Andrey Varankow

Andrey Varankow (; born 8 February 1989), also spelled Andrey Voronkov, is a retired Belarusian professional footballer who plays as a forward.

Club career

Varankow was on the books of Ukrainian powerhouses Dynamo Kyiv in the first six years of his career, going frequently out on loan while starring for his country at youth and full international levels. He severed ties with Dynamo in 2013 and returned to Belarus with initially Slavia Mozyr and then Gorodeya, performing modestly for a few years.

DPMM Towards the end of 2018, Varankow attended a trial at Bruneian professional club DPMM who were in the market for an import striker after the departure of Volodymyr Pryyomov. He impressed head coach Adrian Pennock who signed him along with Charlie Clough and Blake Ricciuto for the 2019 Singapore Premier League campaign, with club hierarchy citing his international experience as a huge deal.

Varankow made his official debut for DPMM on 3 March away to Home United when he scored in the 21st minute for the only goal of the game. He would then make himself known to everyone in his fifth game against Balestier Khalsa, hitting the back of the net five times in a 1–7 victory.

The one-month break proved detrimental for DPMM who proceeded to lose to Tampines Rovers right after the league resumed. This also marked a barren spell for Varankow who suddenly could not score for the next five games before being taken off injured at half-time in a 3–1 defeat to Hougang United on 19 July. With Hougang catching DPMM on the league table and their striker Faris Ramli scoring for fun, the mid-season acquisition of brothers Adi Said and Hakeme Yazid Said cushioned the blow of Varankow's absence for DPMM in a morale-boosting 3–0 win against Geylang International.

Varankow rediscovered his scoring boots upon his return in September, netting a brace in a 1–4 victory over Balestier Khalsa which included a powerful free-kick into the bottom corner. A fortnight later, he scored a hat-trick against Warriors FC to pull DPMM ahead of the pack in the title race. The following day, title rivals Hougang faltered in a 4–4 draw to Geylang which sealed DPMM as league winners. Varankow finished the season as top scorer with 21 goals as well as joint-highest number of assists with 10.

In 2021, DPMM elected to play the 2021 Brunei Super League using their first team. Varankow made his domestic league debut on 27 June, scoring a hat-trick against BAKES in a 16–1 victory. He then scored four goals in a 15–0 romp of Rimba Star the following fixture, then scored seven in the 13–0 demolishing of BSRC on 11 July. He continued his barrage of strikes against Bruneian clubs with six goals in an 8–0 win over Wijaya on 25 July. He was leading the scoring charts with 23 goals when the league was stopped due to the onset of local COVID-19 transmissions.

After the suspension of the league and being out of contract in 2022, he returned to DPMM the next year for the 2023 Singapore Premier League. He scored his first goal since coming back in the 3–4 defeat against Balestier Khalsa on 10 March. Varankow helped to secure the club first win in their return to the league with a 2–1 win against Tanjong Pagar United in which he scored. On 13 May 2023, he scored a hat-trick against Lion City Sailors in which the game ended in a 3–3 draw. At the end of the season, he was released by the Bruneian club.

International career

Varankow debuted in Belarus national football team in a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Luxembourg on 13 October 2007. He was a member of the Belarus U21 that finished in 3rd place at the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, playing all five matches and scoring twice, against Iceland U21 and Spain U21.

Varankow was part of the Belarus U23 squad at the 2012 Summer Olympics, scoring a goal against Egypt U23 in a 3–1 lost at the Hampden Park.

Career statistics

Club