Mykhailo Mudryk

Mykhailo Petrovych Mudryk (Михайло Петрович Мудрик; born 5 January 2001) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Chelsea and the Ukraine national team.

Mudryk began his career in the academies of Metalist Kharkiv and Dnipro, before moving to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2016. He made his professional debut two years later, followed by loans to Arsenal Kyiv and Desna Chernihiv. In 2023, he moved to English club Chelsea in a transfer worth an initial €70 million (£62 million), making him the most expensive Ukrainian footballer and the most expensive player signed from the Ukrainian Premier League.

Mudryk has been a Ukrainian senior international since 2022, having previously featured in several youth levels. He represented the side at UEFA Euro 2024.

Early and personal life
Mykhailo Petrovych Mudryk was born on 5 January 2001 in Krasnohrad, Kharkiv Oblast. An Orthodox Christian, he frequently carries religious icons to matches and has spoken openly about the importance faith has to him, which was shown by his grandmother. Mudryk has several tattoos, but considers the one which reads "Only Jesus" as his most important. He is known as "Misha" to his friends and coaches.

Early career
Mudryk began playing football at Metalist Kharkiv in 2010, before moving to Dnipro's academy in 2014. After quickly rising through the age groups, Mudryk attracted the interest of Shakhtar Donetsk, and he signed for the club's academy in 2016.

2018–2021: Making senior debut
In the 2018–19 season, he played for Shakhtar in the under-21 category. Mudryk was promoted to the first team later that year, He made his first-team debut aged 17 on 31 October 2018 in a Ukrainian Cup match against Olimpik Donetsk, which Shakhtar won 1–0.

After struggling to get playing minutes, he was loaned to Ukrainian Premier League club Arsenal Kyiv in February 2019 for the remainder of the 2018–19 season, playing 10 matches without scoring any goals. He played in the Ukrainian Premier League against Desna Chernihiv, Kolos Kovalivka, and Oleksandriya giving the contribution to win the title in the 2019–20 season. In the summer of 2020, he signed a loan agreement with the Ukrainian Premier League club Desna Chernihiv and qualified for the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. He stayed four months in Chernihiv and played 10 matches in the 2020–21 Ukrainian Premier League and once in the 2020–21 Ukrainian Cup.

2021–2023: Breakthrough and development
On 8 January 2021, Mudryk returned to Shakhtar, playing three matches in the 2020–21 Ukrainian Premier League and joining Shakhtar's reserve team, featuring sporadically for manager Luís Castro.

In the 2021–22 season, Mudryk found more and more space as a starter, especially with the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi at the helm of Shakhtar, who had the reputation of trusting in young players. With his previous managers, failing to bring the best out of Mudryk, De Zerbi decided to recall him from his loan spell and requested a meeting with him. After the meeting, Mudryk developed a new mentality and his manager considered him one of the best young players, adding that "if I don't bring him to a high level, I will consider it a personal defeat".

On 25 August 2021, Mudryk made his UEFA Champions League debut against Monaco, replacing Manor Solomon in the 82nd minute in the play-off round of the tournament. His cross in the 114th minute, ricochet off Ruben Aguilar on the Monegasque net, as Shakhtar qualified to the tournament 3–2 on aggregate. On 18 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 5–0 win against Mariupol at the Volodymyr Boyko Stadium. On 3 December, Mudryk provided four assists in a 6–1 win against Lviv. On 31 December, he agreed to a contract extension to 2026. He was named the club's Player of the Month for the months of November and December.

On 24 February 2022, the Ukrainian Premier League was suspended due to the imposition of martial law in Ukraine due to the Prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent invasion by Russia. Mudryk finished the season with two goals and nine assists, being named the club's Player of the Year.

With football resuming in Ukraine, Mudryk started the 2022–23 season by scoring his first Champions League goal and providing two assists in a 4–1 away win over RB Leipzig. This was followed by another goal in a 1–1 Champions League draw to Celtic. On 19 October, he scored twice in a 3–0 over Kolos Kovalivka. His prolific form saw him score seven goals and provide six assists in 12 matches, being named the Ukrainian Footballer of the Year and Shakhtar's Player of the Year.

Chelsea
On 15 January 2023, Mudryk signed for Premier League club Chelsea on an eight-and-a-half-year contract for an initial transfer fee of €70 million (£62 million), potentially rising to €100 million (£89 million) in add-ons. This was the largest transfer fee received by Shakhtar and the Ukrainian Premier League, topping the previous record held by Fred, and made him the most expensive Ukrainian footballer.

Mudryk's debut came on 21 January, as Chelsea drew 0–0 away to Liverpool in a league match. His first start came against Fulham in a 0–0 draw on 4 February. On 2 October, Mudryk scored his first competitive goal for Chelsea on his 24th appearance, opening the scoring in a 2–0 Premier League win against Fulham. On 21 October, he scored his first goal at Stamford Bridge from a long range shot in a 2–2 draw against Arsenal. During an EFL Cup match against Newcastle United on 19 December 2023, Mudryk scored an equaliser in stoppage time to help his team to a 1–1 draw, which Chelsea would go on to win on penalties.

International career
From 2017 to 2018, Mudryk played for the Ukraine U17. From 2018 to 2019, he played for the Ukraine U19, Playing 12 matches and scoring five goals. In 2019, he made his debut for Ukraine U21, tallying 16 appearances and scoring three goals. On 7 September 2021, he scored the winning goal from free-kick against Armenia. On 16 June 2023, Mudryk returned to Ukraine U21 squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He started in two matches and provided two assists in the tournament.

In April 2022, Mudryk was called up for the Ukraine national team for a training camp in April–May 2022 in Slovenia. On 1 June, he debuted in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoff semi-finals, which Ukraine won 3–1 against Scotland.

On 17 October 2023, Mudryk scored his first senior international goal in a 3–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying win against Malta. On 26 March 2024, he scored the winning goal of a 2–1 victory over Iceland in the qualifying play-off final to send Ukraine through to the official tournament.

Reception
Wesley Fofana, his team mate at Chelsea, said that Mudryk is faster than Kylian Mbappe and probably the fastest player he has played against. Ben Chilwell was cautious in his praise stating, "With Mudryk, I see endless bags of potential that hasn't been fulfilled yet". In reference to his poor on-field performances for Chelsea, some fans nicknamed him "Ukraine Bolt", suggesting that his pace is his only forte.

International

 * Scores and results list Ukraine's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mudryk goal

Honours
Shakhtar Donetsk
 * Ukrainian Premier League: 2019–20

Chelsea
 * EFL Cup runner-up: 2023–24

Individual
 * Ukrainian Footballer of the Year: 2022
 * Shakhtar Donetsk Player of the Year: 2021, 2022
 * Golden talent of Ukraine: 2021 (U21), 2022 (U21)