations. In 1997, an inquiry into potential transfer irregularities in English football was unable to obtain information regarding Kanchelskis' transfers as the owner of Shakhtar,
Akhat Bragin Akhat (Alexander) Khafizovich (Sergeevich) Bragin ( uk, Ахать (Олександр) Хафізович (Сергійович) Брагін, russian: Ахать (Александр) Хафизович (Сергеевич) Брагин, tt-Cyrl, ...
, had been murdered with an explosive device. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' later uncovered that Bragin had stolen over £500k in 1991 when Kanchelskis had transferred to United, money which had been deposited into a
Swiss bank account Banking in Switzerland dates to the early eighteenth century through Switzerland's merchant trade and has, over the centuries, grown into a complex, regulated, and international industry. Banking is seen as Culture of Switzerland, emblematic of ...
by Manchester United, a fact which was only realised by other Shakhtar officials, including
Ravil Safiullin Ravil Safiullin ( uk, Сафіуллін Равіль Сафович; born February 4, 1955, in Makiivka) was Ukraine's Minister of Youth and Sports. Biography Ravil Safiullin was born in a Tatar family. Prior to his ministerial position, Safi ...
, when Kanchelskis transferred to Everton. Kanchelskis, who was contracted to Scottish team Rangers by the time of Ferguson's allegations, denied any involvement, and said Essaoulenko hadn't been his agent since 1991. Having missed the Charity Shield
curtain raiser A curtain raiser is a short performance, stage act, show, actor or performer that opens a show for the main attraction. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain. The first person on stage has "raised the curtain". The fashio ...
against Blackburn due to the delay of the transfer, he made his debut in the match against Southampton, with Everton winning 2–0, their first win of the season. During his first game against Manchester United, since he joined Everton, in early September, Kanchelskis suffered a shoulder injury early into the game following a late tackle by Sharpe, and was substituted off after 14 minutes in an eventual 3–2 defeat. He returned to action against
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...
a month later, missing two chances to score in a 1–1 draw. He rapidly gained cult status with Everton supporters especially after his two goals against Merseyside rivals
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
at Anfield, his first for the club, ensured a 2–1 win, Everton's first triumph at the stadium since 1986. A week later, he put in a Man of the Match performance in a 2–2 draw with
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
, scoring Everton's first three minutes into injury time in the first half, before assisting the equaliser for
Daniel Amokachi Daniel Owefin Amokachi (born 30 December 1972) is a Nigerian football manager and former professional footballer and a member of the dubious goals panel for the Premier League. As a player he was a forward who notably played in the Premier L ...
. His first season with the club saw him score 16 goals, including 10 goals in the last 10 matches, to cap a season of excellent performances which made him arguably the best right-winger in the country; his 16 goals was the Everton goalscoring joint-record in the Premier League, shared with
Tony Cottee Antony Richard Cottee (born 11 July 1965) is an English former professional footballer and manager who now works as a television football commentator. As a player, he was a striker from 1982 until 2001, notably playing in the top flight of En ...
, for 20 years until
Romelu Lukaku Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli (; born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Inter Milan, on loan from club Chelsea, and the Belgium national team. Lukaku began his senior club career playing for Ander ...
broke the record in 2016. On 24 February 1996, Kanchelskis scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win against Nottingham Forest, which moved them into 7th place for the first time since August, increasing their chances of
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
qualification. On 16 April, he again scored against Liverpool, this time in a 1–1 draw, a result which hampered Everton's prospects of qualifying for Europe. He scored his second hat-trick in English football during a 5–2 win at
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
on 27 April, the first Everton player to score hat-trick in any competition for over two years. Everton ultimately missed out on a UEFA Cup, results not going their way on the final weekend of the season. In late January 1998, Kanchelskis was subject to a bid of £6m from Italian club
Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fol ...
, and Fiorentina director Luciano Luna claimed personal terms had been agreed for a four-year contract.


