Erik Sviatchenko

FC Midtjylland

Sviatchenko joined the FC Midtjylland academy in 2006 at the age of 14. Prior to that he had played for clubs around his hometown of Viborg: Viborg FF, Houlkær IF, Søndermarken IK, and FK Viborg. In 2009, he was named the Midtjylland Academy Player of the Year. On 8 May 2009 Sviatchenko made his first team and Superliga debut, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 win over AC Horsens. That was his only first team appearance during the 2008–09 season. He scored his first goal for Midtjylland on 14 April 2010 to give FCM a 1–0 win against AGF. He finished the 2009–10 campaign with 5 appearances and 1 goal for the first team. The 2010–11 season saw Sviatchenko establish himself as a first team regular. He appeared in 13 of FCM's first 22 Superliga matches plus 2 Danish Cup matches. However, on 3 April 2011, Sviatchenko tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee after colliding with teammate Rilwan Hassan during training. The injury ended his season and kept him out for 11 months. FCM would finish the season 4th in the Superliga.

On 4 March 2012, Sviatchenko made his return from injury, getting the start and playing 90 minutes in a 2–1 loss to Lyngby. The following week he scored in a 4–1 win over Horsens. Sviatchenko ended the 2011–12 season by playing every minute of the final 15 games of the season, helping Midtjylland to a 3rd-place finish. On 23 August 2012, Sviatchenko made his debut in a continental competition, losing 3–0 to Swiss side BSC…

Due to his dual citizenship, Sviatchenko was eligible to play for Ukraine, but agreed to a call-up for the Danish national team in March 2015. He made his international debut on 25 March 2015 at NRGi Arena in Aarhus, starting against the United States in a 3–2 friendly win, in central defence alongside Simon Kjær. He scored his first international goal on 11 October 2015 in a 2–1 friendly loss to France.

Club

As of match played 26 July 2026

International

Denmark's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Sviatchenko goal

Erik Sviatchenko was born in Viborg, Denmark to Sergei and Helena Sviatchenko 4 October 1991. His parents moved to Denmark from Ukraine with Erik's older brother, Phillip, in 1990. Erik also has a twin sister, Alexandra. Erik is a Christian. Sviatchenko's wife, Anne Sviatchenko (née Rudmose), is a former professional footballer and has played for Team Viborg, Skovbakken IK, ASA, Celtic and the Denmark national team. Erik and Anne met when they were 14 through his sister Alexandra. Anne signed for the Celtic women's team in February 2016, one month after Sviatchenko had joined the men's team. They were married in June 2017 in Viborg, and have two children together.