 Born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, Radchenko started his professional career in his hometown, moving in 1991 to FC Spartak Moscow and helping the capital side to the first two editions of the Russian Premier League.In the 1990–91 edition of the European Cup he was essential in the quarter-final ousting of Real Madrid, notably scoring twice in the 3–1 away win.For 1993–94, Radchenko signed with Racing Santander in Spain alongside teammate Dmitri Popov, and experienced arguably the best years in his career, notably scoring in a 5–0 home routing of FC Barcelona in his second season.