‘Starboy,’ ‘one of the best to wear the shirt,’ ‘better than Nathan Ake‘, and ‘a joy to watch’; just some of the phrases which AFC Bournemouth fans have used this season to describe their Ukrainian starlet, Illia Zabarnyi.
A hybrid between the modern-day ball-playing central defender with the physical attributes of an old-school defender, Zabarnyi has all of the qualities you would typically associate with the world’s elite.
While his first season on the south coast was not ideal, Illia Zabarnyi has come on leaps and bounds in the 2023/24 season to become a significant part of AFC Bournemouth‘s spine.
Zabarnyi has been crucial for Andoni Iraola this season, with the Ukrainian starting in all 31 fixtures and playing every minute for the Cherries so far this season in the Premier League.
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Career Path
Illia Zabarnyi is a name that several football fans would have already been familiar with before his move to AFC Bournemouth in January 2023.
Zabarnyi began rising through the youth ranks of his hometown club, Dynamo Kyiv, where he spent four years in their academic ranks before making his senior debut.
The defender was promoted to Dynamo‘s senior squad in 2019 and was handed his debut on 11 September 2020, in a draw against Desna Chernihiv in the Ukrainian Premier League.
Zabarnyi was just 17 years old when he made his senior debut – entering the scene as a hot young prospect.
Due to age being ‘on his side,’ the Kyiv native was able to develop his game at the top level in competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League, coming up against teams such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
This early experience allowed the defender to mature and develop at a young age, with the media tipping him as a ‘wunderkind.’
Zabarnyi‘s ability caught the attention of buyers early as the Ukrainian attracted the interest of Tottenham in the summer of 2022, as per Transfermarkt.
The Ukrainian got his big move to the Premier League in January 2023, completing a £22.5m deal and signing a five-and-a-half-year contract on the south coast.
