He concealed his diagnosis: the remarkable career and tragic death of the first Ukrainian player at Fenerbahçe.

His career is unique. The Ukrainian joined the team of masters at the age of 23. Before that, he completed a vocational school specializing in tiling and served in the army in a construction battalion. The pinnacle of his career was Dnipro, where Vyshnevskyi arrived at the age of 27 (!). However, just a year later, he was playing for the USSR national team. During his nearly six seasons with Dnipro, he won six awards, including gold medals in the union championship and the national cup.

Next came Fenerbahçe. Ivan became the first footballer in Dnipro's history to sign a contract with a foreign club and the first Ukrainian in the Turkish championship. Turkish journalists nicknamed Ivan "The Buffalo" due to his playing style. After retiring from playing, Vyshnevskyi worked in the coaching staff of Vinnytsia's Nyva and Dnipro, where he made a positive impression. Unfortunately, there was no continuation — everything was overshadowed by a terrible illness...

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From the construction battalion to Dnipro

On September 20, 1987. Dnipro, in its first match as a self-financed (now termed professional) club, hosted Moscow's Dynamo at their home stadium "Meteor." In a tense game where the home team had the advantage, the scoreboard remained blank for a long time. In the 81st minute, Moscow's Stukashov scored a goal. Only a couple of minutes remained until the end of the match. Disappointed fans began to leave the stadium. And then, from deep in the field, Dnipro's central defender Ivan Vyshnevskyi joined the attack. He burst into the opponent's penalty area and scored a decisive goal.

It’s worth noting that Vyshnevskyi didn't exhibit any particular goal-scoring talent. That was his only goal while playing for Dnipro. However, this episode best illustrates Vyshnevskyi's character. On the field, he was characterized by composure and true Olympic calmness in any situation.

Ivan was born in the village of Myrolyubivka in Ternopil region. He learned the basics of the game while kicking a ball around the stadium of his hometown school. After graduating, Vyshnevskyi enrolled in vocational school and later got a job as a tiler.

He recalled football when he was drafted into the army, playing for his construction battalion's team. After his service ended, Vyshnevskyi was invited to an amateur team of the Ternopil factory "Vatra," known for producing lamps. While playing for the factory team, Ivan caught the attention of scouts from Vinnytsia's Lokomotiv, which competed in the second union league.

Vyshnevskyi defended the honor of the railway workers for four seasons. It was here in Vinnytsia that Ivan met his future wife. Olga was studying at a pedagogical institute and lived near the stadium. They met at the arena. In 1980, they got married. Family life positively impacted Vyshnevskyi's game. Higher league clubs began to take an interest in the Lokomotiv libero, and in 1982, Ivan decided to move to Moscow's Spartak.

However, things did not go well for him in Moscow from the very start: in one of his first championship games, the newcomer suffered an inguinal injury. Moreover, Spartak was slow to provide the promised apartment, and Ivan had already welcomed his first child. After some consideration, the footballer decided to return to Vinnytsia.

Upon learning of this, Ukrainian clubs became interested in the defender. For the first time, Dnipro's coach Volodymyr Yemets invited Ivan to Dnipro in the championship-winning year of 1983. Vyshnevskyi even submitted an application for employment, but at the last moment, he unexpectedly declined the transfer, resulting in a one-month suspension. What prompted such a drastic turn for the qualified defender?

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In his last season in the second league, Vyshnevskyi performed brilliantly. Only the laziest scout missed watching his games. After the championship ended, no one had as many offers as he did; 12 (!) top league teams in the USSR wanted to have the Ukrainian in their ranks.

Playing in the Euro-1988 final against van Basten and Gullit

Everything was decided by a call from Volodymyr Yemets and his brief speech: "Ivan, we are waiting for you again." This specialist had not invited anyone twice. Vyshnevskyi debuted in Dnipro in an away match against Moscow's CSKA. He immediately proved the head coach's choice was the right one with his performance.

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Gradually, Ivan earned a reputation as one of the best defenders in the USSR. He had an excellent understanding of the game, was effective in aerial duels, possessed positional awareness, and had good first-pass technique, often initiating his team's attacks. Such actions did not go unnoticed by the national team coaches: Vyshnevskyi, alongside his teammates Oleg Protasov and Hennadiy Lytovchenko, began to be regularly called up to the national team. In 1985, the defender played five matches for the national team. However, he could not establish himself there. Eduard Malofeyev, who was coaching the team, was replaced by Valeriy Lobanovskyi. The Ukrainian coach trusted Oleg Kuznetsov more, with whom he was well acquainted from Dynamo.

In 1988, Vyshnevskyi was included in the USSR national team's roster for the European Championship in Germany. After Oleg Kuznetsov received two yellow cards during the tournament and was suspended from the final, Ivan’s hope to step onto the field in the decisive match against the Dutch was ignited. Unfortunately, the coaching staff preferred Belarusian Serhiy Aleynikov.

Nevertheless, in Dnipro, Ivan consistently showcased his best qualities. The years spent in Dnipro became the most vibrant stage of his career. In 1984 and 1985, Vyshnevskyi and his teammates won bronze medals in the national championship, while in 1987 and 1989, they claimed silver. In 1988, Dnipro won the union championship and the following year became the holders of the USSR Cup.

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In 1989, Vyshnevskyi found a worthy successor in Dnipro — 21-year-old Volodymyr Herashchenko. The young libero improved from match to match, performing remarkably well for his age. Ivan turned 32, and he even began to contemplate returning to Vinnytsia, where he was eagerly awaited. But then the club's management pleasantly surprised the player: "There's an opportunity to play for one of the giants of Turkish football — Istanbul's Fenerbahçe."

$100,000 for a Communist

Homebody Vyshnevskyi pondered this offer. However, the desire to test his abilities at a new level outweighed all other arguments. Ivan traveled to Istanbul with Yevhen Kucherevskyi. The transfer fee, by the way, was impressive for an aging defender at that time — $100,000.

Fenerbahçe's goal was guarded by German Toni Schumacher, while the attack featured the holder of the "Golden Boot," Tanju Çolak. Vyshnevskyi immediately established himself in the starting lineup and ended the season as the third best foreign player in the Turkish league. His photo adorned the pages of local newspapers and magazines. However, the media's interest was driven not only by footballing reasons but also political motives — the Ukrainian was considered the first "communist foreigner" in Turkey. Fenerbahçe finished second in the championship, which led to a change in the coaching staff.

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The new coach, Guus Hiddink, brought with him from Holland central defender Marcel Brands (who would later become the technical director of PSV in 2010 and the sporting director of Everton in 2018) and made it clear to Vyshnevskyi that he was not heavily relied upon. However, the Ukrainian still had a year left on his contract with Fenerbahçe, and Ivan's performance in his debut season allowed him to quickly find a new employer.

Interest in the services of the 33-year-old veteran was shown by mid-table team Sarıyer Spor from the Turkish elite division. Vyshnevskyi signed a two