Erik Sviatchenko

Erik Sergiyovych Sviatchenko (; born 4 October 1991) is a Danish footballer who plays as a centre-back for Port.

Club career FC Midtjylland Sviatchenko joined the FC Midtjylland academy in 2006 at the age of 14. Prior to that he had played for clubs around his hometown of Viborg: Viborg FF, Houlkær IF, Søndermarken IK, and FK Viborg. In 2009, he was named the Midtjylland Academy Player of the Year. That was his only first team appearance during the 2008–09 season. He scored his first goal for Midtjylland on 14 April 2010 to give FCM a 1–0 win against AGF.

The 2010–11 season saw Sviatchenko establish himself as a first team regular. He appeared in 13 of FCM's first 22 Superliga matches plus 2 Danish Cup matches. The injury ended his season and kept him out for 11 months.

On 4 March 2012, Sviatchenko made his return from injury, getting the start and playing 90 minutes in a 2–1 loss to Lyngby.

On 23 August 2012, Sviatchenko made his debut in a continental competition, losing 3–0 to Swiss side BSC Young Boys in a Europa League qualifier. Midtjylland and Sviatchenko would win the 2nd leg 2–0 but be eliminated 3–2 on aggregate.

Prior to the 2013–14 season, Sviatchenko was made vice-captain. Sviatchenko ended the season with 17 appearances and 3 goals in the league.

After missing the first 3 weeks of the 2014–15 season due to his ankle, Svaitchenko made his season debut on 10 August 2014, coming on as a late sub in 3–1 win over Sønderjyske Fodbold. He played in 6 games before a thigh injury forced him to miss the rest of 2014.

On 4 August 2015 Sviatchenko scored his first career goal in a continental competition to give Midtjylland a 1–0 win at APOEL in a Champions League qualifier. However FCM lost 2–1 at home and were eliminated on away goals. In the Europa League playoffs, Sviatchenko helped Midtjylland beat Southampton 2–1 on aggregate to reach the Europa League group stage for the first time in club history. He played every minute of the group stage to help FCM finish 2nd and advance to the Round of 32. He made his Celtic debut on 31 January in a 3–1 loss to Ross County in the League Cup semifinals, coming off the bench after 13 minutes following a red card to Efe Ambrose. Sviatchenko picked up his first goal for the Hoops on 17 April, scoring in a 2–2 draw with Old Firm rivals Rangers in the Scottish Cup semifinals, with Rangers advancing on penalties.

On 2 August 2017 Sviatchenko damaged his knee ligaments in 1–0 win versus Rosenborg in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Rosenborg, which prevented him from playing for three months. He returned to training in November and made the bench a couple of times, but did not make another appearance for Celtic. He made his first appearance in 7 months on 9 February, playing 90 minutes in a 2–0 win over AC Horsens. Sviatchenko scored 1 goal and played in 16 of the 17 possible league games during the loan, helping Midtjylland win their 2nd Superliga title in club history. That loan move was made permanent on 27 May 2018 for a fee of £1m and Sviatchenko agreeing to a four-year contract.

During the 2018–19 season Sviatchenko made 27 appearances and scored 1 goal in league play as FCM were unable to defend their title, finishing 2nd in the table, 11 points behind Copenhagen. In the cup, Sviatchenko made 4 appearances and scored once to help Midtjylland win their first Danish Cup title in club history.

Sviatchenko became club captain during the 2019–20 season, with the previous captain Jakob Poulsen departing the club. On 18 August 2019, Sviatchenko scored in the 90th minute to rescue a draw with Hobro IK. Following the season he was named Superliga Player of the Year. On 12 June, Sviatchenko agreed to a contract extension until June 2024. They were unable to repeat as champions though, finishing 1 point behind Brøndby. Sviatchenko helped Midtjylland win their second ever Danish Cup, making 4 appearances and scoring 1 goal during the tournament.

Sviatchenko made 26 appearances and scored 3 goals across all competitions in the 2022–23 season prior to being sold.

International career Due to his dual citizenship, Sviatchenko was eligible to play for Ukraine, but agreed to a call-up for the Danish national team in March 2015. He made his international debut on 25 March 2015 at NRGi Arena in Aarhus, starting against the United States in a 3–2 friendly win, in central defence alongside Simon Kjær. He scored his first international goal on 11 October 2015 in a 2–1 friendly loss to France.

Personal life Erik Sviatchenko was born in Viborg, Denmark to Sergei and Helena Sviatchenko 4 October 1991. Erik also has a twin sister, Alexandra. Erik and Anne met when they were 14 through his sister Alexandra. They were married in June 2017 in Viborg, and have two children together.

International

Denmark's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Sviatchenko goal

Honours Midtjylland Danish Superliga (3): 2014–15, 2017–18, 2019–20 Tipsbladet Player of the Spring: 2020 Danish Superliga Player of the Year: 2019–20