Early life and career in the Soviet Union Kanchelskis was born in
Kirovohrad in the
Soviet Union's
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic to a Lithuanian father, Antanas, and a Ukrainian mother. Kanchelskis started his career with hometown team
Zirka Kropyvnytskyi, known at the time as Zirka Kirovograd. In 1988, he was
called up to the army, and had the choice of two teams to transfer to -
Dynamo Kyiv and
Dnipro. Lobanovskyi favoured a
4–4–2 formation, a system which focussed on getting the ball to the flanks and crossing into the penalty box, Kanchelskis had decided to become a
winger having seen Brazilian
Jairzinho playing in his youth. His first goal for Dynamo came on 4 November 1988 at the
Republican Stadium, scoring the equalising goal against
Dynamo Moscow in a 2–1 victory. He then transferred to
Shakhtar Donetsk in 1990, where his salary was increased to 700 rubles per week. Ferguson had discovered Kanchelskis through a
VHS tape sent to him by Norwegian
agent Rune Hauge, and had been able to personally scout him during a
Soviet Union match against
Scotland. He made his United debut in the penultimate league game of the
1990–91 season, a match which United lost 3–0 to
Crystal Palace at
Selhurst Park, with Ferguson resting several first team players due to their participation in the
European Cup Winners' Cup Final. employed by the club as an
interpreter, who he became close friends with and who later helped write his first autobiography. Kanchelskis came into a United squad who finished the season in 6th position, with Ferguson under increasing pressure to win the league championship. Kanchelskis won the
1991 European Super Cup with United, defeating
European Cup winners
Red Star Belgrade 1–0. Though he primarily played on the right wing, such was the fluidity of United's attacking play that Kanchelskis could switch wings and be as effective, as against defending champions Leeds early in the season, with opposite winger
Ryan Giggs delivering a ball from the right to Kanchelskis, drifting from the left wing to the back post, heading into the goal to score United's first in a 2–0 win. Kanchelskis was a regular in the first half of the season before being replaced for the second half of the season by
Lee Sharpe, who returned from a bout of
viral meningitis, Kanchelskis was United's leading goalscorer in the
1994–95 season with 15 goals in 32 games, Robson believed his friendship with Kanchelskis could secure the transfer in Middlesbrough's favour. Kanchelskis confirmed that he would be leaving United, blaming Ferguson for his imminent departure, and eventually agreed to join
Everton in August, but the transfer was cancelled due to a claim by Shakhtar Donetsk for money. Kanchelskis was subsequently registered with United for
European competition, with the belief he could yet remain with the club, but a compromise between United, Everton and Shakhtar was reached, and he signed for Everton after the beginning of the
1995–96 season, in time for a fixture against
Southampton. Everton paid a club record £5m fee for Kanchelskis, signing a four-year contract worth £13,000 per week. United manager Ferguson later claimed in his autobiography that he was offered a bung of £40,000 to force through a transfer by Grigory Essaoulenko, the agent of Kanchelskis, who denied the allegations. In 1997, an inquiry into potential transfer irregularities in English football was unable to obtain information regarding Kanchelskis' transfers as the owner of Shakhtar,
Akhat Bragin, had been murdered with an explosive device.