Injury marred spell with Fiorentina

Kanchelskis signed a three-year deal with Fiorentina for a fee of 16 billion
lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...
, signing a four-year contract. The transfer fee was the most expensive for a Russian player, and at the time was one of the most expensive transfers in world football. 1,500 Fiorentina fans turned up to watch Kanchelskis' first training session, and though he passed his medical, Kanchelskis' first match was delayed by an ankle injury, Manager
Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri Grande Ufficiale OMRI (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian football manager and former player. He will be the new head coach of club Cagliari from 1 January 2023. Ranieri began his managerial career in the lower leagues in ...
declared Kanchelskis "the best in the world", and club owner
Vittorio Cecchi Gori Vittorio Cecchi Gori (; born 27 April 1942) is an Italian film producer and politician. He pleaded guilty to bankruptcy and was sentenced in February 2020 to 8 years and 5 months of imprisonment. Born in Florence, Italy he is the son of Mar ...
said Fiorentina had beat out
A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...
, Spanish club
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
, and Dutch club
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
to sign Kanchelskis. New teammates Luís Airton Oliveira,
Stefan Schwarz Hans-Jürgen Stefan Schwarz (born 18 April 1969) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Schwarz started off his career with Malmö FF in 1987 before moving on to represent Benfica, Arsenal, Fiorentina, and Valen ...
, Pasquale Padalino, and Anselmo Robbiati all expressed their joy at the arrival of Kanchelskis, predicting the arrival to be a success for both the team and the player. Wearing the number 32 shirt, he made his debut against
Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85. His ...
on 16 February in a 2–1 defeat. Cecchi Gori claimed Kanchelskis had been deliberately targeted by opposition player due to the cost of the transfer. Kanchelskis' early performances were criticised by Italian newspaper ''
la Repubblica ''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arno ...
'', scoring no goals and managing only one shot on goal in his first five appearances. A hard tackle by
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council * Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
defender Vincent Candela ended his 1996–97 season prematurely, at which point he had played nine games without scoring. He changed his shirt number to 17 for the 1997–98 season, and his form improved in the opening two matchdays of the Serie A campaign, including scoring his first goal against
Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Ital ...
. During the summer, Ranieri had been replaced by
Alberto Malesani Alberto Malesani (; born 5 June 1954) is an Italian football manager and former player. As a manager, he is mostly remembered for his successful spell with Parma during the late 1990s, where he won the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Cup, and the Superco ...
, who had faith in the ability of Kanchelskis. However, he suffered an
ankle The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joi ...
injury after a hard tackle from
Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is t ...
defender Taribo West, punished only with a
yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...
. Returning to action after 40 days in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, he collided with
Gianluca Pagliuca Gianluca Pagliuca (; born 18 December 1966) is an Italian football coach and former professional goalkeeper. He is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, and one of Italy's best keepers ever. Throughout his c ...
and suffered a fracture in his
knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the ...
, being sidelined until the end of January in a
Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
match. By the end of the season, he had played 19 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals, the second of which came on the final day of the season in a 2–0 win against Milan. At the conclusion of the season, Malesani was replaced by
Giovanni Trapattoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), sometimes popularly known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Italian football. A former defensive midfielder, as a p ...
, who didn't see Kanchelskis as being part of his plans. Speaking in 2019, Cecchi Gori, who at the time had described the purchase of Kanchelskis as the "cherry" of the team, said that it was "inevitable" that Kanchelskis would not have success in Italy due to being targeted by opposition players.


