Oleg Salenko

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Oleg Salenko bigraphy, stories - footballer

Oleg Salenko : biography

25 October 1969 –

Oleg Anatolyevich Salenko ( Oleh Anatoliyovich Salenko born 25 October 1969 in Leningrad, Russia) is a retired Russian footballer, who played as a striker. He scored a record of five goals in a group stage match in the 1994 World Cup, helping him earn the Golden Shoe as joint-top tournament goalscorer.

Career statistics

Club

Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Zenit 1986 11 3 3 1 0 0 14 4
1987 10 0 2 0 0 0 12 0
1988 26 7 1 0 0 0 27 7
Dynamo Kyiv 1989 26 3 5 0 6 1 37 4
1990 21 4 4 5 4 2 29 11
1991 28 14 3 4 8 3 39 21
1992 16 7 4 1 4 1 24 9
Logroñés 1992/93 16 7 0 0 0 0 16 7
1993/94 31 16 6 5 0 0 37 21
Valencia 1994/95 25 7 6 3 0 0 31 10
Rangers 1995/96 16 7 0 0 2 0 18 7
İstanbulspor 1995/96 15 11 0 0 0 0 15 11
1996/97 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1997/98 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Córdoba 1999/00 3 0 2 0 0 0 4 0
Pogoń Szczecin 2000/01 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career Totals 248 86 36 18 24 7 308 111

International

Ukraine national team
Year Apps Goals
1992 1 0
Total 1 0
Russia national team
Year Apps Goals
1993 1 0
1994 7 7
Total 8 7

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 1994-06-24 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, USA Sweden}} 1 – 0 1 – 3 1994 FIFA World Cup
2 1994-06-28 Stanford Stadium, Stanford, USA Cameroon}} 0 – 1 1 – 6 1994 FIFA World Cup
3 1994-06-28 Stanford Stadium, Stanford, USA Cameroon}} 0 – 2 1 – 6 1994 FIFA World Cup
4 1994-06-28 Stanford Stadium, Stanford, USA Cameroon}} 0 – 3 1 – 6 1994 FIFA World Cup
5 1994-06-28 Stanford Stadium, Stanford, USA Cameroon}} 1 – 4 1 – 6 1994 FIFA World Cup
6 1994-06-28 Stanford Stadium, Stanford, USA Cameroon}} 1 – 5 1 – 6 1994 FIFA World Cup

International career

Salenko set a World Cup record by scoring five goals in one game, for Russia against Cameroon on 28 June 1994. Salenko finished the 1994 World Cup with six goals (scoring his sixth goal from the penalty spot against Sweden), sharing the Golden Boot with Hristo Stoichkov, a remarkable feat since Russia was knocked out in the first round, and Stoichkov’s Bulgaria played another four games in the tournament. This mirrored Salenko’s achievement in the 1989 U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, where he was top scorer when he scored 6 goals in the tournament. He is the only player to win the Golden Boot at both the U-20 World Cup and FIFA World Cup.

Salenko played a total of only nine international matches, one of them for Ukraine, and he never scored in an international game before or after the 1994 World Cup. He remains the sole player ever to win the Golden Boot award on a team eliminated from World Cup contention at the group stage.

Beach football

In 2003, Salenko worked as manager of the Ukraine national beach football team. His team played three games with only win over the team of USA 6–5 and lost the other two to Brazil and Spain. The tournament took place at the end of July in Portugal under the name Mundialito. After the tournament, he was dismissed. He is now currently a part of FFU assisting staff.

Club career

Salenko played at Zenit Leningrad, Dynamo Kyiv, Logroñés, Córdoba, Valencia, Rangers and İstanbulspor in a club career that lasted from 1986 to 2000.

Eventually, he faded from the international soccer scene and finally had to end his career prematurely for health reasons stemming from injuries. Salenko returned to playing professional football in the 2000–01 season and signed for Pogoń Szczecin. He retired after playing a single game however due to his physical conditioning.