Born in Kyiv (Ukraine) on 1 September 2002, Illia Zabarnyi grew up in the Ukrainian capital and joined the Dynamo Kyiv youth academy where he established himself as a promising right-side central defender and was coached by former Ukraine internationals Serhiy Bezhenar and Artem Yashkin. A stand-out performer in the club’s youth teams, with whom he played in the UEFA Youth League in 2019, Zabarnyi made his first-team debut on 11 September 2020 in a Premier Liga game (the Ukrainian top flight) against Desna Tchernihiv. A few days later, he made his UEFA Champions League debut against AZ Alkmaar in the third qualifying round before facing Juventus and FC Barcelona in the group stage.
Very solid defensively, Illia Zabarnyi also excels in the air and scored his first goal on 25 April 2021 with his head in a league game against Inhoulets Petrove. He impressed in 12 UEFA Champions League games and nine appearances in the UEFA Europa League, and as a key member of the Dynamo team, he won the Ukrainian league, cup and Super Cup. Zabarnyi shone thanks to his ability to read the game and his solidity in challenges, which made him one of Ukraine’s most promising talents.
On 31 January 2023, Illia Zabarnyi joined AFC Bournemouth in the English Premier League, and made his debut against Brighton and Hove Albion FC on 4 April 2023. He confirmed his qualities during the 2023-24 campaign: in 37 league appearances, he won the club’s Player of the Season as voted for by the fans. He made a major contribution to the club finishing with a record number of points in a historic ninth-placed finish.
At international level, Illia Zabarnyi made his senior debut on 7 October 2020 at the Stade de France against France aged just 18, becoming his country’s second-youngest debutant after Serhiy Rebrov. In June 2021, he was called up by Andriy Shevchenko and helped Ukraine reach the UEFA EURO 2020 quarter-finals. He also played at UEFA EURO 2024, featuring in his country’s three group-stage encounters. At just 22, he is a cornerstone of the Ukraine defence and has 49 caps and three international goals to his name. The new Paris Saint-Germain defender is the first Ukrainian player in the club’s history, taking to 51 the number of different nationalities to have pulled on the Red-and-Blue shirt.
We’re delighted to continue the strengthening of our squad with the signature of Illia Zabarnyi. Illia is a talented international player and a great professional. He will make a major contribution to everything that we are building long-term at Paris Saint-Germain.
I’m very happy to join Paris Saint-Germain, the best club in the world, with the best project. I am here to give everything I have on the pitch and I’m looking forward to making my debut and meeting the fans.
