Ukraine is an Eastern European country that also has a proud football history. This East Slavic nation was once part of the defunct communist country called the USSR and usually made up a good part of the soccer national team players. Many good teams have come out of the country, some of whom have done well on the European continent. However, today we will only spotlight five of the best teams in Ukraine. Here are the top five football clubs in Ukraine.
1. Dynamo Kyiv
Without a doubt, Dynamo is arguably the most popular, successful, and recognizable football club in Ukraine. Kyiv was founded on the 13th of May 1927 by the Ukrainian branch of the Soviet government dedicated to sports and fitness. The club is the most successful side in the country, having won the Ukrainian Premier League a record 16 times. They have also won the Ukrainian Cup 13 times in their history. In the old Soviet organized football competitions, they won the league 13 times and the Cup 9 times.
Dynamo has also won European continental silverware, that is, the old Cup Winners’ Cup, now Europa League, twice in the 1974/75 and 1985/86 seasons. The club was famously involved in a rumored “death match” where it was said their players were killed because they defeated a select German team who represented the Nazi regime. The current Dynamo Kyiv squad is coached by one of the most successful coaches in football, Mircea Lucescu.
2. Shakhtar Donetsk
The Miners are the second biggest team in Ukraine. Shakhtar was founded on the 24th of May, 1936, by the Soviet Sports and Culture Council. The name was derived from a Ukrainian coal miner called Aleksei Stakhanov.
Donetsk has won the Ukrainian league 13 times and won the Cup a record 13 as well. They won the old Soviet league once and the Cup 4 times. In Europe, they won the old UEFA Cup (Europa League) in the 2008/09 season. They also compete frequently in the UEFA Champions League. Shakhtar are the club with the most supporters in Ukraine.
3. FC Chernomorets Odessa
The Sailors were established 85 years ago in the Ukrainian city called Odessa on the 26th of March, 1936. The modest club has achieved limited success over the years but has been able to win the Ukrainian Cup twice in their history and finished runners-up in the league on two occasions. In the defunct Soviet competitions, they were able to win the League Cup just once in 1990.
4. FC Vorskla Poltava
The Green-Whites were established in the city of Poltava by republican trade unions in 1955. Vorskla has only one major domestic Cup to their name, the Ukrainian Cup, which they won in the 2008-09 season.
5. SC Tavriya Simferopol
The Tatars were founded in 1958. They are the only other club other than Dynamo and Shakhtar that has won the Ukrainian Premier League, which they achieved in 1992. Due to the political fallout of the invasion of the Crimea region in Ukraine, remnants of the club had to be merged with other clubs. The current version of the club plays its football in the Ukrainian second division.
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