Serhiy Volodymyrovych Perkhun (; 4 September 1977 – 28 August 2001) was a Ukrainian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. He is the only player to date in the history of the

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; , ''Rossiyskaya premyer-liga''; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is a professional association football league in Russia and the highest level of the Russian football league system. It was establis ...

to die from injuries sustained during an official game.

Career

In 1993–1998, he played for

FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Football Club Dnipro (, ) was a Ukrainian football club based in Dnipro. The club played its last season in the 2018–19 Ukrainian Amateur League. The club was owned by Ukrainian businessman Ihor Kolomoyskyi. In 2018, FC Dnipro was forced ...

. In 1999–2000, he was a first choice goalkeeper for

Sheriff Tiraspol Fotbal Club Sheriff Tiraspol (), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria, that plays in the Liga, the top tier o ...

. In 2001, he was a first choice goalkeeper for

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

. Serhiy was also capped by the

Ukraine national football team The Ukraine national football team ( ) represents Ukraine in men's international Association football, football, and is governed by the Ukrainian Association of Football, the governing body for football in Ukraine. Ukraine's home ground is the ...

in a friendly game against Latvia on 15 August 2001, just 3 days before the accident that led to his death on the 28th. He played in the second half of the match. He is the youngest player, as of August 2020, in the history of the top league of the Ukrainian football, making his debut at the age of 16 years and 34 days in the game for

against

FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih () is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kryvyi Rih. Until 2013 the club participated in professional competitions. In June 2013 the club went bankrupt and was expelled from the Ukrainian Premier League. Ther ...

on 8 October 1993 in the

Ukrainian Premier League The Ukrainian Premier League ( ) or UPL is a professional association football league in Ukraine and the highest level of the Ukrainian football league system. Originally known as the Vyshcha Liha ( , ) it was formed in 1991 during the 1992 in ...

(then Vyshcha Liha).

Death

On 19 August 2001, during the game against

Anzhi Makhachkala Football Club Anzhi Makhachkala (, ), known simply as FC Anji, was a Russian professional football club based in the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala. Founded in 1991, the club last competed in the third-tier Russian Football National League 2. ...

, Perkhun collided with

Budun Budunov Budun Khachabekovich Budunov (; born 4 December 1975) is a former Russian professional football player. He currently works as the president of the Dagestan's Football Union. Honours * Russian Cup finalist: 2001. * Russian Third League Zone ...

. Perkhun died nine days later from a

brain hemorrhage The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...

, whilst Budunov sustained several head injuries.

has retired number 16 to honor Perkhun's legacy.

Honours

* 1998–99

Moldovan Cup Cupa Moldovei (), officially known as Cupa Orange Group, Orange for sponsorship reasons, is a association football, football competition, held annually in Moldova. The winner qualifies for the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round. Finals Th ...

(Sheriff Tiraspol) *

1994 UEFA European Under-16 Championship The 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Championship was the 12th edition of the UEFA's European Under-16 Football Championship. Players born on or after 1 August 1977 were eligible to participate in this competition. Ireland hosted the 16 teams that con ...

(third runner)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkhun, Serhiy 1977 births 2001 deaths Footballers from Dnipro Ukrainian men's footballers Ukraine men's international footballers Ukraine men's under-21 international footballers Ukraine men's youth international footballers 21st-century Ukrainian sportsmen Ukrainian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Moldova Expatriate men's footballers in Russia Ukrainian expatriate sportspeople in Moldova Ukrainian expatriate sportspeople in Russia Men's association football goalkeepers FC Dnipro players FC Dnipro-2 Dnipropetrovsk players FC Metalurh Novomoskovsk players FC Sheriff Tiraspol players PFC CSKA Moscow players Sport deaths in Russia Association football players who died while playing Ukrainian Premier League players Ukrainian Second League players Moldovan Super Liga players Russian Premier League players