Thursday06 February 2025
segodnya.org.ua

After 15 seasons, 439 matches, and 25 trophies, Taras Stepanenko, captain of Donetsk's Shakhtar, bids farewell to the club.

Taras Stepanenko is ending his career with Donetsk's Shakhtar after 15 seasons, 439 matches, and 25 trophies. Rumors suggest that the seasoned midfielder is set to join the Turkish club Eyüpspor.
Капитан донецкого «Шахтера» Тарас Степаненко покидает клуб после 15 сезонов, 439 матчей и 25 трофеев.

Longtime captain of Donetsk's "Shakhtar" and midfielder for the Ukrainian national team, Taras Stepanenko, is leaving the club after 15 years. During his time with the team, Stepanenko played 439 matches and won 25 trophies. This was reported by the press service of "Shakhtar," as conveyed by UNN.

The club expressed gratitude to Stepanenko for his incredible journey with "Shakhtar" and wished him new exciting challenges, great successes, and achievements in his future sports career and life.

Stepanenko himself stated that it was a great journey.

In his farewell speech after the match against Borussia Dortmund, where Stepanenko came on in the 89th minute, the midfielder remarked that this journey felt like half a lifetime to him, and in terms of his football career, it was a journey encompassing his entire football life.

He also shared which match goal and which goal were the most memorable for him.

Additional Information

Taras Stepanenko was born on August 8, 1989, in the village of Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region. He began his football career at Zaporizhzhia's "Metallurg." He made his debut for the adult team of "Metallurg" on March 4, 2007, at the age of 17 against Kyiv's "Dynamo."

On May 11, 2010, the midfielder signed a five-year contract with "Shakhtar" for an undisclosed amount, leaving "Metallurg" along with Serhiy Kryvtsov, who also joined the club for five years.

Stepanenko ranks among the top five players for the most matches played for "Shakhtar," alongside former teammates (Dario Srna, Andriy Pyatov) and club legends dating back to Soviet times (Mykhailo Sokholovskyi and Serhiy Yashchenko).

In terms of appearances during the independent Ukraine era, Stepanenko holds the third position for the most matches played for "Shakhtar." He has played 87 matches for the Ukrainian national team, scoring 4 goals. He participated in the European Championships of 2016, 2020, and 2024. In several matches, he led the national team onto the field wearing the captain's armband. Additionally, Stepanenko was the only player from "Shakhtar" to have played at the "Donbass Arena" until now.

There are rumors circulating that Stepanenko will continue his career at Turkish club "Eyüpspor," which is having its first season in the local Super League and currently ranks 4th in the championship.

Shakhtar's sporting director, Dario Srna, stated that the club does not plan to seek a replacement for the player.

It's also worth mentioning the scandal involving Kyiv's "Dynamo" midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko and Stepanenko.

In the last match of the first round of the 2015/16 championship after the game against Kyiv's "Dynamo," Stepanenko exchanged jerseys with Andriy Yarmolenko. Following this, Andriy threw his jersey onto the field in front of the "Dynamo" fans.

In their next encounter on May 1, 2016, after Shakhtar's third goal against the Kyiv club, Stepanenko ran to the stands where "Dynamo" fans were seated and kissed his club's emblem. As he returned to his side of the field, Yarmolenko kicked him from behind. In a post-match interview, Taras stated that his friendship with Yarmolenko had ended because this was not the first time he had acted inappropriately. On May 19, the day before the announcement of the Ukrainian national team for Euro 2016 at the FFU building, Yarmolenko acknowledged his wrongdoing towards Stepanenko, and both shook hands. Both players made it to the national squad for the international tournament held in France.