Ukrainian · Lutsk, Ukraine · Born 30 March 1979Anatoliy Tymoshchuk is Ukraine's most-capped footballer of all time, a former national team captain who won the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich after captaining Shakhtar Donetsk and Zenit Saint Petersburg to domestic and European success.
Anatoliy Tymoshchuk captained Zenit Saint Petersburg to the 2008 UEFA Cup, the first European trophy won by a Russian club, then went on to earn 144 caps for Ukraine — a national record at the time of his retirement — and win the 2013 Champions League with Bayern Munich. Over nine years at Shakhtar, he became club captain and one of the finest midfielders in Ukrainian football, winning three Ukrainian Premier League titles, three Ukrainian Cups, and a Ukrainian Super Cup. Tymoshchuk made a then-record transfer for a former Soviet republic when he joined Russia's Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2007 for a reported $20 million, becoming club captain that same year. He led Zenit to the Russian Premier League title in his first season and captained the club to a historic UEFA Cup triumph in 2008, defeating Rangers in the final, followed by the UEFA Super Cup win over Manchester United. Tymoshchuk joined Bayern Munich in 2009, where he became known as a reliable, hard-working presence in midfield and occasionally at centre-back, winning two Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals, and the 2013 UEFA Champions League, having also been a runner-up in the competition in 2010 and 2012. He captained the Ukraine national team, earning a record 144 caps between 2000 and 2016, appearing at Ukraine's first-ever World Cup in 2006 and first European Championship in 2012. After returning to Zenit in 2013 and a final season in Kazakhstan, he retired in 2017 and became an assistant coach at Zenit; in 2022, the Ukrainian Association of Football stripped him of his Ukrainian coaching license and honours after he remained in his role at the Russian club and did not publicly speak out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Being Ukraine's most-capped footballer and winning the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich
How They Played
Disciplined, tactically astute defensive midfielder known for positioning, tackling, and leadership
Lasting Impact
One of the most decorated Ukrainian footballers in history, having captained three major clubs across three countries to domestic and European titles
Career Honours
- UEFA Champions League winner (2013, Bayern Munich)
- Ukraine's most-capped player (144 caps)
- UEFA Cup winner and captain (2008, Zenit Saint Petersburg)
- 3x Ukrainian Footballer of the Year
- 3x Ukrainian Premier League champion (Shakhtar Donetsk)
| Club | Period | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Volyn Lutsk | 1996–1997 | — |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 1997–2007 | — |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2007–2009 | — |
| Bayern Munich | 2009–2013 | — |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2013–2015 | — |
| Kairat | 2015–2017 | — |
Ukrainian Athletes