1. Early Life and Career Beginnings
Dmitri Kirichenko's football journey began in his hometown, leading him through various youth and early professional clubs before he gained significant recognition in the Russian football landscape.
1.1. Birth and Childhood
Dmitri Sergeyevich Kirichenko was born on January 17, 1977, in Novoalexandrovsk, a town located in Stavropol Krai, then part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union.
1.2. Youth and Early Professional Career
Kirichenko's youth football education included stints at local clubs in Novoalexandrovsk and at SUOR Stavropol from 1992 to 1994. He began his senior professional career in 1994 with Lokomotiv Mineralnye Vody, where he played 24 matches without scoring. In 1995, he moved to FC Iskra Novoaleksandrovsk, the club from his hometown, registering 9 goals in 16 appearances. His most impactful early spell was with Torpedo Taganrog in the third division from 1996 to 1997. After a modest first year, he had an explosive 1997 season, scoring an impressive 32 goals in 37 appearances, which caught the attention of top-flight clubs.
2. Playing Career
Dmitri Kirichenko enjoyed a distinguished playing career, marked by significant goal-scoring achievements at both club and international levels, establishing himself as one of Russia's most lethal strikers.
2.1. Club Career
Kirichenko's professional club career spanned several prominent Russian teams, where he consistently demonstrated his scoring prowess.
2.1.1. Early Club Stints
Following his impressive performance at Torpedo Taganrog, where he netted 39 goals in 73 matches between 1996 and 1997, Kirichenko secured a move to Rostselmash, a club then competing in the top division, in 1998. This transition marked his entry into the elite tier of Russian football.
2.1.2. FC Rostov (First Stint)
From 1998 to 2001, Kirichenko played for Rostselmash (later renamed FC Rostov), where he truly made a name for himself. He quickly emerged as one of Russia's most promising young strikers. During the 2000 season, he scored 14 goals, finishing as the league's second-highest scorer, only behind Dmitri Loskov. He continued his strong form in 2001 with 13 goals, including his first career hat-trick against Krylia Sovetov Samara in the 14th round. His consistent and impactful performances earned him a transfer to one of Russia's football giants, CSKA Moscow, in 2002. Across his first stint with Rostov, he accumulated 38 goals in 108 league appearances.
2.1.3. CSKA Moscow
Kirichenko's tenure at CSKA Moscow from 2002 to 2004 was highly successful. He made an immediate impact, scoring a hat-trick in his debut match on March 8, 2002, and repeating the feat against his former club, Rostselmash, in the 19th round. In his first season, he became the Russian Premier League's top scorer with 15 goals, sharing the title with his teammate Rolan Gusev. With CSKA, he secured significant club honors, winning the Russian Premier League title in 2003 and the Russian Cup in the 2001-02 season. He also won the Russian Super Cup in 2004 and was a runner-up in 2003. Although his goal count decreased slightly in 2003 with 5 goals in 22 matches, he rebounded with 9 goals in 26 appearances in 2004.
2.1.4. FC Moscow
In 2005, Kirichenko moved to FC Moscow, where he continued his remarkable scoring record. In his first season with the new team, he once again became the Russian Premier League's top scorer, this time with 14 goals. He spent two seasons with FC Moscow, netting a total of 26 goals in 55 league matches.
2.1.5. Saturn Ramenskoye
From 2007 to 2010, Kirichenko played for Saturn Ramenskoye. On August 25, 2007, he reached a significant milestone by scoring his 100th goal in the Russian top flight during a match against Lokomotiv Moscow. He was the third player to achieve this feat in the Russian League's history since its inception in 1992, following Oleg Veretennikov and Dmitri Loskov. In 2008, he showcased his European scoring abilities in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. In Saturn's first match, a dominant 7-0 victory, he scored 4 goals against FC Etzella Ettelbruck from Luxembourg. He also scored a crucial goal in a 1-0 win against 2007 German champions VfB Stuttgart in the subsequent round. With a total of 5 goals, he finished as the top scorer of the UEFA Intertoto Cup 2008.
2.1.6. FC Rostov (Second Stint) and Retirement
Following the dissolution of Saturn due to financial issues in 2011, Kirichenko returned to FC Rostov (his former club, Rostselmash), signing a two-and-a-half-year contract. He spent his final professional playing years with Rostov, contributing 11 goals in 44 league appearances during this period. On March 3, 2014, Dmitri Kirichenko officially announced his retirement from professional football. At the time of his retirement, he held the record as the 3rd all-time top scorer in the Russian Premier League with 129 goals and ranked 5th in terms of league appearances with 377. Over his entire club career, he amassed 188 goals in 520 appearances across all competitions.
