Sergey Vadimovich Gorlukovich (born November 18, 1961, in the village of Boruny, Oshmyany District, Grodno Region, Byelorussian SSR) is a Soviet and Russian footballer, a defender, and an Honored Master of Sport of the USSR. He is the 1988 Olympic champion and a four-time Russian champion. In 2001 he played for the Nizhny Novgorod club Lokomotiv.[1]

Playing career

Gorlukovich began playing football at Sports School No. 7 in Mogilev, but after graduating he received no invitations from professional clubs. After enrolling at the Gomel Polytechnic Institute in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, he continued to play for a factory team, where he was noticed and invited to the second-league club Gomselmash (Gomel, 1981–1984). There Sergey was used as an attacking midfielder: in 1984 he scored 16 goals in 33 matches.[1]

After his army service, Gorlukovich joined Dynamo Minsk (1985–1986), but he failed to break into the starting lineup there. In 1986, at the invitation of Yury Semin, he moved to Lokomotiv Moscow, then playing in the First League. That same year the club was promoted to the Top League, where it finished 7th, and Gorlukovich attracted the attention of the coaches of the USSR Olympic team and the senior national team. In 1988 he became a champion of the XXIV Olympic Games in Seoul, playing six matches for the USSR team. In the lists of the 33 best footballers of the USSR he was ranked No. 1 in 1988 and 1989.[2]

In 1989 Lokomotiv was relegated from the Top League, but by then Gorlukovich was among the first Soviet players to receive an offer from abroad: he was invited by Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga). In 1992 he won a silver medal in the German championship with them, after which he moved to Bayer Uerdingen (1992–1995).[1]

Returning to Russia, in 1995 he played five matches for Spartak-Alania of Vladikavkaz, which became the country's champion. He then moved to Spartak Moscow (1996–1998), where he became a three-time Russian champion. In the 1996 season he played a key role in Spartak's unexpected victory under the leadership of Georgy Yartsev: his young teammates nicknamed the experienced defender "Ded" ("Grandpa"). That same year he was ranked No. 1 on the list of the best players in Russia, and in 1997 No. 2.[2][1] In the Russian championships of the 1995–1998 seasons he played a total of 88 matches and scored 5 goals.[3]

In 1999 he played for Torpedo-ZIL (42 matches, 5 goals in the First League), and in the 2000 season for Chkalovets-Olimpik of Novosibirsk. In 2002 he ended his playing career at the Armenian club Mika (Yerevan).[4][1]

For the USSR and Russia national teams he played a combined 203 official matches and took part in the 1990 (3 matches) and 1994 (2 matches) World Cups and the 1996 European Championship.[5]

In Nizhny Novgorod

In 2001, Gorlukovich played for Lokomotiv (Nizhny Novgorod) in the Russian First League, appearing in 18 matches as a defender.[5]

Coaching career

After retiring as a player in 2002, Gorlukovich moved into coaching. He headed the clubs Avangard (Krasnoyarsk, 2007), SKA-Energiya (Khabarovsk, 2006 and 2010), Vityaz (Podolsk, 2008), Baikal (2013–2014), and FC Sochi (2014–2015).[5] In 2015, he became chairman of the board of trustees of the academy of Tula's Arsenal.[2]

Recognition and awards

In 1989, Gorlukovich was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sport of the USSR; he has also been awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.[2] In Mogilev, Belarus, an international football tournament is held in his honor.[2]

Sources

  1. football-pitch.ru — Russian footballer Sergey Gorlukovich: biography and career
  2. libmogilev.by — GORLUKOVICH Sergey Vadimovich — OLYMPIC HEIGHTS OF MOGILEV SPORTS
  3. 100bombardirov.ru — 100 Top Scorers — Russian Championship — Sergey Gorlukovich
  4. transfermarkt.world
  5. news.sportbox.ru — Gorlukovich Sergey Vadimovich — Head Coach — Sergei Gorlukovich
  6. bis.nlb.by — Harlukovich Siarhei Vadzimavich — Belarus in People and Events