Oleksandr Pikhalenko, the father of Dynamo midfielder Oleksandr Pikhalenko, told how his son once came to the selection for Shakhtar's academy wearing a Dynamo uniform.
"I have always been immersed in my son's life - I watch all the matches, read everything. The situation was really difficult. Shakhtar made an offer and Dynamo invited Sashko. I had to make a decision. He called me and told me about two options. Without hesitation, I chose to join Dynamo.
I have always been a fan of Dynamo Kyiv. My idol is Valerii Lobanovskyi. Most of all, I remember his team that reached the semifinals of the 1999 Champions League. Since then, I have become a loyal Dynamo fan. Belkevych, Kalitvintsev, Rebrov, Shovkovsky, Shevchenko are fantastic players.
Oleksandr joined Shakhtar's academy at the age of six. In this regard, I remember a story. Once I was playing futsal in Kyiv, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and bought a Dynamo jersey for my son. Everything was as it should be - Shevchenko, the number ten on the back. Sashko was five years old at the time... When it was time to select for Shakhtar's academy in Donetsk, my son put on the Dynamo uniform and came to the selection. What was the reaction? They laughed a little and said: "Don't worry, we'll give you our Shakhtar uniform." Recently, my son and I recalled this story," said Pikhalenko's father.
