Ruslan Malinovskyi

Key strength: Adaptability

Versatile player

In a troubled season at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, where Genoa CFC languish 11th in Serie A and suffer through a torrid five-match winless run, Ruslan Malinovskyi has emerged as Patrick Vieira's most dependable soldier. The 32-year-old Ukrainian midfielder has been ever-present, clocking an impressive 2,102 minutes across 30 appearances—a testament to an engine that refuses to quit even as results desert his teammates. With 5 goals and 3 assists, Malinovskyi has directly contributed to a significant portion of Genoa's attacking output, operating as the crucial link between midfield and strike partner Vitinha. Those 9 yellow cards betray the combative edge that defines his box-to-box approach, but it's his football intelligence—recycling possession, finding pockets of space, and knitting play together—that elevates a limited side. At just €2.5 million, his market value tells the story of a veteran underestimated by the metrics, yet indispensable to a club desperate to rediscover its form. In Genoa's turbulent waters, Malinovskyi remains their steady compass.