The Benfica goalkeeper, a last-minute scorer with Real Madrid this Wednesday, caused the elimination of the Marseillais in Europe.
He is the hero of a club, of a city, of an entire people. This Wednesday evening, Anatoliy Trubin wrote his name into Champions League legend by scoring a headed goal in the final moments of the match between Benfica and Real Madrid. The Ukrainian goalkeeper thus offered qualification to the Lisbon team, consequently eliminating Olympique de Marseille, who held their play-offs until this fatal moment.
In the spotlight, the 24-year-old footballer has now become a world star. A starter at Benfica since 2023 after wearing the colors of Shakhtar Donetsk, he is also a Ukrainian international. Here are three things to know about him.
He was trained by De Zerbi in Donetsk
Anatoliy Trubin is a precocious player, a raw talent. Starting for the first time among professionals on May 26, 2019, at just 17 years old, when he played under Paulo Fonseca in Donetsk, the goalkeeper quickly became an inseparable player in the Ukrainian team. He was even named captain on July 15, 2020, a few days before his 18th birthday.
In his training club, the tall right-hander was notably trained by Roberto De Zerbi, who was at the head of Shakhtar for one season, in 2021-2022. The two men notably won the Ukrainian Super Cup together, before the Italian left for Brighton then to Olympique de Marseille. Destiny is therefore cruel for the Marseille coach, betrayed by an ex.
He fled Donbass because of the war
Despite his undeniable talent, Anatoliy Trubin’s training was not easy. In 2014, at the age of 13, the Ukrainian had to flee his hometown of Donetsk because of the pro-Russian armed insurrection. Left for kyiv, he had to move away from his parents.
“In August, we were told to pack our bags and move to the kyiv region if we wanted to stay at the academy,” he explained in April 2022 to Goal. Our family lived just minutes from Shakhtar’s training ground, and everything was supposed to be very comfortable. Suddenly I had to leave the house. It was very difficult for me and my parents, who sometimes didn’t see me for about six months. »
Very attached to Ukraine and its region, Trubin also paid tribute to it in an Instagram story after his goal. “For Ukraine, for those who know how to fight until the end,” he wrote.
He has already played two Euros
Selected for the first time with the Ukrainian national team on March 31, 2021, Anatoliy Trubin shone in all age categories. Captain of the U17s then indisputable starter among the hopefuls, he quickly found his place in the A squad, then coached by the legend Andriy Shevchenko. This also took him to Euro 2021, where he remained nailed to the bench.
Three years later, however, he had won his starting place, notably during qualifying for the 2024 European Championship. In the cages against Slovakia and Belgium, he did not manage to avoid the elimination of his team in the group stage. Essential during the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, he is still in the running for qualification via the play-offs scheduled for March. Ukraine competes with Sweden, Poland and Albania.
He didn’t even know that Benfica had to score
The anecdote is perhaps even crazier than its goal. Before becoming the hero of the evening, Anatoliy Trubin had worked to buy time, convinced that his team’s 3-2 victory was enough to qualify. He was only warned of the need to score a final goal in the final moments.
“I didn’t understand what we needed,” he told Sport TV. But when we had a free kick, I saw everyone pointing at me, the coach too, so I went up and was told we still needed a goal. It’s a crazy moment, I’m not used to scoring, it was something completely new. I’m 24 and this is the first time. Amazing. »
