Former Dynamo forward Vitaly Samoilov recalled the first conversation with Valery Lobanovsky after his return to Ukraine.
“Valery Vasilyevich was stern, but he could also joke. I remember the first training session after he returned to Ukraine. He gathered the players a day or two before training and called them to his office one by one. Each had an interview for 5-10 minutes. I don't know what others had. Only about Valik, because we were close friends.
They brought me from Poltava and Lobanovsky asked: “Well, did the club give you an apartment, a car?” I answer no, I didn't give anything. He sits and writes. I say that in order to be given an apartment and a car, I must earn my attitude to football and prove, and not just ask. He said: “It is clear that you have football in the first place. This is the right approach." So he didn't give me an apartment.
And those who said that they needed an apartment got it. Then I went and tore my hair. On the other hand, several years have passed, and Surkis did a great job with me. He said: "You will have a much better apartment than they got." Some time passed, I received lifting bonuses when he helped me move to other clubs, and I made pretty good money. I was able to buy myself a much larger area, more rooms and more than one apartment. With me, Surkis did as he promised,” Samoilov said.