Liverpool FC have officially confirmed this afternoon that Ukrainian striker Andriy Voronin will be coming to Anfield this summer. The 27-year-old Bayer Leverkusen player is coming to the end of his contract and so he was able to discuss a move as a free agent.
Figures vary on his appearance and goals record – for example the German language version of Wikipedia has him down as having scored 4 goals in 36 appearances for his country, and 24 goals in 67 appearances for his current club. This differs on the English language version of Wikipedia, where he is down as having played 40 games, scoring 5 times for his country and having scored 27 goals in 69 appearances for his country. Prior to joining Bayer Leverkusen he has played for Chernomorets Odessa of the Ukraine and in Germany for FC Cologne, Mainz and Borussia Moenchengladbach.
He played in the Ukraine’s defeat of Scotland earlier this season, not getting on the scoresheet himself, and has also appeared for his club against both Spurs and Blackburn in the UEFA Cup this season.
He made four appearances in the last World Cup, starting each time, and wore number 10. Perhaps this is where he first came to the attention of Rafael Benitez, the BBC reporting for example on the Ukraine win over Tunisia: “Voronin caused Tunisia problems with his thrusting runs,” and “Voronin twice went close to extending Ukraine’s lead, with a late shot which forced Boumnijel to parry, and then firing wide from close-range.” A game where Rafa Benitez certainly would have seen him play in that tournament was Spain’s 4-0 demolition of Ukraine, although that’s obviously not a game Voronin will want to remember.
In Germany his name is usually written as Andrej Woronin. According to the official Bundesliga website he has played 21 games this season, scoring 6 times. Overall in the German league they say he has played 108 times, scoring 33 goals. He’s 5’10” tall.