The Independent later uncovered that Bragin had stolen over £500k in 1991 when Kanchelskis had transferred to United, money which had been deposited into a
Swiss bank account by Manchester United, a fact which was only realised by other Shakhtar officials, including
Ravil Safiullin, when Kanchelskis transferred to Everton. Kanchelskis, who was contracted to Scottish team
Rangers by the time of Ferguson's allegations, denied any involvement, and said Essaoulenko hadn't been his agent since 1991. Having missed the
Charity Shield curtain raiser against
Blackburn due to the delay of the transfer, he made his debut in the match against Southampton, with Everton winning 2–0, their first win of the season. During his first game against Manchester United, since he joined Everton, in early September, Kanchelskis suffered a shoulder injury early into the game following a late tackle by Sharpe, and was substituted off after 14 minutes in an eventual 3–2 defeat. He returned to action against
Bolton Wanderers a month later, missing two chances to score in a 1–1 draw. He rapidly gained cult status with Everton supporters especially after his two goals against
Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Anfield, his first for the club, ensured a 2–1 win, Everton's first triumph at the stadium since 1986. A week later, he put in a
Man of the Match performance in a 2–2 draw with
Sheffield Wednesday, scoring Everton's first three minutes into injury time in the first half, before assisting the equaliser for
Daniel Amokachi. His first season with the club saw him score 16 goals, including 10 goals in the last 10 matches, On 24 February 1996, Kanchelskis scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win against
Nottingham Forest, which moved them into 7th place for the first time since August, increasing their chances of
UEFA Cup qualification. On 16 April, he again scored against Liverpool, this time in a 1–1 draw, a result which hampered Everton's prospects of qualifying for Europe. He scored his second hat-trick in English football during a 5–2 win at
Sheffield Wednesday on 27 April, the first Everton player to score hat-trick in any competition for over two years. Everton ultimately missed out on a UEFA Cup, results not going their way on the final weekend of the season. In late January 1997, Kanchelskis was subject to a bid of £6m from Italian club
Fiorentina, and Fiorentina director Luciano Luna claimed personal terms had been agreed for a four-year contract.
Injury marred spell with Fiorentina Kanchelskis signed a three-year deal with Fiorentina for a fee of 16 billion
lira, signing a four-year contract. The transfer fee was the most expensive for a Russian player, and at the time was one of
the most expensive transfers in world football. 1,500 Fiorentina fans turned up to watch Kanchelskis' first training session, and though he passed his medical, Kanchelskis' first match was delayed by an ankle injury, Manager
Claudio Ranieri declared Kanchelskis "the best in the world", and club owner
Vittorio Cecchi Gori said Fiorentina had beat out
A.C. Milan, Spanish club
Real Madrid, and Dutch club
Ajax to sign Kanchelskis. New teammates
Luís Airton Oliveira,
Stefan Schwarz,
Pasquale Padalino, and
Anselmo Robbiati all expressed their joy at the arrival of Kanchelskis, predicting the arrival to be a success for both the team and the player. Cecchi Gori claimed Kanchelskis had been deliberately targeted by opposition player due to the cost of the transfer. Kanchelskis' early performances were criticised by Italian newspaper
la Repubblica, scoring no goals and managing only one shot on goal in his first five appearances. A hard tackle by
Roma defender
Vincent Candela ended his
1996–97 season prematurely, at which point he had played nine games without scoring. During the summer, Ranieri had been replaced by
Alberto Malesani, who had faith in the ability of Kanchelskis. However, he suffered an
ankle injury after a hard tackle from
Internazionale defender
Taribo West, punished only with a
yellow card. Returning to action after 40 days in a
1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier against
Italy in
Moscow, he collided with
Gianluca Pagliuca and suffered a fracture in his
knee, being sidelined until the end of January in a
Coppa Italia match. By the end of the season, he had played 19 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals, the second of which came on the final day of the season in a 2–0 win against Milan. said that it was "inevitable" that Kanchelskis would not have success in Italy due to being targeted by opposition players.