Return to Britain

After struggling to make an impact in Italy, he was allowed to leave, and signed for
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when t ...
team Rangers for a national record of £5.5 million, part of the club's total summer spending by manager
Dick Advocaat Dirk Nicolaas Advocaat (; born 27 September 1947) is a Dutch former football player and coach who is currently the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Advocaat was successful as a football player and as a coach, including three stint ...
of £25m. His first goal came for Rangers came in the first-leg of their UEFA Cup qualification second-round match against Greek side PAOK. On 25 April 1999, Kanchelskis scored the second Rangers goal in a 3–1 win against
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...
, moving them within three points of the
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
. Rangers went on to win a
domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...
of the league,
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existe ...
, with Kanchelskis coming on as a substitute as they clinched the third trophy against
Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...
rivals
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...
; in the first fixture of the season against Celtic, Kanchelskis had suffered a broken arm. In his second season with the club, he was dropped from the team, but regained his place in the new year and eventually won the 2000 Scottish Cup Final, amidst reports he could be sold. During the summer, he was a transfer target for Spanish club
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, who wanted a replacement for
Luís Figo Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team, a one ...
, while
Joe Royle Joseph Royle (born 8 April 1949) is an English football manager and former footballer. In his playing career as a striker, he debuted for Everton at the age of 16 and went on to play for Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the ...
, manager of
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, declared his interest in reuniting with Kanchelskis, though he eventually opted to stay with Rangers, saying he was having a "great time" with the club. His relationship with Advocaat eventually broke down, and after a training ground bust-up with teammate Fernando Ricksen, followed by him then refusing to play in a match for the Rangers under-21 team, he emerged as a target for
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
and Manchester City in January 2001. He chose to return to
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
, and made his debut on 31 January, coming on as a half-time substitute for
Andy Morrison Andrew Charles Morrison (born 30 July 1970) is a Scottish football manager and former footballer who is currently head coach of the Sri Lanka national team. As a player he was a central defender who played in the Premier League with Blackburn R ...
in a 1–1 draw with
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
in the league. He played 11 games for City, scoring once in a 4–2 defeat to Liverpool in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
. Despite his successful time with United, Kanchelskis says the clubs' supporters regularly remind him he played 11 matches for their arch-rivals. Upon his return to Rangers, he said he was happy to be back and vowed to give his all for the team, but having received little game time and falling behind
Russell Latapy Russell Nigel Latapy CM (born 2 August 1968) is a Trinidadian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and is currently the assistant coach of Macarthur. In a senior career which spanned more than twenty years at b ...
in the pecking order, began to consider his future. After his release from Rangers upon the expiration of his contract, he went on trial with
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
; manager
Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. He has since managed Co ...
said that Kanchelskis had personally phoned him to ask for permission to train with the club. After a successful trial, Kanchelskis signed with Southampton on 30 August, with a contract lasting until the end of the season. Strachan described Kanchelskis as "just too good a player not to have a club", and said ''Saints'' players were "learning a lot from him". He made his debut against former club Everton, coming on as a second-half substitution in an eventual 1–0 win. After making only one more appearance, Southampton released him early from his contract in February 2003, and he joined Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal, signing a four-month contract, after rejecting the possibility to move to Sheffield Wednesday on loan. During his time with Southampton, Kanchelskis wore the number 7 shirt previously worn by club legend Matt Le Tissier, and said during a 2021 interview with ''
The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories from top professional and college sports ...
'' that while he didn't have a problem wearing the number on his shirt, that it was a "bad decision" due to his lack of success at the club.


