Anton Popovitch
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 11 July 1996[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Valkeakoski, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ilves | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | Haka | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2020 | Haka | 134 | (17) |
| 2021–2023 | KuPS | 71 | (6) |
| 2024– | Ilves | 4 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 April 2024 | |||
Anton Popovitch (Russian: Антон Попович; born 11 July 1996) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Veikkausliiga club Ilves.
Club career
FC Haka
Popovitch played in the youth sector of his hometown club Haka in Valkeakoski, before he was promoted to the club's senior squad for the 2015 season in Ykkönen. After the 2019 season, which has been considered his breakthrough season, Haka earned a promotion back to Finland's premier league Veikkausliiga.[2]
Kuopion Palloseura
Popovitch transferred to fellow Veikkausliiga club Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) ahead of the 2021 season.[3] He left the club after the 2023 season, after having spent three years with KuPS and having won two Finnish Cup championships and three silver medals in Veikkausliiga.
Ilves
On 16 January 2024, fellow Veikkausliiga side Ilves announced the signing of Popovitch on a three-year deal.[4]
Personal life
Popovitch holds dual Finnish-Russian citizenship. He is the son of former professional footballer Valeri Popovitch, who is the all-time leading goalscorer of Haka and of the whole Finnish top-tier league.[5][6] His brother Sasha is also a footballer.
Career statistics
- As of 28 April 2024[7]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Other | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Haka | 2015 | Ykkönen | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| 2016 | Ykkönen | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | Ykkönen | 26 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | |||
| 2018 | Ykkönen | 25 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 6 | |||
| 2019 | Ykkönen | 27 | 7 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 7 | |||
| 2020 | Veikkausliiga | 20 | 2 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 3 | |||
| Total | 134 | 17 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 19 | ||
| KuPS | 2021 | Veikkausliiga | 25 | 3 | 6 | 1 | — | 8[b] | 0 | 39 | 4 | |
| 2022 | Veikkausliiga | 24 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2[c] | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| 2023 | Veikkausliiga | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| Total | 71 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 105 | 8 | ||
| Ilves | 2024 | Veikkausliiga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Career total | 209 | 23 | 42 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 277 | 27 | ||
- Suomen Cup
- ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ a b c Appearances in Finnish League Cup
Honours
FC Haka
Kuopion Palloseura
- Veikkausliiga: 2021 Runners-up, 2022 Runners-up, 2023 Runners-up
- Finnish Cup: 2021, 2022
References
- ^ Anton Popovitch at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Anton Popovitch". soccerway.com. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "Anton Popovits tottui valokeilaan jo lapsena: "Ajattelin, että muillakin on samanlaista" - KuPS-tähti kertoo selkeän kantansa sotaan" (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ TERVETULOA ILVEKSEEN, ANTON POPOVITCH!, ilvesedustus.fi, 16 January 2024
- ^ "Valkeakoskelaislähtöisen Anton Popovitšin nousussa tähtipelaajaksi on omalaatuinen piirre - Legenda-asemaan nousseen isän varjo toi kohtuuttomat odotukset, joista jalostui oma identiteetti" (in Finnish). Valkeakosken Sanomat. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ ""Tsaari" täyttää 50 vuotta - Veikkausliigan legenda jätti pysyvän jäljen historiaan" (in Finnish). Veikkausliiga. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ "Anton Popovitch". flashscore.