Popov is a graduate of the Donetsk sports school of Olympic reserve and started to compete at senior level at age of 17 playing for the Novator Mariupol (Zhdanov).
After being drafted to the army, he defended colors of SKA Kiev and FC Nyva Vinnytsia in 1990–91.
[1] After the fall of the Soviet Union Popov signed with Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukrainian Premier League, with which he stayed until 2004.
[citation needed] The hard-nosed defender was also a regular member of the Ukraine national football team from 1993 to 2003, having appeared in 54 international matches and notching 5 goals.
[2] This biographical article related to a Ukrainian association football defender born in the 1970s is a stub.