Vladimir Covalschi

Vladimir Covalschi (born 28 October 1988) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a forward.

Early life
Born in Rada Tilly in the Escalante Department of Argentina, Covalschi is of Russian descent. Growing up he played rugby union, and represented Rada Tilly, Chubut, Calafate and Hindú Club, as well as a select team of the Unión de Rugby Austral (Southern Rugby Union).

Club career
In 2010, Covalschi saw an advertisement for a new Spanish reality television show, Football Cracks, while walking to university in Buenos Aires. Despite having never played organised football before, he decided to sign up, where he was one of three Argentines selected to travel to Madrid for the competition. He arrived in Spain, where he was evaluated by former footballers Zinedine Zidane and Enzo Francescoli, as well as being trained by Germán Burgos, and though he was one of the last nineteen remaining candidates, he was eventually eliminated.

On his return to Argentina, he featured briefly for Central Ballester, playing one game in the 2011–12 Primera D Metropolitana. After this, having struggled to find a club, he returned to his hometown, joining Club Atlético Rada Tilly. Initially a defender, Covalschi transitioned to play as a centre-forward while at Rada Tilly, proving himself to be a prolific goal-scorer, scoring 29 goals in 22 games in the 2015 season and being recognised with the Mara Dorada award for his performances. This form earned him a trial with Italian side Gela, though he was unable to join due to issues with the contract.

He moved to Comisión de Actividades Infantiles (CAI) for the 2016 season, where he represented the side in the Torneo Argentino B, and the following year he was again recognised with the Mara Dorada award in 2017. Following this, he had a short spell with Newbery. In January 2019, he joined Real Pilar, and would feature for them in their historic Copa Argentina match against Vélez Sarsfield; despite being four divisions lower than Vélez, they won 1–0 at the Estadio Alfredo Beranger, making history as they became the first team from the Argentinian fifth division to reach the last-16 of the competition.

Later life
Following his retirement from football, Covalschi took an interest in both acting and modelling, making his theatrical debut in October 2019 in Claudio Hamed's Antes de que sea tarde (Before it's too late). In late 2020, he signed an international advertising contract with British cough drop manufacturers, Halls. He later took up taekwondo, and in June 2022 he won a local tournament in Mendoza.

Club

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