Former Dynamo forward and now football expert Viktor Leonenko spoke about the latest sensational events in the sports information space.
Viktor Leonenko"Mudrik had a lot of mistakes even in our championship, and he moved to England in the status of a superstar, which he is not yet"
— Let's start with a record transfer in the history of Ukraine. Mudrik moved to Chelsea for 70+30 million, and not to Arsenal, as everyone thought. Yevgeny Viktorovich, were you surprised by this development of events?
- Mudrik did a big stupid thing when he publicly kissed Arsenal. I can only wish him success in Chelsea, although I think it will be very difficult for him. Even if he calls me, I will tell him what to do.
- What?
- Let him listen only to those people whom he respects, especially football ones. Now he will have a lot of tips, lickers and "friends", the main thing is that he does not fall under their influence. In England, he should think more about football. They will immediately expect goals and assists from Mudrik.
- Will the 100 million dollars for which he was bought be put moral pressure on him?
- If he presses, he will disappear. I remember how Lobanovsky told me: "Today you must score." For me, it was like brushing my teeth. If Mudrik treats this the same way, then he will succeed.
Something else scares me. Mudrik had a lot of marriage even in our championship, and he moved to England in the status of a superstar, which he is not yet. This is the worst thing for him.
Mudrik must forget everything he had in Shakhtar, where almost everything was allowed. This will not happen in Chelsea. Now Mudrik is starting a new life. And Shakhtar did a great job - they sold the player for that kind of money. I congratulate them.
Also, I do not understand these long-term contracts, like Mudrik had with Chelsea - for eight years. Soon, probably, they will sign for 15. Looks weird.
- What can you say about Mudrik's Chelsea rivals - Sterling and Pulisic?
- It will be hard. Mudryk came to Chelsea like a superstar, but the World Cup showed that even the top players can end up on the bench. I mean Ronaldo. Mudrik will have to adapt to the new championship.
He has a strong point - speed, but I don't know if he has character. He needs not to get hung up on his price, but to take effective actions. The fact that Mudrik trains day and night does not yet mean that he is a strong football player. I really want him to succeed in Chelsea, so that we can at least be proud of someone. I will root for Mudrik the most because this guy knows what speed is.
“One transfer of Shakhtar came out more than the cost of the entire Dynamo”
- Against the background of Mudrik's 100 million transfer to Chelsea, Tsygankov's transfer from Dynamo to the modest Girona for five million plus bonuses looks very modest.
“Now it’s funny to remember where Tsygankov wanted to go before. In my opinion, he named the top clubs, and the output was Girona, which ranks 12th in La Liga.
- Is this his level or did he just already want to leave Dynamo somewhere?
- It's very sad if it has come to this. One Shakhtar transfer came out more than the cost of the entire Dynamo. As for the transfer of Tsygankov, I will say this. It was in my time that I had to leave in order to earn money. I openly said then that I didn’t want to play Dynamo under Lobanovsky, where you have to run around in vain and lose your health. But they didn’t let me go, although I wanted to go to Monaco and there was an offer for me. I just wanted to make money, because I wasn't a millionaire like Tsygankov.
And Tsygankov has already earned money at Dynamo, so I don’t understand this transition. What do you think: Tsygankov and Mikolenko will play a lot in European competitions in these clubs? I don’t understand at all why he moved to Girona when there is Dynamo. I think he should have stayed at the Kiev club.
Well, at least Dynamo received five million, and Tsygankov did not leave for free, like Konoplyanka from Dnepr did in his time.
At Dynamo, at least one joy happened - Shovkovsky returned. He gave Dynamo 20 years, he needs to put an office right on the field. I think Igor Mikhailovich was late with this decision - Shovkovsky should have been returned even earlier. Even before I could not understand: why is Vukoevich needed? I don’t understand at all what he did at Dynamo. Under him, we did not buy a single Balkan football player, although it is difficult to answer for the Balkans when there is Srna.
