Oleh Slobodyan

Oleh Slobodyan came through Obolon Kyiv's own academy, joining the club's 'Smena-Obolon' school in 2006. He made his senior debut for the side, then playing under the name Obolon-Brovar, in the Ukrainian Second League against FC Enerhiya Nikopol, and scored his first goal the following year against Makivvugil. Aside from two brief loan spells at the reserve team, Obolon-2 Bucha, he has stayed with the first team throughout.

That loyalty coincided with the club's rise through Ukrainian football. Slobodyan was part of the squad that finished second in the Second League to earn promotion to the First League, and he remained a key figure as Obolon later climbed into the Ukrainian Premier League for the first time. When the club returned to the top flight, he was made captain, a role that reflects his standing at a side he has described as something he loves even more than football itself. He now wears the number 10 shirt and has passed 216 appearances for Obolon across all competitions, with more than 25 goals to his name.

Slobodyan's connection to the club runs beyond his own playing career. His father, Alexander Slobodyan, serves as honorary president of Obolon and previously ran the Obolon brewery company that gives the club its name, while his brother Vadim also played for the team. Between the family ties and his own steady rise from the academy to the captaincy, Slobodyan has become closely identified with the modern, revived version of the club.