Dmitry Vasilyevich Ananko (born September 29, 1973, Novocherkassk, Rostov Region) is a Russian football player, a central defender, and a nine-time Russian champion with Moscow's Spartak. After finishing his playing career he worked as a coach; one of his positions was connected with the Nizhny Novgorod club Pari NN.[1]

Playing career

Ananko grew up in Novocherkassk, practiced boxing and track and field, and attended a circus studio. His first football mentor was Valentin Kozlovsky, at the sports boarding school in Rostov (RO UOR, Rostov-on-Don).[2] In ninth grade Ananko was called up to the USSR youth national team, and at 16, on the recommendation of coach Aleksandr Piskaryov, he ended up at Moscow's Spartak.[2]

Ananko made his debut for Spartak's first team in 1991. He played as a central defender (height: 180 cm), compensating for a lack of individual skill with total commitment and sound positioning. In 1995 he went out on loan to Rostselmash (Rostov-on-Don) to get playing time.[2][3] In the end he became Russian champion nine times and won the Russian Cup twice with the Red-Whites.[2] He played 30 matches in the UEFA Champions League and 13 in the UEFA Cup.[1] For the Russian national team he played one match — on February 28, 2001, as a substitute.[3]

In 2002 Ananko signed a contract with the French club Ajaccio, but returned to Russia because of a knee injury.[2] In 2003 he played for Torpedo-Metallurg (Moscow), and in 2004 for Lukoil (Chelyabinsk). He ended his professional career in 2005; afterward he occasionally played for Spartak's veterans team.[2][3]

Coaching career

After ending his playing career, Ananko earned several degrees outside of football, worked at an insurance company, and became a co-founder of a real estate agency. In 2010 he took the post of coach of the Russian youth national team, and later joined Dmitry Alenichev's coaching staff.[2]

Connection to Nizhny Novgorod

According to the Transfermarkt database, Ananko's most recent position was assistant coach at the football club Pari NN (Nizhny Novgorod).[1]

Sources

  1. transfermarkt.world
  2. 24smi.org — Dmitry Ananko — biography, personal life, photos, news, Soviet footballer, Spartak, Russia national team 2026—24SMI
  3. footballfakts.ru — Ananko Dmitry Vasilyevich, born 09/29/1973. All footballers of Russia, the USSR, and the CIS. Information, biographies, teams, matches, goals, interviews
  4. football.mojgorod.ru
  5. stihi.ru — Football Kaleidoscope (Georgy Lunacharsky) / Stikhi.ru
  6. infosport.ru — ANANKO Dmitry Vasilyevich — Russian Athletes — Sports Russia