Later career, and retirement

His time with Al-Hilal was blighted by a hamstring injury, and he said that though his teammates were skilled, they lacked enthusiasm and passion in matches and training. Kanchelskis played his final game for the club in May 2003, and in July he began training back in England with
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
, a club close to his home in
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...
. He would later reveal he decided to leave Saudi Arabia due to the
Riyadh compound bombings Two major bombings took place in residential compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2003. On 12 May 2003, 39 people were killed, and over 160 wounded when bombs went off at three compounds in Riyadh—Dorrat Al Jadawel, Al Hamra Oasis Village, an ...
. With offers from teams in Japan and the possibility of a return to Al-Hilal, Brighton manager
Steve Coppell Stephen James Coppell (born 9 July 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player. As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and re ...
began talks with Kanchelskis to sign for the club, and after a month of training, he was offered a three-month contract by Brighton, but the move was cancelled when he failed to agree personal terms. Coppell had been excited at the prospect of Kanchelskis training with the club, saying: "when he is on the ball you can just see he is a good player. He's been there, done it played on the highest stage... he's just a top quality player and he seems a good lad". In December 2003, Kanchelskis spoke to Russian media outlet
Sport Express ''Sport-Express'' (russian: Спорт-Экспресс) is a Russian daily sports newspaper founded by Vladimir Kuchmiy. Printed in 31 cities of Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the United States, it is the biggest-selling ...
of a contract offer from
Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...
team Dynamo Moscow. In January 2004, he signed a one-year contract with Dynamo after a trial period with the club. In an interview with
Komsomolskaya Pravda ''Komsomolskaya Pravda'' (russian: link=no, Комсомольская правда; lit. " Komsomol Truth") is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper, founded on 13 March 1925. History and profile During the Soviet era, ''Komsomolskaya Pravda'' w ...
, Kanchelskis said he had turned down big-money offers from
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
and Saudi Arabia in favour of signing for Dynamo. His stay at Dynamo was short-lived when he was sacked for a "disciplinary offence" on the eve of the 2004 season, with manager Jaroslav Hřebík citing a "lack of professionalism". Kanchleskis denied allegations he had turned up to training drunk, and filed an unlawful termination suit with the dispute resolution chamber. In December, the court ruled in favour of Kanchelskis; though he said he had fought against the dismissal "not for money, but for prestige", he was awarded damages equating to his salary from 8 February to 15 December. Soon after his release from Dynamo, he was training with former international teammate
Viktor Onopko Viktor Savelyevich Onopko (russian: link=no, Виктор Савельевич Онопко; born 14 October 1969) is a Russian football coach and a former defender of Ukrainian origin. He is an assistant coach with FC Rostov and the Russia n ...
at
Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
. At the end of May, Saturn manager
Boris Ignatyev Boris Petrovich Ignatyev (russian: Борис Петрович Игнатьев, born 5 December 1940) is a Russian football manager and former player. In 1996–1998 he coached the Russia national team. As a footballer, Ignatyev spent only on ...
confirmed the possibility that Kanchelskis could sign for the club, and in June, Kanchelskis signed a six-month contract with Saturn, with the possibility of a further year. Before making his official debut, he took part in a friendly match against
Rubin Kazan FC Rubin Kazan (russian: Футбо́льный клуб Руби́н Каза́нь, ''Futbolny klub Rubin Kazan'' , Tatar: Рубин Казан) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the second-tier ...
. His debut for Saturn wouldn't come for another month, playing in the 14th round of the championship in a 1–1 draw against Amkar Perm. His first two goals for the club came in a 5–1 win against
Alania Vladikavkaz FC Alania Vladikavkaz (russian: "Алания" (Владикавказ), os, Футболон клуб "Алани" (Дзæуджыхъæу)) is a Russian football team from Vladikavkaz. Founded in 1921, the club played in the Soviet Top League ...
. After another year with Saturn and a short spell with Krylia Sovetov, he retired in February 2007, saying "you need to leave at the right time". He scored one goal for Krylia Sovetov, scoring the opening goal in a 2–1 win against Tom Tomsk on 6 May 2006. He played his last competitive game on 25 November.


International career


Soviet Union and CIS

Kanchelskis was part of the Soviet Union U21 team which won the
1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...
, scoring a goal in the second leg of the final against Yugoslavia U21. Kanchelskis recalls having "no fear" before the first leg, saying the squad was relaxed and had played with "pleasure". He made his senior debut for the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
in 1989, coming on as a substitute for
Gela Ketashvili Gela Giorgis dze Ketashvili ( ka, გელა გიორგის ძე კეტაშვილი, russian: Гела Георгиевич Кеташвили) (born 27 September 1965 in Tbilisi) is a retired Soviet and Georgian footbal ...
in the final minute of a 1–1 draw with
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. He was
capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
23 times for the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
(including its brief successor, the CIS), scoring three goals. He scored, in November 1991 in Cyprus, the last goal in Soviet national team history.


Russia

After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
Kanchelskis chose to represent
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, considered the USSR's official successor team by
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
. Though eligible, he immediately dismissed the chance to play for
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, while he rejected
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
due to them not being able to qualify for a tournament until
Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
. Speaking in 2005 about his choice of representing Russia rather than Ukraine, Kanchelskis described the idea of waiting several years to play international football as an "impermissible luxury", and said he did not regret his choice. Having struggled in the
qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
for the
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
, Russia lost to
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
, and following the match, though he had not played in
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
, Kanchelskis was one of fourteen players to sign a letter sent to
Shamil Tarpishchev Shamil Anvyarovich Tarpishchev or Tarpischev ( rus, Шамиль Анвярович Тарпищев, , ʂɐˈmʲilʲ ɐnˈvʲarəvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈpʲiɕːɪf, tt-Cyrl, Шамил Әнвәр улы Тарпищев; born 7 March 1948) is a Russia ...
, calling for the dismissal of manager
Pavel Sadyrin Pavel Fyodorovich Sadyrin (russian: Павел Фёдорович Садырин; 18 September 1942 – 1 December 2001) was a Soviet and Russian footballer and manager. Career Sadyrin played as a midfielder for Zvezda Perm and Zenit Leningra ...
and the appointment of
Anatoliy Byshovets Anatoliy Fyodorovich Byshovets (russian: Анатолий Фёдорович Бышовец, uk, Анато́лій Фе́дорович Бишове́ць; born 23 April 1946) is a Soviet and Russian football manager of Ukrainian origin and for ...
as the replacement. Kanchelskis was one of five players who refused to be called up to Russia squad for the World Cup, as part of the ongoing player dispute with Sadyrin.


