Paris Saint-Germain is pleased to welcome Illia Zabarnyi. The 22-year-old Center-Back, which will bear the number 6, will be the first Ukrainian player in the history of the club.
Illia Zabarnyi, born in Kiev (Ukraine), grew up in the Ukrainian capital. It was on the Youth Academy of Dynamo Kiev, the club of his hometown, which took the straightforward central defender his first steps, coached by former Ukrainian internationals Serhiy Behenar and Artem Yashkin. Very prominent with the youth teams, for which he played in the Youth League in 2019, Zabarnyi appeared on 11 September 2020 on a professional level in a Premier League match (Ukrainian championship) against Desna Chernihiv. A few days later they played their first Champions League match by beating AZ Alkmaar in the 3rd qualifying round, before they were confronted with Juventus and FC Barcelona in the group stage.
Very well defensive, Illia Zabarnyi also excelled in the air and scored his first goal on April 25, 2021, with a header, in a league match against Inhoules Petrove. On the continental scene, the defender has distinguished himself with 12 Champions League matches and 9 Europa League matches despite his young age. After he has become an important player for Dynamo, with whom he won the championship, the Cup and the Ukrainian Super Cup, Zabarnyi shone with his ability to read the game and his firmness in duels, making him one of the most promising talents in Ukraine.
On January 31, 2023, Illia Zabarnyi joined the English Premier League Club Bournemouth, where he made debut against Brighton on 4 April 2023. The 2023-2024 season confirms its physical qualities and its valuable quality of recovery: with 37 games played in the Premier League, Illia Zabarnyi wins the Player of the Season Award that is awarded by the club's supporters. That season the defender claimed himself as the leader of the defense, who contributed to the good season of the inhabitants of Vitality Stadium, which ended with a record number of points and a historic 9th place.
At the international level, Illia Zabarnyi made his debut with the Ukrainian team on 7 October 2020 in the Stade de France, against the France team, at only 18 years old, became the second youngest player in the history of the national team behind Sergiy Rebrov. In June 2021 he was selected by his coach Andri Shevchenko to play in the euro and played an important role in the good run from Ukraine to the quarterfinals. He was also part of last year's euros and played all three games in group E. In just 22 years old, he is one of the leaders of the Ukrainian defense and the team, with which he has 49 caps and 3 goals. The new defender of Paris Saint-Germain also becomes the first Ukrainian player in the history of the club, which brings the number of nationalities represented to 51.