2.2. International Career
Kirichenko also represented the Russian national football team at the international level, making a notable impact during his relatively short international career.
2.2.1. UEFA Euro 2004 and Record-Breaking Goal
Kirichenko made his debut for the Russian national team on February 12, 2003, in a match against the Cyprus national team. He scored his first international goal on April 28, 2004, in a friendly match against Norway, in which Russia lost 3-2. He was included in the Russian squad for UEFA Euro 2004. Although Russia was already eliminated from the tournament, Kirichenko made history in their final group stage match against the eventual champions, Greece, on June 20, 2004. He scored a goal just 63 seconds into the match, securing a 2-1 victory for Russia. This goal stood as the fastest goal ever scored in the history of the European Championship for two decades, until Nedim Bajrami of Albania scored against Italy in 23 seconds at UEFA Euro 2024. Kirichenko played a total of 12 matches for the Russian national team, scoring 4 goals. His final appearance for the national team was on May 27, 2006, against the Spanish national team.
3. Managerial Career
Following his retirement as a player, Dmitri Kirichenko transitioned into coaching and managerial roles, primarily with clubs he had played for.
3.1. Coach and Caretaker Roles
In April 2014, Kirichenko began his coaching career as an assistant coach for his former club, FC Rostov. He served multiple times as a caretaker manager for FC Rostov, first on August 6, 2016, following the resignation of Kurban Berdyev, a role he held until September 9, 2016. He again took on a caretaker role for Rostov in 2017.
On November 7, 2018, he was appointed as the caretaker manager for FC Ufa. Under his initial management, Ufa secured a victory against Spartak Moscow. However, in the subsequent six games, the club managed only two draws and suffered four losses. Consequently, Kirichenko left FC Ufa by mutual consent on March 27, 2019.
3.2. Current Managerial Role
As of his latest appointment, Dmitri Kirichenko is the manager of Tekstilshchik Ivanovo.
4. Career Statistics
Dmitri Kirichenko's playing career was marked by consistent goal-scoring and numerous appearances across various Russian clubs and the national team.
4.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Russian Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Torpedo Taganrog | 1996 | Third Division | 37 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 7 |
| 1997 | Third Division | 36 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 32 | |
| Total | 73 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 39 | ||
| Rostselmash | 1998 | Russian Top Division | 23 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 6 |
| 1999 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2000 | 29 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 15 | ||
| 2001 | 28 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 13 | ||
| Total | 108 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 40 | ||
| CSKA Moscow | 2002 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 15 |
| 2003 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 7 | ||
| 2004 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 12 | ||
| Total | 74 | 29 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 93 | 34 | ||
| Moscow | 2005 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 14 |
| 2006 | 29 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 16 | ||
| Total | 55 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 30 | ||
| Saturn Ramenskoye | 2007 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 10 |
| 2008 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 6 | ||
| 2009 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 8 | ||
| 2010 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 8 | ||
| Total | 99 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 32 | ||
| Rostov | 2011-12 | Russian Premier League | 19 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 6 |
| 2012-13 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 6 | ||
| Total | 41 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 51 | 12 | ||
| Mordovia Saransk | 2013-14 | Russian Football National League | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| Career total | 462 | 169 | 32 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 520 | 188 | ||
4.2. International Statistics
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004-04-28 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway | Norway | 3-2 | 3-2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2004-06-20 | Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal | Greece | 0-1 | 1-2 | UEFA Euro 2004 |
| 3 | 2005-10-08 | Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia | Luxembourg | 4-1 | 5-1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 5-1 |
5. Honours and Achievements
Dmitri Kirichenko garnered several team trophies and individual accolades throughout his successful playing career.
5.1. Club Honours
CSKA Moscow
- Russian Premier League: 2003
- Russian Premier League Runner-up: 2002, 2004
- Russian Cup: 2001-02
- Russian Super Cup: 2004
- Russian Super Cup Runner-up: 2003
5.2. Individual Honours
- Russian Premier League Top Scorer: 2002 (with Rolan Gusev), 2005
- UEFA Intertoto Cup Top Scorer: 2008
- UEFA Euro 2004 Man of the Match: Russia vs. Greece (Group Stage)