Mykhailo Mudryk, Ukranian winger currently playing in Chelsea, has tested positive on a banned sustance, and could face a four-year sanction. The 23-year-old player performed a routine urine test and provided a positive for Meldonium.
Mudryk arrived at Chelsea on an eight and a half year contract on January 2023, on a transfer fee of €70 million (£62 million) plus €30 million in add ons from Shakhtar Donetsk. It was the largest ever price for an Ukranian footballer ever and was valued way above market estimates, making the transfer almost a national event (Shakhtar's owner donated €25 million of that money to the Ukranian army).
Now, Mudryk is facing a sanction that could put a sudden stop on his career. Verdict from the Football Association is still pending after a second test is carried, confirming the results of the first one. Meanwhile, Mudryk has hired Morgan Sports Law, the same law firm that defended Paul Pogba on a similar case last year, and managed to lower his ban from four years to 18 months, as reported by The Telegraph.
Meldonium is a substance typically found on heart medicaments. It was declared as banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2016 because it boosts athletes' endurance and helps them recover faster from excercise. Tennis player Maria Sharapova was one of the first athletes to test positive after the ban.
While the case is solved, Mudryk is temporarily suspended, so hasn't played since october. His performance was been very uneven since his expensive signing almost two years ago, having only played in 73 matches in two seasons, 40 on the starting list, and scored ten goals.
Now, Mudryk will have to defend that he didn't commit any neglicence. He has already posted that he "has never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules and is working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened". Earlier this year, ATP nº1 tennis player Jannik Sinner succesfully appealed his case and was let go without a sanction, claiming the substance came into his orgainsm by accidental contamination.