Former Shakhtar Donetsk defender Ismaily, who now plays for the French Lille, explained why he was going to, but did not play for the Ukrainian national team.
— I have great respect for Ukraine and its people for everything that this country has given me. At that time, Andriy Shevchenko was the coach of the Ukrainian national team. We talked several times, and there was such an opportunity. But in the end, I chose not to go all the way. I think there are some great players in my position in Ukraine, as well as a lot of young people who have a bright future ahead of them. At that time, I thought that it did not make sense for me to join the Ukrainian national team. However, I was happy that they wanted me, Ismaily said in an interview with Lille's official website.