AFC Bournemouth
Young defender Illia Zabarnyi is one of the brightest talents in European football.
The ball-playing central defender arrived at Vitality Stadium on transfer deadline day in January 2023.
Born in Kyiv in 2002, Zabarnyi is a product of Dynamo Kyiv’s youth system, being coached by former Ukraine internationals Serhiy Bezhenar and Artem Yashkin in his early career.
In July 2019, Zabarnyi was promoted to the senior squad at Dynamo Kyiv for the first time, making his first appearance in a matchday squad in March 2020.
His senior debut came in September 2020 when he kept a clean sheet in a home fixture with Desna Chernihiv in the Ukrainian Premier League.
In the same month, the defender made his Ukraine under-21s debut before he made his senior international debut in October, playing in a friendly with France.
Zabarnyi quickly established himself as an exceptional talent, making 36 appearances in all competitions in his first season, winning a notable treble.
Kyiv only lost one time in the league all season and took on Barcelona and Juventus in the UEFA Champions League, finishing in third position to earn a spot in the UEFA Europa League, where they reached the round of 16.
Zabarnyi made 23 appearances in all competitions before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine curtailed the 2021/22 season.
At the time, Kyiv had lost just once in 18 games and had a league best defensive record of just nine goals conceded. Zabarnyi once again gained excellent Champions League experience, taking on Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Benfica in the group stage.
The league resumed for the 2022/23 season in August 2022, playing matches behind closed doors and Zabarnyi made 25 appearances in all competitions prior to his move to the Cherries.
He arrived at Vitality Stadium as the fifth signing of the January 2023 transfer window.
A regular for his country, Zabarnyi has over 20 international caps. He played in every game of Ukraine’s UEFA EURO 2022 campaign as they reached the quarter-final, losing to England in Rome.
