hladkyy began his career in metalist kharkiv's football academy, and soon after, the young player was invited to another professional club from the kharkiv, fc kharkiv. under direction of coach volodymyr bessonov, hladkyy became a regular player for the club and soon established himself as one of the best strikers in the league. his first fame came in the 2006–07 season, when after scoring 13 goals to finish as the ukrainian league's top scorer.