Style of play

Kanchelskis usually played as a right-winger throughout his career, where he was known for his work-rate, pace, explosive acceleration, powerful shot from range, and eye for goal; however, he was not particularly strong in the air. Moreover, he had the ability to run at defenders, put opponents under pressure, and create space for teammates when
dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...
with the ball. In addition to his footballing skills, he also stood out for his professionalism, despite his aggressive playing style.


Post-playing career

Shortly after his retirement as a player in February 2007, Kanchelskis became the sporting director of First Division team
FC Nosta Novotroitsk FC Nosta Novotroitsk is a Russian association football club based in Novotroitsk, Orenburg Oblast. The club finished 16th in the Russian First Division in 2009 and was relegated to the Russian Second Division. In early 2010 it was announced th ...
, with the intended goal of improving the infrastructure of the club. In August 2009, he was in discussion to become a manager for the first time, with
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
team Torpedo-ZIL Moscow, but in September it was announced he would remain with Nosta. In November, Kanchelskis resigned from his role with Nosta and re-entered negotiations with Torpedo-ZIL. Having failed to gain promotion in the 2010 season, Kanchelskis blamed the club for failing to spent on players, describing the 300,000
ruble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...
expenditure as "frivolous", and announced his intent to resign from his role. On 23 December 2010, he was appointed the first manager of the newly founded football club,
FC Ufa FC Ufa (russian: ФК «Уфа», ba, Өфө, Öfö) is a Russian football club based in Ufa that will play in the second-tier Russian First League in the 2022–23 season. History During the summer of 2010, Rustem Khamitov, the second Presid ...
, and stated that promotion to the Football National League was the goal of the club. The club's first ever match occurred on 20 April 2011, with Ufa playing against Syzran-2003 in the Russian Cup, and although the match ended in a 0–0 draw, Ufa lost 1–0 in the subsequent penalty shootout. Competing in the Second Division, the club began their first league season on 24 April, with Kanchelskis guiding his team to their first ever win, a 3–1 victory against
Tyumen Tyumen ( ; rus, Тюмень, p=tʲʉˈmʲenʲ, a=Ru-Tyumen.ogg) is the administrative center and largest city of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is situated just east of the Ural Mountains, along the Tura River. Fueled by the Russian oil and gas in ...
, with striker Konstantin Ionov scoring all three goals. In May 2012, it was announced that Kanchelskis had left Ufa, with the club five points behind league leaders Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and three matches of the season remaining. In June 2012, Kanchelskis joined the coaching staff at Volga Nizhny Novgorod, where he spent a year before departing in June 2013. Upon his departure, he said he had had a "good experience" with Volga, and he left satisfied with the year spent with the club. On 31 August 2014, Kanchelskis became the manager of the
Latvian Higher League Latvian Higher League or Virslīga is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs. The full name of the league is O ...
club FC Jūrmala. He was the replacement for Bulgarian manager Gosho Petkov, who had gained 8 points from 28 games, and had left them in last place in the
league table Standings or rankings are listings which compare sports teams or individuals, institutions, nations, companies, or other entities by ranking them in order of ability or achievement. A table or chart (such as a league table, a ladder or a leaderb ...
, but Kanchelskis failed to avoid relegation. During his spell at Jūrmala, members of the playing squad were regularly unpaid due to the poor on-pitch results. Kanchelskis confirmed his departure in January 2015. In January 2016, Kanchelskis was appointed the new manager of third-tier team Solyaris Moscow following the death of the previous coach
Sergey Shustikov Sergey Viktorovich Shustikov (; 30 September 1970 – 7 January 2016) was a Russian Association football, football coach and player who managed FC Solyaris Moscow from 2014 until his death.the league ''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football leagu ...
. On 9 October 2018, Kanchelskis was appointed manager of the Uzbekistan Super League team
Navbahor Namangan PFC. Navbahor Namangan ( uz, Navbahor Namangan Futbol Klubi) is an Uzbek professional football club based in Namangan. The club's name means ''New Spring.'' They play in Uzbekistan Super League. Name Navbahor origins from Persian word ''Now-Ba ...
, replacing Ilkhom Muminjonov in the role. He signed a contract until the end of the 2018 season, and hired the experienced Russian coach Aleksei Belenkov as his assistant. He won his first game in charge, with midfielder Azizbek Turgunboev scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win against
Buxoro Bukhara ( Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and the city ...
. Navbahor finished third in the league as a result of a 1–0 win against rivals Bunyodkor on 21 November. In June 2019, Kanchelskis resigned from his role, citing the unsatisfactory results which had left the team situated in 4th place in the
league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...
, having earned 18 points from 12 games. However, in August, he was re-appointed manager of Navbahor, replacing
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and signing a three-year contract. In August 2020, Kanchelskis confirmed he had tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...
; Navbahor and Kanchelskis requested for the football authorities to postpone the league due to members of the squad also contracting the virus, but were refused. He was released from hospital on 21 September, and the following week, he said he was still recovering slowly. In October 2020, with the team in 7th place in the
league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...
after 18 matches, Kanchelskis left Navbahor for a second time, on this occasion due to being unpaid for four months, and submitted an application to
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
. In August 2021, FIFA ruled in favour of Kanchelskis, ordering Navbahor to pay $1.6 million plus
interest In finance and economics, interest is payment from a borrower or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is distin ...
. In November, four masked man approached Kanchelskis in a café and threatened to cripple him if he did not take a payment of $80,000. Navbahor released a statement saying that the charges levelled against them were "fictitious, provocative and offensive".


