Grew up before our eyes: Igor Turchenko is the MVP of the Ukrainian handball season 2022/2023. The results of the referendum of captains and coaches of teams

The triumph of the 14th annual referendum to determine the best player of the Ukrainian men’s handball championship was the 22-year-old welterweight of Motor and the Ukrainian national team Igor Turchenkowho became the undisputed leader of both teams this season.

Formally, this title is awarded for performances in the NC, but its level does not allow preparing players for real competitive tournaments – European Cups or at the national team level. Therefore, the overall assessment of respondents often correlates with performances in more demonstrative competitions.

Since 2010 MVP handball season is determined by polling professionals. The rules of the referendum have not changed since its inception: each respondent – coaches and captains of Super League teams and Ukrainian national teams – names the top three players. Three points are awarded for first place, two for second, and one for third. The winner is determined by the total number of points scored.

14TH ANNUAL REFERENDUM ON THE DEFINITION MVP

• This season, Turchenko, as part of Motor, won the fourth gold of the Ukrainian championship for himself, adding the Cup of Ukraine to his personal collection. It should be noted that in the 2018/2019 season he played for the champion Motor (4 matches/14 goals), being announced for ZNTU-ZAS (Zaporozhye), with which he won bronze (it was allowed to play for two teams by the regulations).

• If you do not take into account that season, as a champion, on the balance sheet of Turchenko – 8 trophies won in Ukraine: 4ChU + 3KU + 1SK.
• He made his debut in the Ukrainian Championship in the 2017/2018 season as part of Zaporozhye ZNTU-ZAS (27 matches, 30 goals). In total in the championships of Ukraine spent 6 seasons: 103 matches/300 balls.
• With a catch of 102 goals (3 seasons), Turchenko takes 16th place in the list of top snipers in Motor’s European Cup history.
• In the current Euroseason, he has scored 97 goals, setting a club record for goals scored in one single season.
• In the general register for all the years of the referendum, Igor rose from 81st line to 21st place.
• Next season, the main hope of Ukrainian handball will start as part of the French Limoges.

• The main dilemma of the current survey was that whether to include Motor players in it, the basis of which was connected only from the playoff stage. One way or another, Turchenko deservedly won the main prize, who was the undisputed leader of the team in European competitions and the Ukrainian national team.
• The second place went to the left winger of the Carpathians and the main sniper of the current NC – Yaroslav Kotyuk. He only outperformed Sergei Dubovikwho scored the same number of points with him. It is worth noting that Kotyuk was recognized as the MVP of the season according to the FGU, which this season decided to copy the principle of our referendum, introducing confusion into the general idea of ​​this event.
• Goalkeeper Motora Gennady Komok has a unique achievement: according to the results of referendums, he has been included in the list of the best players for 14 years in a row (!). That is, in all the years when the survey was conducted.
• Alexander Yuzhbabenko (he scored the decisive penalty that brought historical silver to Odessa) for the sixth time he was in the top list, but set a break record – 8 years. The last time experts noted the point guard playing then for Portovik was in 2014. By the way, Yuzhbabenko, like Komka, was noted by experts in the very first referendum – in 2010.
• Until this season, the last non-Motor player to enter the “pedestal” was a bright left-hander Alexey Ganchevrepresenting ZTR (2018). Five years later, the motor hegemony was diluted by Kotyuk and Dubovik.
• If 21 respondents took part in the last survey, now there are 15. The reason is trivial – the number of elite clubs is inexorably melting. The ex-coach of Portovik remains the chief guardsman Oleg Sychwho took part in 12 out of 14 surveys.
• This season, the top three respondents were 8 representatives Motor. A year earlier – 9, and the recorded maximum – eleven (2020), which highlights the huge gap between the championship leader and the rest of the teams.
• For the 11th time in a row, the MVP of the season becomes a motorist. The breakdown of winners by club is as follows: 11 times the representative of the Motor received an individual award; 2 times – ZTR (Zaporozhye) and 1 time – Dynamo (Poltava).

• In the current poll 18 handball players were mentioned at least once (in the past – 16). The shortest roster was recorded in 2015 and 2016 – 13 handball players; and the longest is 28 (2011).
• 7 handball players scored points for the first time – Sergey Dubovik, Vadim Leontiev, Nazar Chudinov, Vladislav Kukushkin, Alexander Onufrienko, Ivan Cherevko and Alexey Tomashevsky.
• Over the past 14 years, 111 handball players have been noted by specialists (2010-2023), among women – 99.

Note. In brackets is the place in the general register before the start of the season. After the athlete, the total number of points, years and the number of mentions in the triples of respondents are indicated.

Igor Grachev