Chelsea celebrated Mykhailo Mudryk’s 25th birthday with a message on their social media platforms. The former Ukraine international is still under provisional suspension from the Football Association after being charged with anti-doping rule violations.
Mudryk has been out of the Blues’ squad for more than a year after “adverse findings on a routine urine test” came up, resulting in the FA imposing a suspension in December 2024. The FA then prosecuted Mudryk last summer on suspicion of “presence and/or use of prohibited substances” and the case dragged on for more than six months.
On Monday, the club shared an image of Mudrik celebrating his goal against Panathinaikos in last season’s Conference League match, tagging him and writing: “Happy birthday, Misha!” Mudriku responded on Instagram with a blue heart emoji and liked the post, as did teammates Mark Giu and Wesley Fofana.
The Ukrainian national team player also uploaded a photo of himself with the caption “25” on his birthday. Axel Disasi, Ben Chilwell, Christopher Nkunku, David Washington, Diego Moreira, Giu, Mike Penders, Moises Caicedo, Nicholas Jackson, Reece James, Trevor Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo all liked his post.
These birthday messages came just days after Mudryk published his first post of 2026. “Happy New Year to all the fans,” the player wrote on Instagram. “I want to thank you all for your support. I see all your messages and I really appreciate them. So please don’t give up on me, just like I haven’t given up on myself. I can’t wait to see you again.”
A statement from Chelsea at the time the suspension began said: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm from the Football Association that we have recently been in contact with our player Myhailo Mudryk regarding adverse findings in a routine urine test. Both the club and Mihailo “We fully support the FA’s testing program and all our players, including Mihailo, are tested on a regular basis. Mihailo has unequivocally confirmed that he has never knowingly used any prohibited substances. Mihailo and the club will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.” Establishing what caused the adverse finding. ”
Mudryk also posted on social media: “I can confirm that I have been notified that the sample I provided to the FA contained a prohibited substance. This was a complete shock as I had never knowingly used a prohibited substance or breached any rules. I have worked closely with the team to determine why this happened. “We are investigating what happened. I know I have done nothing wrong and I am hopeful that I will be able to get back on the field soon. Due to the confidentiality of the process, I cannot say more at this time, but I will tell you as soon as I have any information.” You can do it. ”
He captioned the Instagram post with a blue heart emoji. Andrei Santos, Diego Moreira, Marc Cucurella and Thiago Silva all liked the post.
Recently departed Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca responded to Mudryk’s charge during the Club World Cup. “I talked to Mischa in Poland when we played the conference league finals. I haven’t talked to him since then,” he said.
“I didn’t see the news, but I was told. I don’t have anything more to add because I don’t have any more information. Misha is a Chelsea player. I trust him until he doesn’t. And that goes for all players. Last time I spoke to him, he was a very nice guy. He didn’t seem worried. I haven’t spoken to him since then, so I don’t know. But I’ll definitely be in contact with him.”
