Shakhtar officially introduced the head coach and coaching staff for their youth team. Ahead of the 2026/27 season, the youth squad will be led by 45-year-old Alexey Belik.
A product of the Donetsk football school, Belik spent his playing career representing Shakhtar, with whom he won the Ukrainian championship three times and lifted the national cup twice.
He also played for Shakhtar-2, German side Bochum, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia’s Metalurh. Internationally, he featured for Ukraine’s youth, under-21, and senior national teams.
Belik began his coaching career in 2021 within the club’s academy as an assistant coach for Shakhtar’s U15 team. He later served as assistant for the U19 squad. In 2023, he took charge of the youth team, leading them to a silver medal in the championship, followed by a title win in the 2025/26 season.
Joining the “orange-and-black” coaching staff are assistant coach Alexey Gay, goalkeeping coach Artem Tetenko, and fitness coach Dmitry Kornienko.
“Only positive emotions come with this appointment and the chance to work at my beloved club, where I essentially grew up as a player and began my coaching journey—from assistant with Shakhtar U15 to head coach of the U21 team. It’s too early to assess the level of competition, but our primary focus is on developing young players. The U21 championship will be an excellent opportunity for them to gain experience competing against adult opponents. At the same time, we aim for a positive result in every match and will give our utmost effort to achieve it,” Belik said following his appointment.
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