From battlefield to football ground, Ukrainian midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi joins Kerala Blasters

KOCHI:Ukrainian Midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi is joining Kerala Blasters FC as a midfielder. The player has been signed on loan from FK Oleksandriya. With this, there are two persons in the team with the name Ivan, one is Ivan Vukomanovic,the coach. 24-year-old Ivan is the third foreign player to be acquired by Kerala Blasters this season. Forward player Apostolos Giannou and defender Victor Mongil have already joined the team.

Ivan started his career playing in the academy of Ukrainian club Metalist Kharkiv. He also participated in the UEFA Youth League for the youth team of Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv. At the senior level, he played 27 matches in his first season for Metalist Kharkiv. He then joined another Ukrainian club, Rukh Lviv, on loan and made 32 appearances for Lviv and scored two goals.

Ivan was signed by FK Oleksandriya in February 2021 on the basis of his impressive performances in Lviv. In 23 appearances for the club, Ivan contributed four assists and scored two goals. But the league was suspended halfway due to Russian invasion in Ukraine.

So Ivan left Ukraine and played for Iceland top division club Keflavik on a loan basis. 'I am delighted to join Blasters, one of the biggest clubs in India. I am looking forward to meet the yellow army. Will try my best to perform well for the club.', said Ivan.