Personal life

Kanchelskis has a son, also named Andrei, who is a supporter of Everton, due to the fondness with which Everton fans remembered his father's short spell with the club. In 1993, Kanchelskis' wife Inna suffered a miscarriage during their first pregnancy.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list the Soviet Union's and Russia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kanchelskis goal.''


Honours

Manchester United *
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
: 1992–93 FA Premier League, 1992–93, 1993–94 FA Premier League, 1993–94 *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...
: 1993–94 FA Cup, 1993–94 *
Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by t ...
: 1991–92 Football League Cup, 1991–92; runner-up: 1993–94 Football League Cup, 1993–94 *FA Charity Shield: 1993 FA Charity Shield, 1993, 1994 FA Charity Shield, 1994 *European Super Cup: 1991 European Super Cup, 1991 Rangers *
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when t ...
: 1998–99 Scottish Premier League, 1998–99, 1999–2000 Scottish Premier League, 1999–2000 *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existe ...
: 1998–99 Scottish League Cup, 1998–99, 2001–02 Scottish League Cup, 2001–02 Soviet Union U21 *UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, 1990 Individual *Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 1994–95 Manchester United F.C. season, 1994–95 *Premier League Player of the Month: 1995–96 FA Premier League#Monthly awards, April 1996


References


External links


Andrei Kanchelskis Career Profile
*
Kanchelskis: all goals in careerAndrei Kanchelskis at eu-football.info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanchelskis, Andrei 1969 births Living people Expatriate footballers in England Russian football managers Russian footballers Russia international footballers Soviet footballers Soviet expatriate footballers Soviet expatriate sportspeople in England Soviet Union under-21 international footballers Soviet Union international footballers Dual internationalists (football) Ukrainian people of Lithuanian descent FC Zirka Kropyvnytskyi players FC Dynamo Kyiv players FC Shakhtar Donetsk players Manchester United F.C. players Everton F.C. players ACF Fiorentina players Rangers F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Al Hilal SFC players FC Saturn Ramenskoye players PFC Krylia Sovetov Samara players Soviet Top League players Premier League players Serie A players Scottish Premier League players Russian Premier League players UEFA Euro 1992 players UEFA Euro 1996 players Russian expatriate footballers Russian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Scotland Expatriate footballers in Saudi Arabia Russian people of Lithuanian descent Russian people of Ukrainian descent FC Ufa managers Association football wingers Saudi Professional League players Russian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Russian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Russian expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Latvia FC Jūrmala managers Russian expatriate sportspeople in Latvia Russian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Navbahor Namangan managers Expatriate football managers in Uzbekistan Russian expatriate sportspeople in Uzbekistan FA Cup Final players