Rising star: 18-year-old Ukrainian Popov becomes top player of week

Young Ukrainian striker Bohdan Popov made a spectacular debut in Italy's second-tier league, becoming the main hero of the first round of Serie B. The 18-year-old footballer was named the best player of the opening round of the 2025/26 season, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Debut match in Serie B and high expert ratings
Empoli started the 2025/26 season with a 3:1 victory over Padova, with the Ukrainian forward coming on as a substitute in the 28th minute due to a teammate's injury.
Popov scored a brace, netting his first goal in the 41st minute and his second in the 66th. The reputable Italian outlet rated his performance 8 out of 10, praising his ability to play with his back to goal, his confident aerial duels, and his technical readiness for a player born in 2007.
"In 2022, he arrived in Tuscany, fleeing the war in his native Ukraine, and Empoli noticed him and took him into their youth team. Thanks to Empoli's relegation from Serie A and the rebuild of the attack, Bohdan Popov lived this summer as the main protagonist. He started in the Coppa Italia and came on after half an hour in the league. Just in time to smash Padova in his Serie B debut with a brace: two goals of a true center forward, including a beautiful header in the jump for 3:1. And not only that: Popov is not shy when it comes to playing with his back to goal. Not bad for a player born in 2007," La Gazzetta dello Sport commented on his performance.
The analytical portal SofaScore rated Popov 9.4, which is the highest score among all players in the match.
Popov's path from Nizhyn to Empoli
Bohdan Popov comes from Nizhyn. He trained at Dynamo Kyiv's academy and Poland's Górnik Zabrze before joining Empoli's structure in the fall of 2023.
For the club's youth team, he made 43 appearances and scored 10 goals.
Popov adapted to Empoli's first team, making his debut on Friday, August 15, in the Coppa Italia round of 64 against Reggiana, where the team won on penalties, and the Ukrainian spent 85 minutes on the pitch.
Ukrainian forward's potential and future
Popov not only scores goals but also works for the team, showing versatility in the center-forward position. His first matches for Empoli have already attracted the attention of Italian experts and fans.
Last season, another Ukrainian, Viktor Kovalenko, played for Empoli, but he left the club as a free agent at the end of June.