Former goalkeeper of Kyiv "Dynamo" Maxim Koval commented on his transfer to Sheriff Tiraspol, which, we recall, was officially announced yesterday.
Maxim Koval— Max, welcome...
- Thanks.
— What are the feelings?
- Good feeling. It can be seen that the club is big, the club has great achievements. They were, are and will be. For my part, I want to be a part of future achievements.
— He spent the last four years in Saudi Arabia, and before that he played in strong championships, including Spain. Can we say that the transition to Sheriff is a reformatting of a career?
- Maybe yes. I have long wanted to return to Europe. Sheriff is a very good option, a very titled and well-known club in Europe.
— How close are the ideas of Sheriff to you, which say that a draw is also a defeat?
- I'm very close. I spent five years at Dynamo Kiev, where even a minimal victory with a score of 1:0 was considered a defeat. We are used to winning. Therefore, I understand where I ended up and what tasks the club sets.
— Sheriff lost to Ukrainian teams only once, in early 2000 against Shakhtar Donetsk (0:2). But what if it happens to meet the Ukrainian club again at the group stage of one of the tournaments?
- It will be very difficult for the Ukrainian team here. It will be difficult to win.
— How did leaving Deportivo affect your career from a moral point of view?
— I didn’t want to leave there, but there were circumstances that we won’t advertise. This will stay with me. I have a principle - you need to look for reasons in yourself. It played a big role. For 4 years in Saudi Arabia (even if many said that I went to earn money), I know that during this time I then worked every penny. In 4 years, I missed only 1 workout.
— What did you know about Sheriff until today?
— I knew that this is the most titled club in Moldova. I also knew about the club before moving to Dynamo. My friend played here. A lot of positive feedback.
— You had the opportunity to play at the Main Arena 10 years ago, but it didn't work out...
— Yes, it was. Got injured before the match. Perhaps Sheriff would not have won if they had played (laughs). Of course, what to guess now. That's how life happened.
— But you were on the score sheet of the match that was played in Kyiv...
- Yes, I was a substitute, Alexander Shovkovsky, it seems, played. Sheriff had a tall guy in the goal, played very well, saved the team many times.
— How do you see the nearest future in Sheriff?
— How do I see my future here? Well, firstly, I want to push my ambitions into the background. I want that while I am here, we will achieve as many victories as possible, win as many titles as possible and the road to European competitions will be very long.
— The team has two experienced goalkeepers. How do you look at competition?
- Competition is good. She makes you stronger.
— But what about the desire to immediately become the first number?
- Desire is understandable. I want to play like any other football player. But it's not for me to decide. There are workouts. I will try to prove that I am ready to compete with each of the team's goalkeepers.
— At the end - leave feedback to the fans...
— Come to the stadium and support Sheriff. Don't forget - we play for you.
