Who is Illia Zabarnyi? Football Manager legend who has worked with Andoni Iraola before
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Liverpool has been linked with a transfer for defender Illia Zabarnyi this summer, who could be available as an option from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer marketIllia Zabarnyi has been linked with a transfer to Liverpool(Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))Liverpool's summer transfer business has largely seen the club focus on the addition of a new winger, but the defence remains a potential problem area to consider.With the lack of depth available to Andoni Iraola, particularly at centre-back and right-back, there are several options being considered on the market for a potential move.Among them appears to be PSG ace Illia Zabarnyi, who could become available in the transfer window before it closes on September 1. But who is Zabarnyi?
What has his path to the top been like? Here's a look at everything you need to know about the defender.Who is Illia Zabarnyi?(Image: AFP via Getty Images)Zabarnyi is a right-sided centre-back who plays for PSG.
The defender was born on September 1, 2002, which makes him 23 years old at the time of writing and at the early phases of his career for someone in his position.The 23-year-old was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he started his football journey and continues to do so on the international stage with his nation.Career pathIn his early days, Zabarnyi made his way through the academy at Dynamo Kyiv, before getting a chance to break into the first-team in 2020.It was shortly after this that the defender became well-known with some soccer fans, largely as a wonderkid in the popular video game "Football Manager".In three years, the Ukrainian international made 84 appearances for Dynamo, before securing a switch to Premier League side AFC Bournemouth in January 2023.Zabarnyi made 86 appearances for the Cherries in that time, showing his quality as a regular starter before being snapped up by PSG in 2025 for $73 million.In the time since, he has featured 37 times for the French club, winning four titles, including the Champions League in his debut campaign.Family lifeNot much is known about Zabarnyi's life outside soccer, but the player made a huge personal step in 2023 when he married his long-time girlfriend.The 23-year-old tied the knot with Angelina Zabarna, as he returned to Ukraine to celebrate with friends and family with a ceremony.Andoni Iraola connection(Image: (Photo by Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images))Any move for Zabarnyi to join Liverpool would see the defender reunite with Andoni Iraola, who he has previously worked under during his career.The Spaniard oversaw 81 of the star's 86 appearances at Bournemouth, helping him develop into the player that ultimately moved to PSG in 2025.In that time, he picked up one goal, one assist, nine yellow cards, and one red card in over 7,000 minutes, making Iraola the coach to oversee him the second most.The new Liverpool boss already gave some clear approval of his quality, when he said last year during his time at Bournemouth: "I’m not sure if we decided to change him for one minute in the time I’ve been here.“So that basically says everything about the confidence we have in him and how reliable and how robust he is and he’s the kind of player that is very easy to coach.“For a coach, he pays attention, he comes every day to train with a great attitude and I am enjoying also his development because now when I arrived he was a great player but quite shy.“He didn’t talk a lot and now you see him managing everything from behind, shouting to the ones in front asking for the others and this is a show of how he’s developing and he’s becoming a more important player even for us.