Football, Tennis, Boxing: How Many Ukrainians Are in the Top Leagues and How Much They’re Worth

Football

Demand for Ukrainian footballers abroad continues to grow. As of August 2025, 14 Ukrainians are playing in international clubs across all five of the world’s leading leagues, compared with just seven in 2021.

Transfermarkt.com tracks the market value of footballers worldwide. This market value is not an official contract price, but rather an expert assessment of a player’s potential transfer fee. The figure is based on a range of factors: performance and statistics, age and development prospects, current form and injury history, contract length, as well as the level of the club and league in which the player competes. Market demand is also important: if several clubs are competing for a player, his valuation rises. Values are updated several times a year following discussions among analysts and the expert community, and they also take into account actual transfer deals. Table 1 shows the current valuations of Ukrainian footballers playing abroad.

English Premier League

The largest number of Ukrainian players (five) are in the English Premier League (EPL), regarded as the most prestigious football league in the UK and Europe. As of August 2025, their combined market value amounts to €82 million. The highest valuation (€28 million) belongs to Vitalii Mykolenko, the 26-year-old left back for Everton FC.

The most expensive transfer in Ukraine’s football history remains that of Mykhailo Mudryk, the 24-year-old winger signed by Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for €70 million. Shakhtar is also entitled to €30 million in bonuses if Chelsea wins the Premier League. However, due to Mudryk’s weak performance, serious off-field problems (including a failed doping test that led to a suspension), and his uncertain role in the team, his market value dropped from €60 million in 2023 (BBC, Transfermarkt) to €18 million in May 2025.

By contrast, Yehor Yarmoliuk, the 21-year-old central midfielder for Brentford FC, saw his value rise from €0.4 million in 2022 to €15 million in 2025. Oleksandr Zinchenko, the 28-year-old defender for Arsenal FC, is valued at €20 million, while Nazarii Rusyn, the 26-year-old forward for Sunderland FC, is valued at €1 million.

Other football leagues: Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia

It is worth highlighting the transfer of Illia Zabarnyi, the 22-year-old central defender, from AFC Bournemouth to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). According to Transfermarkt, PSG paid €63 million for Zabarnyi, not including bonuses.

Also well-known in Europe is Artem Dovbyk, the 28-year-old forward for AS Roma, whose market value is €30 million. In La Liga (Spain), the leading Ukrainians are Andrii Lunin, goalkeeper for Real Madrid, and Viktor Tsyhankov, midfielder for Girona FC. Each has a market value of €18 million. Other Ukrainian footballers recognized on the international stage include:

1. Heorhii Bushchan — goalkeeper at Al Shabab (Saudi Pro League) — €5 million 
2. Ruslan Malinovskyi — midfielder at Genoa FC (Serie A) — €2.5 million
3. Eduard Sobol — defender at Strasbourg FC (Ligue 1) — €0.9 million
4. Dmytro Bohdanov — forward at Union Berlin (Bundesliga) — €250,000
5. Vladyslav Krapyvtsov — goalkeeper at Girona FC (La Liga) — €200,000

The market value of 14 Ukrainian players in Europe’s and the world’s top leagues as of 2025 amounts to €198 million. This is more than half (52%) of the total market value of players in the Ukrainian Premier League — €381 million across 449 players. The largest number of Ukrainians play in the English Premier League, where the combined value of five players reaches €82 million, or 21.5% of the total value of all UPL players. They are followed by Ligue 1, La Liga, and Serie A. Much smaller sums are represented by Ukrainians in the Saudi Pro League and the Bundesliga (see Figure 2).

Tennis

Ukrainian tennis players have long been recognized on the international stage, and in women’s tennis in particular, they define Ukraine’s sporting image. Key indicators that can be taken as proxies for a player’s market value include their position in the global rankings (WTA and ATP), as well as the prize money earned over a season and across an entire career. These data provide an indication of a player’s competitiveness and popularity in the global market.

Women’s tennis

Ukraine has traditionally held strong positions in women’s tennis. As of August 2025, four Ukrainian players are in the WTA top 100.

• Elina Svitolina is the most successful among them, ranked No. 13 in the world overall and No. 10 in the current season. In 2025 alone, she earned over $2 million in prize money, while her career total has reached $26.3 million. Her achievements and consistency at Grand Slam tournaments make her the most recognizable Ukrainian tennis player worldwide.
• Marta Kostiuk is second among Ukrainians, currently ranked No. 27 globally and No. 28 in the season. In 2025, she earned $1.2 million, with career prize money already exceeding $6.2 million. The young player is expected to continue rising steadily and achieving major victories.
• Dayana Yastremska holds third place (No. 31 in the world, No. 20 in the season). In 2025, she earned $1 million, bringing her career total to $5.7 million. Despite periods of uncertainty, she continues to maintain her position among the world’s leading tennis players.

Doubles

Ukrainian women’s tennis also holds strong positions in doubles competition.

• Liudmyla Kichenok is the most successful, ranked No. 16 in the world and No. 23 in the current season (together with partner Sofia Kenin of the United States). Her earnings in 2025 amounted to $248,000, with career prize money totaling $3.2 million.
• Nadiia Kichenok, her sister, is ranked No. 51 globally (No. 36 this season, paired with Makoto Ninomiya of Japan). In 2025, she earned $150,000, and her career prize money has reached $1.8 million.
• Marta Kostiuk also competes in doubles, currently ranked No. 88 in the world (No. 28 this season, partnered with Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania).

Men’s tennis

Unlike women’s tennis, Ukrainian men’s tennis does not yet have world-class athletes. The best among them is Vitalii Sachko, ranked No. 222 in the world, with career prize money of $527k. He is followed by Oleh Prykhodko (No. 318, $167k) and Oleksandr Ovcharenko (No. 377, $100k). Although their results are more modest, Ukrainian players are gradually making their way onto the international stage and may climb higher in the rankings in the future.

Boxing

In professional boxing, the key measure of value is the fight purse, which comes from several main sources: arena ticket sales, broadcasting rights, Pay-Per-View (PPV), and sponsorship contracts. The largest revenues come from PPV (from viewers paying to access the broadcast). For example, the legendary 2015 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao generated more than $500 million in revenue from 4.6 million PPV purchases. A boxer’s “market value” is therefore defined by his ability to fill arenas, sell PPV, and attract global broadcasters. In this sense, Oleksandr Usyk is among the elite of world boxing. His purses have become a symbol of the success of Ukrainian boxing:

• The fight against Daniel Dubois on July 19, 2025, brought him a record $132 million — the highest earnings in the history of Ukrainian sport. After taxes, however, RBC Ukraine estimates Usyk’s net income at $101 million. 
• In his first bout against Tyson Fury on May 19, 2024, Usyk earned about $45 million, while the rematch on December 22 of the same year brought him $114 million.

Other sports

In addition to football, tennis, and boxing, Ukraine is also represented in basketball. According to Forbes Ukraine (2024):

• Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Utah Jazz) earned approximately $3.5 million in 2024 (Suspilne).
• Oleksiy Len earned about $3.3 million (Suspilne).

Conclusion

Success in football, tennis, boxing, and other sports is often measured by market value, rankings, or purses, but these indicators do not always reflect athletes’ true importance to the country. Today, Ukrainian athletes are competing and winning in a wide range of disciplines: from track and field to wrestling, from Olympic to Paralympic events. Every medal, every performance, every victory on the international stage is part of the story of modern Ukraine, which is fighting and continuing to demonstrate to the world the strength, resilience, and talent of its people. That is why, regardless of income or contracts, all Ukrainian athletes matter: for they carry Ukraine’s flag before the world and inspire millions.