Valeri Sarychev


Valeri Konstantinovich Sarychev, also known as Shin Eui-son, is a former Tajikistani footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is regarded as one of the greatest K League goalkeepers of all time. In 2000, he gained South Korean nationality.

Club career

Sarychev started his senior career in Pamir Dushanbe, the Soviet second division club. He spent his heyday in Torpedo Moscow and reached the Soviet Cup final five times with Torpedo. He received the in 1991, but he left for South Korea the next year after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. He played for Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Anyang LG Cheetahs in South Korea's K League. Since 1999, the K League Federation made a new regulation which bans the use of foreign goalkeepers because the other clubs excessively employed foreign goalkeepers after watching his performances. He became a naturalized South Korean in 2000 and named his Korean name "Shin Eui-son" which is his nickname and means the "Hand of God". He had a retirement ceremony on 1 May 2005 and became a goalkeeper coach after retirement. He won one Asian Club Championship and four K Leagues in South Korea and was selected as the goalkeeper of the K League 30th Anniversary Best XI in 2013.

International career

In August 1997, the Tajikistani national team were to take 16 players to South Korea to face their national team, but due to missing passports, only 12 players traveled. As a result, the Tajikistan Football Federation called upon Sarychev, as well as Vitaliy Parakhnevych who were playing in the K League.

Personal life

He acquired Korean citizenship in the year 2000, after being encouraged to do so by Cho Kwang-rae, the then manager of FC Anyang. He is married to Olga Sarycheva and has a daughter and a son. Shin neither drinks nor smokes, and his only hobby is listening to music. He has a collection of 700 LP records at home, including complete collections of the Beatles and Genesis albums.
After acquiring Korean citizenship he founded the Guri Shin clan.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Torpedo Moscow
Ilhwa Chunma
  • K League 1: 1993, 1994, 1995
  • Korean League Cup: 1992
  • Asian Club Championship: 1995
  • Asian Super Cup: 1996
  • Afro-Asian Club Championship: 1996
Anyang LG Cheetahs
  • K League 1: 2000
  • Korean Super Cup: 2001
  • Asian Club Championship runner-up: 2001–02
Individual
  • Ogoniok Goalkeeper of the Year : 1991
  • K League All-Star: 1992, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002
  • K League 1 Best Defender/Goalkeeper: 1992, 1994
  • K League 1 Best XI: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001
  • K League 30th Anniversary Best XI: 2013