Andrei Kanchelskis

Early life and career in the Soviet Union

Kanchelskis was born in Kirovohrad in the Soviet Union's Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic to a Lithuanian father, Antanas, and a Ukrainian mother. Kanchelskis started his career with hometown team Zirka Kropyvnytskyi, known at the time as Zirka Kirovograd. In 1988, he was called up to the army, and had the choice of two teams to transfer to - Dynamo Kyiv and Dnipro. Choosing Dynamo, he received a salary of 250 rubles per month, and described his time in the army as a "good school of life". At Dynamo, Kanchelskis was coached by the legendary Valeriy Lobanovskyi, who he believes is the best manager he played for. Lobanovskyi favoured a 4–4–2 formation, a system which focussed on getting the ball to the flanks and crossing into the penalty box, which Kanchelskis describes as an "English style of play". Kanchelskis had decided to become a winger having seen Brazilian Jairzinho playing in his youth. His first goal for Dynamo came on 4 November 1988 at the Republican Stadium, scoring the equalising goal against Dynamo Moscow in a 2–1 victory. Kanchelskis eventually decided to leave Dynamo due to lack of game time, causing upset to his mentor Lobanovskyi, who he admired and respected greatly. He then transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk in 1990, where his salary was increased to 700 rubles per week.

Moving to England with Manchester United

Kanchelskis signed for Manchester United in a £650,000 deal on 26 March 1991, with…

Soviet Union and CIS

Kanchelskis was part of the Soviet Union U21 team which won the 1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, scoring a goal in the second leg of the final against Yugoslavia U21. Kanchelskis recalls having "no fear" before the first leg, saying the squad was relaxed and had played with "pleasure". He made his senior debut for the Soviet Union in 1989, coming on as a substitute for Gela Ketashvili in the final minute of a 1–1 draw with Poland. He was capped 23 times for the Soviet Union (including its brief successor, the CIS), scoring three goals. He scored, in November 1991 in Cyprus, the last goal in Soviet national team history.

Russia

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union Kanchelskis chose to represent Russia, considered the USSR's official successor team by FIFA. Though eligible, he immediately dismissed the chance to play for Lithuania, while he rejected Ukraine due to them not being able to qualify for a tournament until Euro 1996. Speaking in 2005 about his choice of representing Russia rather than Ukraine, Kanchelskis described the idea of waiting several years to play international football as an "impermissible luxury", and said he did not regret his choice. Having struggled in the qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Russia lost to Greece, and following the match, though he had not played in Athens, Kanchelskis was one of fourteen players to sign a letter sent to Shamil Tarpishchev, calling for the dismissal of manager…

Kanchelskis usually played as a right-winger throughout his career, where he was known for his work-rate, pace, explosive acceleration, powerful shot from range, and eye for goal; however, he was not particularly strong in the air. Moreover, he had the ability to run at defenders, put opponents under pressure, and create space for teammates when dribbling with the ball. In addition to his footballing skills, he also stood out for his professionalism, despite his aggressive playing style. Under his manager Lobanovsky at Dynamo Kyiv, Kanchelskis operated as a traditional "English style" winger in a 4–4–2 formation, looking to receive the ball out wide and cross into the box from the touch-line.

Shortly after his retirement as a player in February 2007, Kanchelskis became the sporting director of First Division team FC Nosta Novotroitsk, with the intended goal of improving the infrastructure of the club. In August 2009, he was in discussion to become a manager for the first time, with Second Division team Torpedo-ZIL Moscow, but in September it was announced he would remain with Nosta. In November, Kanchelskis resigned from his role with Nosta and re-entered negotiations with Torpedo-ZIL. Having failed to gain promotion in the 2010 season, Kanchelskis blamed the club for failing to spend on players, describing the 300,000 ruble expenditure as "frivolous", and announced his intent to resign from his role. On 23 December 2010, he was appointed the first manager of the newly founded football club, FC Ufa, and stated that promotion to the Football National League was the goal of the club. The club's first ever match occurred on 20 April 2011, with Ufa playing against Syzran-2003 in the Russian Cup, and although the match ended in a 0–0 draw, Ufa lost 1–0 in the subsequent penalty shootout. Competing in the Second Division, the club began their first league season on 24 April, with Kanchelskis guiding his team to their first ever win, a 3–1 victory against Tyumen, with striker Konstantin Ionov scoring all three goals. In May 2012, it was announced that Kanchelskis had left Ufa, with the club five points behind league leaders Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and three matches of…