- What is your forecast for Tsygankov's future career? Will he stay at Girona for a long time, move to a stronger club over time, or go down?
- You can't get promoted from Girona. Watch the 18-year-old Barcelona players chasing Real Madrid. And Tsygankov is already 25. What should Tsygankov do in this situation?
- Chasing Barcelona and Real Madrid.
- Then it will work out, but I don't believe in it. It will be driven by Real Madrid and Barcelona players. Tsygankov will have a “slinger” in each round of the Spanish Championship, and there are no options for superclubs there. So it will definitely not grow. I will support Mudrik, but not Tsygankov, because he has nothing to do in Girona.
- Who do you think will be weakened more - Shakhtar with the departure of Mudrik or Dynamo with the departure of Tsygankov?
- Probably, "Dynam" about. Tsygankov did more for the Kyiv club than Mudrik for Shakhtar. Mudrik scored little and lost in our championship compared to Tsygankov. But Mudrik only opened up and immediately left for London, and Tsygankov for a long time played in Ukraine.
"Rakitsky? Football players should always be forgiven, because there are many stupid ones among them, and they are not so politically savvy"
— Rakitskiy returned to Shakhtar after four years of absence. Did you wash yours about this?
“The prodigal son has returned home, what else can be said. I have always treated him well. Probably, Jovicevich is counting on him, since he invited him.
- Rakitskiy failed in Turkey: he got a lot of reds, did not always keep up with the players, and as a result, he terminated the contract with Demirspor ahead of schedule. Is he able to strengthen Shakhtar in his current form?
- I understand that he is already finishing with football. I don't like it at all when you leave and then come back to the club. This means that someone made a mistake. In his case, Fonseca was wrong. He removed him from Shakhtar. Therefore, Rakitsky is not to blame, and if I were the fans, I would not condemn him.
- But he is condemned for playing for three years at the Russian Zenith.
- Football players should always be forgiven, because there are many stupid ones among them, and they are not so politically savvy. I don't think that Rakitsky is a traitor. Just like that, he would not have come to Shakhtar at that time. Moreover, he is a harmless, open and simple guy. Here the question is different: will he help the miner or not. In the UPL, you won’t have to work too hard, and for European cups, all coaches ask for two squads. Most likely, he was taken under rotation.
— Who is the favorite in the fight for the UPL championship this season?
- Of course, Dnepr-1. He was a favorite, and he remains. There are no stars there, but a good and solid team has been assembled. Plus, they're lucky. Let's see who will strengthen whom in the second round. But I think Dnipro-1 should win this championship.
- Since we have touched on the topic of the UPL, I cannot but ask about the departure of Yuriy Gura from FC Oleksandria and the arrival of Ruslan Rotan in his place. What do you think about it?
“I don’t understand why it was necessary to change the Guru. He showed good results with this team. Probably, Kuzmenko Jr. is just an unprofessional guy and FC Oleksandria is like a toy for him. But if Rotan does not give a result, then Kuzmenko Sr. will be to blame, because he is the president of the club.
- Let's finish our conversation with the appointment of Alexander Petrakov as the head coach of the Armenian national team.
- They treated Petrakov ugly. His contract ended and no one helped him: neither the UAF, nor the players of the national team, who looked bad on the field. Petrakov was simply made extreme in this situation. It's the same with us - the players win, and the coach loses. As a result, Petrakov accepted Armenia.
Petrakov in the team was supported only by me and a few other people. I would like him to remain at the head of the Ukrainian national team. He didn't do anything disastrous to clean it up.
- But Petrakov did not fulfill the main tasks: he did not lead the team to the World Cup and to the elite division of the League of Nations.
- He just lost two games, it can happen to anyone. It may be the same with Rebrov - if he loses, he will be fired and then they will pay a penalty. I would like coaches to be given more credit of trust.
Andrey PISKUN
