In the results of 2025, the winner of the «Golden Experience» referendum, which was organized by the Association of Ukrainian Football Veterans together with the Sobutsky Family Charitable Foundation, is Ruslan Malinovskyi, a half-back for Italian Genoa and the national team of Ukraine.

The voting aimed to determine the best Ukrainian football player aged 30+ (players born in or before 1995), with participation from 52 football experts — two representatives from each region, Kyiv city, and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The participants named their top three players.

The battle for first place was exceptionally tense — three players immediately crossed the 50-point mark. Ruslan Malinovskyi finished with 80 points, Andriy Yarmolenko led with 64 (11, 12, 7), and Pylyp Budkovskyi scored 52 (9, 10, 5). In total, the list included 19 players.

«For the second year in a row, the Association of Ukrainian Football Veterans conducts a nationwide referendum to determine the best football player aged 30 and over in Ukraine — says AVFU President Oleh Sobutsky. — Our goal is to honor players who continue to demonstrate high skill and contribute to their clubs and the national team of Ukraine, inspiring fans across the country – both young and veterans of football. This is an example of professionalism, character, and love for football. Congratulations to Ruslan Malinovskyi on his well-deserved victory, wish him and all players many more years of delighting fans with their play and helping the national team of Ukraine achieve its main goal – qualify for the final part of the 2026 World Cup».

Results of the «Golden Experience»-2025 referendum

1. Ruslan Malinovskyi — 80 points (20 first places, 7 second places, 6 third places).

2. Andriy Yarmolenko — 64 (11, 12, 7).

3. Pylyp Budkovskyi — 52 (9, 10, 5).

4. Vitaliy Buylashevych — 27 (2, 8, 5).

5. Yevheniy Volinets — 17 (2, 3, 5).

6. Ruslan Babenko — 14 (2, 3, 2).

7. Oleksandr Karyavaev — 11 (2, 0, 5).

8. Artem Shabanov — 10 (1, 1, 5).

9. Roman Yaremchuk — 8 (1, 2, 1).

10. Vladyslav Kabaiev — 6 (0, 1, 4).

11. Taras Stepanenko — 5 (0, 2, 1).

12. Oleksiy Palamarchuk — 3 (1, 0, 0).

13. Andriy Zhyrykov — 3 (1, 0, 0).

14. Oleksandr Filippov — 3 (0, 1, 1).

15. Mykita Burda — 3 (0, 0, 3).

16. Oleksandr Andriyevskyi — 2 (0, 1, 0).

17. Georgiy Bushan — 2 (0, 1, 0).

18. Kyrylo Kovalevych — 1 (0, 0, 1).

19. Yaroslav Rakitskyi — 1 (0, 0, 1).

More detailed information on who voted for whom can be found on the AVFU website. Note that the «Golden Experience» referendum began in 2024. The winner of last year's survey was Andriy Yarmolenko.