OFFICIAL: Ilya Zabarnyi joins Paris Saint-Germain until June 2030

Paris Saint-Germain is delighted to welcome Illia Zabarnyi. The 22-year-old centre-back, who will wear the number 6, becomes the first Ukrainian player in the club's history.

Born in Kiev (Ukraine) on September 1, 2002, Illia Zabarnyi grew up in the Ukrainian capital. It was at the youth academy of Dynamo Kiev, the club of his hometown, that the right-footed central defender made his first steps, coached by former Ukrainian internationals Serhiy Bezhenar and Artem Yashkin. Very prominent with the youth teams, for which he played in the Youth League in 2019, Zabarnyi made his first appearance at professional level on September 11, 2020, in a Premier Liga 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 facing Juventus and FC Barcelona in the group stage.

Already very solid defensively, Illia Zabarnyi also excelled in the air and scored his first goal on April 25, 2021, with a header, in a league match against Inhoulets Petrove. On the continental scene, the defender has distinguished himself with 12 Champions League games and 9 Europa League games despite his young age. Having become a key 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 solidity in duels, which made him one of the most promising talents in Ukraine.

On January 31, 2023, Illia Zabarnyi joined English Premier League club Bournemouth, where he made his debut on April 4, 2023 against Brighton. The 2023-2024 season confirms his physical qualities and his valuable quality of recovery: with 37 games played in the Premier League, Illia Zabarnyi wins the Player of the Season award awarded by the club's supporters. That season, the defender asserted himself as the leader of the defence, contributing to the good season of the Vitality Stadium residents, who finished 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 October 7, 2020 at the Stade de France, against the France team, at only 18 years old, becoming 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, playing an important role in Ukraine's good run to the quarter-finals. He was also part of the selection at last year's Euros, playing all three matches in Group E. At only 22 years old, he is one of the leaders of the Ukrainian defence and team, with which he has 49 caps and 3 goals. The new Paris Saint-Germain defender also becomes the first Ukrainian player in the club's history, bringing the number of nationalities represented to 51.