Shamrock Rovers Ukrainian midfielder Viktor Serdenyuk told how he was looking for a club in Ireland.
Viktor Serdenyuk (left)“At first there was no time for football, because I constantly monitored the news. There are a lot of relatives left in Ukraine, my parents and wives. I just hoped every day that everything would be fine. It was not up to football also because by the end of the training camp in the Balkans he was injured, and before the start of the war he was only returning to form. I didn’t know then if I could resume training. There is nothing to say about the knowledge of the teams in the championship. For two months there was no time for football.
But then Kolchin, a coach from the Balkans, called me, asked about my business and said that he had a friend who could help me. I contacted him and that's how I got the opportunity to train with Cork City. It's an hour from where we lived.
They said that in Ireland the level of football here is so-so, because there is more bet on rugby, curling. But it was very hard for me after the first training session - very strong football. Probably a week came to mind. I trained with them for three weeks, but they decided not to wait until I got in shape. The championship was in full swing and they needed a ready-made football player. I understand them.
There is a lot of attention to me now. I may be the main Ukrainian celebrity in Ireland. I get phone calls so often, they show me on TV... It's very cool. I could only dream about it. Although no. I didn't even dream about it! But if they told me in the second league that I would make my debut in the European competitions...”, said Serdenyuk.
