Illia Krupskyi

Illia Krupskyi came through Dynamo Kyiv's academy before making his senior move in January 2022, joining Vorskla Poltava. He made two Premier League appearances in his first season, then stepped up to a regular starting role in 2024/25, when he played 19 league matches and set up two goals.

Interest from elsewhere followed. A move to Dynamo Kyiv fell through in the summer of 2024 when club president Ihor Surkis was unavailable to finalise it, and in winter 2025 New England Revolution offered Vorskla around $2.6m plus $500,000 in add-ons for the defender — short of the $3m Vorskla wanted. Shakhtar Donetsk were also credited with interest, but he chose Metalist 1925 Kharkiv instead, signing a contract there in January 2025 that runs to the end of 2028. The transfer fee was not disclosed, and under the terms of the deal he stayed at Vorskla on loan through the rest of the 2024/25 season before joining up with his new club.

Alongside his club career, Krupskyi has become a fixture for Ukraine's youth sides. He has represented the under-21s and under-23s, took part in the Paris 2024 Olympics, and won the Toulon Tournament with Ukraine's Olympic squad. He also featured at the 2025 European Under-21 Championship, and in October 2025 he was named captain of the under-21 team for a match against Hungary.