Dmitri Kharine

Dmitri Viktorovich Kharin (; born 16 August 1968) is a Russian football coach and former professional footballer, who is goalkeeping coach of National League South side Hemel Hempstead Town.

As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1982 until 2004, notably in the Premier League for Chelsea, after playing for Moscow clubs Torpedo, Dynamo and CSKA. He finished his professional career in the Scottish Premier League with Celtic, before returning to England to play for non-league Hornchurch. He earned international caps for the USSR, CIS and the Russian national football teams.

Kharin joined Luton Town in 2004 as goalkeeping coach, and remained with the club until 2013, later joining Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead Town in a similar capacity.

Club career Russian football He played for Russian sides Torpedo Moscow, Dynamo Moscow and CSKA Moscow in the early part of his career, before moving to English FA Premier League club Chelsea in December 1992 for £400,000.

Chelsea With Chelsea, Kharin impressed in their run to the 1994 FA Cup Final – though he conceded four goals in the final itself – and then the club's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup run a year later, where they reached the semi-finals in their first European campaign since the 1970s. His later years at the club were blighted by injury problems and the signing of Dutch goalkeeper Ed de Goey, which limited him to 20 appearances in his last three seasons. In total, he played in 146 games for Chelsea.

Kharin was not fit for inclusion in Chelsea's FA Cup Final triumph at the end of the 1996–97 season (Norwegian Frode Grodås played instead), and was not chosen in the squad for the Cup Winners' Cup and League Cup final victories a year later. When Gianluca Vialli became Chelsea manager he established de Goey as the club's first choice goalkeeper; Kharin was limited to five appearances that season, mainly in cup games. He remained at the club as a reserve goalkeeper for a further two seasons after this.

Celtic Kharin signed for Scottish side Celtic in the summer of 1999 on a free transfer. He arrived at Celtic Park as the first signing of new management team John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish, but injury problems ensured that he played just 11 games for the club (8 in the league).

Hornchurch He was released in the summer of 2002 and signed for non-League club Hornchurch, where he was sent off on his debut.

International career Kharin was also an international; as a result of the political turmoil in his home nation, he ended up playing for three different teams. He won six caps for the USSR, eleven for the CIS and then 23 for Russia. Aided in part by the short-lived nature of the CIS, he was their most-capped player. He represented the Soviet Union at the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal in the football competition. He played for the CIS at the 1992 European Championships, performing well in the 0–0 draw with the Netherlands in Gothenburg; and for Russia at USA 94 and Euro 96, with his team going out in the group stages on each occasion. He won his last cap in September 1998 against Ukraine.

Coaching career Kharin joined Luton Town in 2004 as the club's goalkeeping coach. He remained with the club until 2013 when he was released from his contract. Kharin then joined fellow League Two side Stevenage until he left in 2015 shortly after Teddy Sheringham had left. Kharin is now the goalkeeping coach at Hemel Hempstead Town.

Personal life His younger brother Mikhail Kharin played football professionally as well. Mikhail's son Filipp Kharin is now also a professional goalkeeper.

Career achievements Dmitri Kharin achieved the following successes during his football career: 1985 U'16 European Champion, 1986 USSR Cup Winner, 1988 Olympic Champion, 1990 U'21 European Champion, 1991 USSR League Champion, 1992 Runner's Up Russian Cup & 1994 Runner's Up F.A. Cup.

Career statistics Club

Honours Chelsea Football League Cup: 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997–98 UEFA Super Cup: 1998 FA Cup runner-up: 1993–94

Celtic Scottish Premier League: 2000–01, 2001–02 Scottish Cup: 2000–01 Scottish League Cup: 1999–00, 2000–01

Soviet Union Olympic Champion: 1988