Full name Maksim Tsygalko Height 1.85 m | Years Team Role Football player Name Maksim Tsyhalka | |
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Date of birth (1983-05-27) 27 May 1983 (age 32) | ||
Maksim "Maxim" Tsyhalka (Belarusian: Максім Цыгалка, Russian: Максим Цыгалко, Maksim Tsygalko) (often spelled Maxim Tsigalko) (born 27 May 1983) is a former Belarusian football player. He had to end his professional career early (at the age of 26) in 2010 due to persistent injuries.
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He began his playing career at a youth team Dinamo-Yuni Minsk before moving up to play for the Dinamo Minsk first team, he spent 5 years with the club before moving to fellow Belarus team Naftan Novopolotsk, after an unsuccessful 2 seasons there Tsyhalka soon moved on to Kazakhstan club Kaisar Kyzylorda. Tsyhalka spent 2 seasons with the club before moving in the summer of 2008 to Armenian team Banants Yerevan, where he would spend only a short stint. He spent the rest of the season for now defunct Belarus club Savit Mogilev. He scored 2 goals in his short spell at the club before being released after Savit were relegated and dissolved.
Tsyhalka also has a twin brother Yuri who played as a goalkeeper. The brothers played alongside each other at Dinamo Minsk.
In popular culture
Maksim and, to a lesser extent, his brother Yuri both achieved a small amount of fame and worldwide renown after they were featured in the Championship Manager / Football Manager computer game series by Sports Interactive, especially in CM 01/02. Both players were present in the database with good starting stats and a very high potential, and Maksim (spelled "Maxim Tsigalko" in the game) in particular was capable of becoming a world class player, to the degree that he is very well known amongst fans of the Football Manager series and considered one of the game's legends.
Honours
Dinamo Minsk