Valeri Popovitch

Valeri Popovitch
Popovitch with Ilves in a charity match in 2010
Personal information
Full name Valeri Aleksandrovich Popovitch
Date of birth (1970-05-18) 18 May 1970
Place of birth Gorky, USSR
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Striker, attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986 Khimik Dzerzhinsk 3 (1)
1987 Lokomotiv Gorky 3 (0)
1988–1989 CSKA Moscow 25 (0)
1990–1991 Spartak Moscow 10 (0)
1992–1993 TPV 48 (26)
1994 Ilves 12 (3)
1994–2008 Haka 323 (170)
1995–1996Ikast (loan) 6 (3)
1999–2000Heerenveen (loan) 18 (6)
2009 HJK 16 (3)
2010–2012 Ilves ? (?)
Total 464 (212)
International career
USSR U-17
USSR U-19
Managerial career
2010–2012 Ilves (player-coach)
2012 Haka (youth coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Valeri Aleksandrovich Popovitch (Russian: Валерий Александрович Попович; born 18 May 1970) is a Russian former football forward. Popovitch is the all-time scoring leader of FC Haka. After his contract ended with HJK in 2010, he joined Ilves Tampere playing in Kakkonen, as a player-coach, signing a two-year contract. Currently he is a youth coach at FC Haka. Popovitch also holds the Finnish citizenship.

He has also capped several times for Soviet U-17 and U-19 National football teams. U-17 finished third in the 1986 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, and U-19 won the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship in 1988. Popovitch played in both tournaments.

Popovitch played for FC CSKA Moscow in Soviet First League and FC Spartak Moscow in the Soviet Top League.