Viktor Kovalenko (footballer)

This article is about the soccer player. For the ice dancer, see Viktor Kovalenko (ice dancer). For the sailor, see Victor Kovalenko. For the decathlete, see Victor Covalenco.

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Viktorovych and the family name is Kovalenko.

Viktor Viktorovych Kovalenko (Ukrainian: Ві́ктор Ві́кторович Ковале́нко; born 14 February 1996) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Ukraine national team.

Viktor Kovalenko

Kovalenko with Shakhtar Donetsk in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Viktor Viktorovych Kovalenko
Date of birth	(1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 (age 29)
Place of birth	Kherson, Ukraine
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
2008–2015	Shakhtar Donetsk
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2021	Shakhtar Donetsk	130	(23)
2021–2024	Atalanta	1	(0)
2021–2022	→ Spezia (loan)	26	(1)
2022–2023	→ Spezia (loan)	19	(0)
2023–2024	→ Empoli (loan)	17	(1)
2025	Empoli	6	(0)
International career‡
2011–2012	Ukraine U16	13	(4)
2010–2013	Ukraine U17	20	(11)
2013–2015	Ukraine U19	20	(5)
2015	Ukraine U20	5	(5)
2015–2018	Ukraine U21	13	(6)
2016–	Ukraine	33	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:29, 29 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 11 November 2021

Club career

Shakhtar Donetsk

Kovalenko is product of youth team of Shakhtar Donetsk.^[2] He made his début in the Ukrainian Premier League for Shakhtar in the game against Vorskla Poltava on 28 February 2015.^[3] On 9 May 2015, he made his first direct contribution for the first team when assisting the fifth and sixth goals for Shakhtar in a 7–3 win over Hoverla Uzhhorod.

On 20 February 2020, Kovalenko scored the winning goal in Shakhtar's 2–1 win against Benfica in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 32 clash.^[4]

On 17 October 2020, Kovalenko scored twice in the first 18 minutes of Shakhtar's 5–1 hammering of FC Lviv in the Ukrainian Premier League.^[5]

Atalanta

On 1 February 2021, with less than six months remaining in his contract with Shakhtar, Kovalenko signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Serie A club Atalanta for a reported fee of €700,000.^[6] He made his debut for the club on 21 March, as an 87th-minute substitute for fellow countryman Ruslan Malinovskyi in a Serie A 2–0 win at Verona.^[7]

Loans to Spezia

On 8 August 2021, Kovalenko joined fellow Serie A side Spezia on a season-long loan.^[8]

On 2 August 2022, he returned to Spezia on another loan, with Spezia holding an obligation to buy if the club avoids relegation.^[9]

Release by Atalanta

Kovalenko was released from his contract by Atalanta in August 2024 at the end of the summer transfer window.^[10]

Empoli

On 11 February 2025, Kovalenko sign for Empoli for a free transfer after being released.^[11]

International career

Kovalenko was called up by Ukraine to play in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He scored two goals in a 6–0 victory over Myanmar^[12] and added a hat-trick against the United States to secure 3–0 win at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, as the team reached the round of 16.^[13] He won the Golden Boot of the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup with five goals.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 May 2025.^[14]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Shakhtar Donetsk	2014–15	Ukrainian Premier League	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	2015–16	Ukrainian Premier League	23	0	7	2	15[a]	2	1	0	46	4
	2016–17	Ukrainian Premier League	28	7	1	0	8[b]	3	1	0	38	10
	2017–18	Ukrainian Premier League	27	4	4	1	5[c]	0	1	0	37	5
	2018–19	Ukrainian Premier League	25	7	3	0	6[d]	0	1	0	37	7
	2019–20	Ukrainian Premier League	17	1	1	0	9[e]	1	0	0	27	2
	2020–21	Ukrainian Premier League	8	4	0	0	3[c]	0	0	0	11	4
	Total		130	23	18	3	48	6	4	0	200	32
Atalanta	2020–21	Serie A	1	0	0	0	—		—		1	0
Spezia (loan)	2021–22	Serie A	26	1	1	0	—		—		27	1
Spezia (loan)	2022–23	Serie A	19	0	1	0	—		—		20	0
Empoli (loan)	2023–24	Serie A	17	1	0	0	—		—		17	1
Empoli	2024–25	Serie A	6	0	2	1	—		—		8	1
	Total		23	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	25	2
Career total			199	26	22	4	48	6	4	0	273	36

1. Seven appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
4. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League

International

As of 11 November 2021

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Ukraine	2016	10	0
	2017	6	0
	2018	4	0
	2019	6	0
	2020	4	0
	2021	3	0
Total		33	0

Honours

Shakhtar Donetsk

• Ukrainian Premier League: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
• Ukrainian Cup: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
• Ukrainian Super Cup: 2015, 2017

Individual

• FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Shoe: 2015^[15]
• Ukrainian Premier League Best young player: 2015–16^[16]
• Golden talent of Ukraine: 2015 (U-19), 2016 (U-21)