Return to Britain After struggling to make an impact in Italy, he was allowed to leave, and signed for
Scottish Premier League team
Rangers for a national record of £5.5 million, part of the club's total summer spending by manager
Dick Advocaat of £25m. His first goal came for Rangers came in the first-leg of their
UEFA Cup qualification second-round match against Greek side
PAOK. On 25 April 1999, Kanchelskis scored the second Rangers goal in a 3–1 win against
Aberdeen, moving them within three points of the
championship. Rangers went on to win a
domestic treble of the league,
Scottish Cup, and
Scottish League Cup, with Kanchelskis coming on as a substitute as they clinched the third trophy against
Old Firm rivals
Celtic; in the first fixture of the season against Celtic, Kanchelskis had suffered a broken arm. In his
second season with the club, he was dropped from the team, but regained his place in the new year and eventually won the
2000 Scottish Cup Final, amidst reports he could be sold. During the summer, he was a transfer target for Spanish club
Barcelona, who wanted a replacement for
Luís Figo, while
Joe Royle, manager of
Manchester City, declared his interest in reuniting with Kanchelskis, though he eventually opted to stay with Rangers, saying he was having a "great time" with the club. His relationship with Advocaat eventually broke down, and after a training ground bust-up with teammate
Fernando Ricksen, followed by him then refusing to play in a match for the
Rangers under-21 team, he emerged as a target for
Bradford City and Manchester City in January 2001. He chose to return to
Manchester, and made his debut on 31 January, coming on as a half-time substitute for
Andy Morrison in a 1–1 draw with
Liverpool in the league. He played 11 games for City, scoring once in a 4–2 defeat to Liverpool in the
FA Cup. Despite his successful time with United, Kanchelskis says the clubs' supporters regularly remind him he played 11 matches for their arch-rivals. Upon his return to Rangers, he said he was happy to be back and vowed to give his all for the team, but having received little game time and falling behind
Russell Latapy in the pecking order, began to consider his future. After his release from Rangers upon the expiration of his contract, he went on trial with
Southampton; manager
Gordon Strachan said that Kanchelskis had personally phoned him to ask for permission to train with the club. After a successful trial, Kanchelskis signed with Southampton on 30 August, with a contract lasting until the end of
the season. Strachan described Kanchelskis as "just too good a player not to have a club", and said
Saints players were "learning a lot from him". He made his debut against former club Everton, coming on as a second-half substitution in an eventual 1–0 win. After making only one more appearance, Southampton released him early from his contract in February 2003, and he joined Saudi Arabian team
Al Hilal, signing a four-month contract, after rejecting the possibility to move to Sheffield Wednesday on loan. During his time with Southampton, Kanchelskis wore the number 7 shirt previously worn by club legend
Matt Le Tissier, and said during a 2021 interview with
The Athletic that while he didn't have a problem wearing the number on his shirt, that it was a "bad decision" due to his lack of success at the club.
Later career, and retirement His time with Al-Hilal was blighted by a hamstring injury, and he said that though his teammates were skilled, they lacked enthusiasm and passion in matches and training. Kanchelskis played his final game for the club in May 2003, and in July he began training back in England with
Brighton & Hove Albion, a club close to his home in
Sussex. He would later reveal he decided to leave Saudi Arabia due to the
Riyadh compound bombings. With offers from teams in Japan and the possibility of a return to Al-Hilal, Brighton manager
Steve Coppell began talks with Kanchelskis to sign for the club, and after a month of training, he was offered a three-month contract by Brighton, but the move was cancelled when he failed to agree personal terms. Coppell had been excited at the prospect of Kanchelskis training with the club, saying: "when he is on the ball you can just see he is a good player. He's been there, done it played on the highest stage... he's just a top quality player and he seems a good lad". In December 2003, Kanchelskis spoke to Russian media outlet
Sport Express of a contract offer from
Russian Premier League team
Dynamo Moscow. In January 2004, he signed a one-year contract with Dynamo after a trial period with the club. In an interview with
Komsomolskaya Pravda, Kanchelskis said he had turned down big-money offers from
Qatar and Saudi Arabia in favour of signing for Dynamo. His stay at Dynamo was short-lived when he was sacked for a "disciplinary offence" on the eve of the
2004 season, with manager
Jaroslav Hřebík citing a "lack of professionalism". Kanchleskis denied allegations he had turned up to training drunk, and filed an unlawful termination suit with the dispute resolution chamber. In December, the court ruled in favour of Kanchelskis; though he said he had fought against the dismissal "not for money, but for prestige", he was awarded damages equating to his salary from 8 February to 15 December. Soon after his release from Dynamo, he was training with former international teammate
Viktor Onopko at
Saturn. At the end of May, Saturn manager
Boris Ignatyev confirmed the possibility that Kanchelskis could sign for the club, and in June, Kanchelskis signed a six-month contract with Saturn, with the possibility of a further year. Before making his official debut, he took part in a friendly match against
Rubin Kazan. His debut for Saturn wouldn't come for another month, playing in the 14th round of the championship in a 1–1 draw against
Amkar Perm. His first two goals for the club came in a 5–1 win against
Alania Vladikavkaz. After another year with Saturn and a short spell with
Krylia Sovetov, he retired in February 2007, saying "you need to leave at the right time". He scored one goal for Krylia Sovetov, scoring the opening goal in a 2–1 win against
Tom Tomsk on 6 May 2006. He played his last competitive game on 25 November. ==International career==