Vitali Kutuzov


Vitali Vladimirovich Kutuzov is a Belarusian former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Club career

Kutuzov was born in Pinsk. He signed with BATE Borisov as an 18-year old in 1998, and established himself as a major player and top scorer for the team.
In 2001, Kutuzov joined the Serie A side AC Milan from BATE Borisov, becoming the club's third Russian-speaking player after Andriy Shevchenko and Kakha Kaladze. However, unlike his former USSR compatriots, he failed to establish himself as an important part of the team, getting to play only 37 minutes in four games throughout the entire season.
In 2002–03 football season, he was loaned out to Primeira Liga side Sporting CP. He played 30 games for them and scored 7 goals, including games in UEFA Cup and the domestic cup.
For the following, 2003–04 season he was again loaned, this time to the Italian Serie B side Avellino. Kutuzov established himself as one of the most important players of the side and a fan-favorite. He played 43 games, scoring 15 goals. Despite his efforts, the team was relegated to Serie C1.
After his successful season in Serie B, he was noticed by the Serie A side U.C. Sampdoria. The club bought half of the rights for the footballer from A.C. Milan in 2004 for €1.5 million and signed him until 2008. In the 2004–05 season he played in 32 games and scored 4 goals.
On 20 June 2006, F.C. Parma bought the full rights on Kutuzov from Sampdoria. He signed a three-year contract with them. He was loaned to newly promoted Serie B side Pisa in July 2007. He returned to Parma during the summer of 2008.
In January 2009, he left for A.S. Bari where he finished his career.

International career

Kutuzov earned over 50 caps for the Belarus national team. On 17 April 2002, he made his debut, contributing two goals in a 5–2 away win over Hungary in a friendly.

Career statistics

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
117 April 2002Stadion Oláh Gábor Út, Debrecen, Hungary2–15–2Friendly
217 April 2002Stadion Oláh Gábor Út, Debrecen, Hungary3–15–2Friendly
321 August 2002Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia1–04–2Friendly
429 March 2003Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus1–12–1UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
530 April 2003Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan2–12–1Friendly
68 September 2004Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway1–11–12006 FIFA World Cup qualification
79 October 2004Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus2–04–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
87 September 2005Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus1–01–42006 FIFA World Cup qualification
98 October 2005Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland1–01–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
1024 March 2007Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg2–02–1UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
1117 November 2007Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania2–24–2UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
1217 November 2007Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania3–24–2UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
1326 March 2008Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus1–02–2Friendly

Honours

BATE Borisov
Sporting CP