Translated by

Chelsea, Mudryk back on the pitch after 615 days: he played against Juventus, so much applause

The Ukrainian striker returns to action: the nightmare of the doping case is over

Mykhailo Mudryk, the Ukrainian forward born in 2001, returned to the pitch today 615 days after his last appearance. Mudryk, who in 2024 had been suspended and then banned for doping, came on in the 82nd minute of Chelsea's friendly defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong.

As he stepped onto the pitch, Mudryk drew applause from the entire bench of the team managed by Xabi Alonso and a standing ovation from the many Chelsea fans in the stands.

What had happened
Mykhailo Mudryk was suspended after testing positive for meldonium at the end of 2024 and, at the start of 2026, received a four-year ban from the FA, while always maintaining his innocence. WADA updated the criteria for detecting the substance in July 2026, ruling that the concentration found in his system would no longer count as a violation. After the FA, WADA and the player reached an agreement, the ban was reduced to the period already served (1 year and 8 months), allowing him to return immediately to Chelsea's disposal and come back onto the pitch in the friendly against Juventus on 5 August 2026.

The video of the return

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Add as preferred source on Google

Translated by

What had happened

The video of the return

ENJOYED THIS STORY?