Vitaliy Hryhorovych Khmelnytskyi (; 12 June 1943 – 13 February 2019) was a Soviet football player and coach from Ukraine.

Career Playing Khmelnytskyi was born near Huliaipole. His father went missing in action during the World War II. In 1947 Khmelnytskyi family moved to Zhdanov city (Mariupol). While being Ukrainian speaking, due to lack of schools in native language in Mariupol Khmelnytskyi had to study in Russian speaking school (Russification in Ukraine).Хмельницкий: «В мое время мужчины играли в мужской футбол». footclub.com.ua. 12 June 2018

The first coaches of Khmelnytskyi was Yevhen Shpinev at Azovstal youth. Khmelnytskyi started his professional career playing for the 1961 Class B (3rd tier) team Azovstal Zhdanov (FC Mariupol). Next year he was invited by Oleh Oshenkov to Shakhtar Donetsk on recommendations of Yevhen Shpinev and Oleh Zhukov. Donning #11 on his jersey, he replaced Valentyn Sapronov. During his career in Shakhtar, Khmelnytskyi missed the chance to earn a trophy as he was not placed for the final match (1962 Soviet Cup Final), while the next year Shakhtar lost it.

Following 1964 season due to determined wish of CSKA Moscow team to obtain him, Khmelnytskyi decided to join Dynamo Kyiv with which he became four times national champion. In transferring of Khmelnytskyi to Dynamo was involved Vladimir Shcherbitsky. In Dynamo Khmelnytskyi who preferred to play with right foot replaced Valeriy Lobanovskyi on the Dynamo's left flank.

First time Khmelnytskyi was ejected during a 1965–66 European Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal match against Celtic Glasgow in Tbilisi when he hit Jim Craig in a nose.

Due to injuries, Khmelnytskyi retired early in 29.

Coaching Soon after retiring, Khmelnytskyi became a coach. He became among the first who enrolled into the Moscow Coaching Courses along with Eduard Malofeyev, Viktor Prokopenko, Pavel Sadyrin, Gennadiy Logofet, Vladimir Fedotov, others. In 1973 Khmelnytskyi was appointed a manager of recently relegated FC Dnipro Cherkasy that lost its status as a "team of masters". Renamed to Hranyt in two seasons the Cherkasy team returned to the Second League. Yet it did not stay there too long as the club in 1974 appeared in a middle of a corruption scandal. This corruption case reached to be dealt at a level of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine and feuilleton at the Muscovite newspaper "Pravda" under an eloquent title "Gild the leg".Oleksiy Kharchenko. Lost hope of Cherkaskyi Dnipro (Потерянная надежда черкасского Днепра). Football.ua. 12 May 2009

After coaching Kryvbas, Khmelnytskyi lost interest in managing professional teams and became a sports complex director of the Kyiv factories until eventually received an invitation to become a children coach at the Dynamo football academy.Хмельницкий без гетманских амбиций. www.footclub.com.ua

Career statistics

Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAzovstal ZhdanovSoviet Football ChampionshipSoviet Cup––2231961Class B20320Shakhter Donetsk1962Class A11110––1211963Class A First Group33240––3721964Class A First Group29520––315Total73870––808Dinamo Kiev1965Class A First Group2910–44–33141966Class A First Group3185020–3881967Class A First Group3561020–3861968Class A First Group371021––39111969Class A First Group3182120–3591970Class A Top Group23520––2551971Top League30740––3471972Top League1040––50Total21754202104–24760Career total31065292104–34971

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSoviet Union1965401966–1967101968–196954197071197132Total207

International goals

+ International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competitionNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition120 February 1969Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia 6 1–2 1–3Friendly2 1–3325 July 1969Zentralstadion, Leipzig, East Germany 7 1–2 2–2416 November 1969Ali Sami Yen Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey 10 1–2 1–31970 FIFA World Cup qualification56 June 1970Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico 15 0–4 1–41970 FIFA World Cup618 September 1971Dynamo Central Stadium, Moscow, Soviet Union 20 4–0 5–0Friendly7 5–0

International career He capped 20 times for USSR and scored 7 times. Khmelnytskyi played at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Since he did not fit into the tactical scheme of Nikolai Morozov, Khmelnytskyi missed the 1966 FIFA World Cup and instead of him at the World Cup played Valeriy Porkuyan.

Just before his first match against Greece in Piraeus, Khmelnytskyi had blood running out of his nose due to heat. The away friendly the Soviet team has won 4:1.

Honours Soviet Top League winner: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971 Soviet Cup winner: 1964, 1966

References

External links Profile

Interview to Football-Hockey magazine. 1968 Interview to Sport-Express. 2003.