Years Team Height 1.75 m 2000–2005 De Graafschap | Name Ruslan Valeyev Date joined 2007 Role Football player | |
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Full name Ruslan Salavatovych Valeyev Date of birth (1981-10-31) 31 October 1981 (age 34) Place of birth Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union 1998–2000 Borussia Monchengladbach | ||
Ruslan Valeyev (Ukrainian: Руслан Салаватович Валєєв; born 31 October 1981 in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, now Ukraine) is a retired professional Ukrainian football midfielder.
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Club
Ruslan Valeyev got his first football training at the youth team of Chornomorets. However in 1998 he moved to Germany to continue his training with the Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he trained alongside his friend Andriy Voronin. From there, in 2000, he moved to play in the Eredivisie, for De Graafschap. Ruslan spent 5 years with the team, amassing 129 caps and scoring 16 goals. In the 2002/03 season he suffered an injury sidelining him for a part of the season, in which time De Graafschap were relegated to the Eerste Divisie. He stayed with the team for the next season, helping the team return to the Eredivisie. The following season was not as good for Ruslan, as he only managed one goal n 18 appearances. The club was again relegated to the Eerste Divisie. Valeyev had offers from a few clubs in the Eredivisie but chose to sign a one-year contract with FC Emmen who were playing in the Eerste Divisie. After a good first season he signed another one-year contract. Valeyev played for Emmen in 54 games and managed to score 4 goals. In July 2007, Ruslan Valeyev moved back to play for his home club Chornomorets, where his younger brother Rinar Valeyev is also a player. Ruslan is yet to play an official game for the senior team, spending most of the season playing for the reserves.
International
Valeyev was capped 20 times for the Ukraine Under-20 team, scoring 3 goals, as well as playing 6 times and scoring one international goal for the Ukraine national under-21 football team. He was a member of the Under-19 team that finished second at the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship in 2000. He also participated in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship tournament in Argentina, reaching the Round of 16.