Konstantin Viktorovich Yeryomenko, often transliterated as Eremenko (Russian: Константин Викторович Ерёменко; 5 August 1970 – 18 March 2010) was a Russian futsal player who was named the greatest futsal player of the 20th century.[1]

Konstantin Yeryomenko
Personal information
Full name Konstantin Viktorovich Yeryomenko
Date of birth (1970-08-05)5 August 1970
Place of birth Dnipropetrovsk, USSR
Date of death 18 March 2010(2010-03-18) (aged 39)
Place of death Moscow, Russia
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Pivot
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1 (0)
1989 Selenga Ulan-Ude 2 (0)
1990 Traktor Pavlodar 18 (3)
1990 Alga Bishkek 8 (1)
1990 Mehanizator Dnipropetrovsk (futsal) 10 (14)
1991–2001 Dina Moscow (futsal) 235 (533)
International career
1992–2001 Russia (futsal) 66 (122)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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Yeryomenko played 11-a-side football in his youth, but began to play futsal in 1990. He played for Dina Moscow for 10 years, during which time he also became the all-time top scorer of the Russian national team. He became a key player in Russia's 1999 UEFA Futsal Championship triumph, scoring the winning penalty in a shoot-out against hosts Spain. He was recognised by many as the greatest Russian futsal player of all time and throughout the futsal community as one of the game's legends.[2]

After retiring from futsal in 2001, Yeryomenko went on to become president of Dinamo Moscow in 2002 and in 2003, he was elected as the first president of the Russian Futsal Super League.

In 2004, Yeryomenko became a member of the Federation Council of Russia for the Voronezh Region, replacing Gleb Fetisov. The place of Yeryomenko in 2011 was taken by Nikolay Olshansky.

Death

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Konstantin Yeryomenko died from a heart attack while playing in a kickabout match. Despite having a history of heart problems, which were instrumental in his decision to retire from futsal and also necessitated surgery at the height of his playing career, he chose to defy doctors' orders and continued to play. He is buried in Moscow's Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.

Honours

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Club

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International

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Individual

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References

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  1. ^ MFK Dinamo-Yamal squad (in Russian)
  2. ^ Obituary at UEFA website accessed on 30 March 2010
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