Ex-goalkeeper of Kyiv "Dynamo", "Hoverly" and Cyprus "Paphos" Artur Rudko gave a long interview in which he recalled his football career, and also talked about his own present in the Polish "Lech".
- How did football come into your life?
- Like everyone else, I played with the boys during breaks between classes, after school in the yard and generally everywhere. When I was eight years old, I remember watching a match of the Ukrainian national team with my father. During the broadcast, the commentator announced that "Dynamo" would hold a selection at his school on the weekend and invited all those interested. I asked my parents to take me there.
— And how did this selection go?
— We came for a review. More than 30 children were brought that day. We were given test tasks, based on the results of which three children were chosen. I was among them.
My first coach was Sergey Konovalov. Literally in the second or third lesson, he put me in the gate. At first I was upset, but I decided to try it and in the end I did not regret it.
— Which of Dynamo's coaches at the youth and youth level played the biggest role in your development?
— This is goalkeeper coach Oleksandr Mykolayovych Moroz. I remember that he conducted training sessions exclusively for goalkeepers in Concha Zaspa, where players of different age groups gathered.
Vyacheslav Pavlovich Bogodelov also made a great contribution to my development. He was always with me and now we are also in touch. I can also single out Mykhailo Leonidovich Mykhaylov.
— Who was your football idol in those days?
— Alexander Shovkovskyi. I think that for all the goalkeepers of my age, he was the example. Among the foreign ones, I liked Oliver Kahn. But when I became an adult, I realized that every great goalkeeper has something to learn.
— In fact, Yuriy Kalitvyntsev became your first coach at the adult level in Dynamo-2. What can you remember about working with this specialist?
— I have the most pleasant memories of working with him. Everyone respected him. I believe that a coach must first of all earn authority. Without it, it will be difficult for him to convey information to the players. The team respected Kalitvyntsev as a former football player, as a coach, and as a person. He is a strong specialist with his vision of football.
— Before the start of the 2010/11 season, you were suddenly called to a meeting in Austria with the first team. How did it happen?
— One of the reserve goalkeepers was injured. I don't remember who exactly. And I was called.
— There was quite a star team there then: Shevchenko, Shovkovskyi... How was it for you to train with them?
— It was a pleasure to train with such players and gain experience. I tried to learn as much as possible from Shovkovsky: how he behaves in the training process and in his everyday life. Denis Boyko was also in the team. Also a good goalkeeper that I learned from.
I treated all the players calmly. Even Shovkovsky was no longer an idol for me. I didn't walk away impressed. However, I respected everyone, and since I was one of the youngest in the team, I addressed my partners as "You".
— Was it possible to stay in the first team after the meeting?
— There were no special expectations. I understood that I only came to the meeting to close the hole. This was the case.
— You began to steadily enter the first team in the 2013/14 season, which was the last for Oleg Blokhin at the head of Dynamo. How do you remember working with him?
— He treated Oleg Volodymyrovych with respect. He is the icon and history of Ukrainian football, the winner of the Golden Ball. All his merits are highly respected. Now in various interviews you can hear how people complain about his character, but personally I have the warmest relationship with him. I am grateful to him for the time we spent together.
— At the same time, that season became the most unsuccessful in the recent history of the club (fourth place in the UPL). What do you see as the reason for such a disappointing result?
— Back then there was high competition in Ukrainian football. Shakhtar, Dnipro, Metalist and Chornomorets also had strong legionnaires in their squads and simultaneously fought for medals, the championship and the Cup. I would not blame Blokhin alone for that unsuccessful season.
— At that time, there were many rumors in the media that Blokhin had given up at the end of his tenure at Dynamo and Serhiy Rebrov was actually the team's coach. What can you say to that?
— I can't say that. Blokhin was the head coach and remained so until his last day at the club. Rebrov and Raul Riancho were assistants.
— The next season already under the leadership of Rebrov, you also spent in competition with Shovkovsky and did not play a single match. What is it like to compete for a place in the goal with a legend of Ukrainian football?
— Then the construction of my relationship to that situation took place. At first I was just happy to be in the first team and gain experience there. Then I realized that I could compete and fight for the number one spot. However, even at the age of 40, Shovkovskyi was the strongest goalkeeper of Dynamo. It's just that the club already understood that he would end his career, and they were looking at who could become his successor.
— How did you psychologically cope with not playing for such a long time?
— I am grateful to Mykhailo for allowing me to play for the duplicating team in order to have game practice. Yes, it can't be compared to the UPL and the Champions League, but it's better than just training.
— In the 2015/16 campaign, you still managed to debut in the UPL, but not in Dynamo, but in Hoverl. How did that happen?
— I understood that at that time it was very difficult for me to win the competition. For myself, I saw renting as a way out. I wanted to draw attention to myself, so that they started to treat me not as a young player, but as someone who can already perform at the UPL level. I left without thinking when such an option arose.
I remember my debut. Played with "Dnipro" (1:1). Unfortunately, they did not win. We led most of the match, but conceded in the end. However, this was not the worst match in our performance.
— In "Hoverl" you played under the leadership of Vyacheslav Grozny, who is a cult figure in Ukrainian football. What can you remember about working with him?
— It was very interesting to listen to him. There were many players in the team, for whom it was only the first season in the UPL, and he helped the youth adapt to adult football and gave a lot of advice. Grozny is a person with a large amount of knowledge.
His very long theories were remembered. He had a habit that the team spent the first 45 minutes talking about football-related topics. There were jokes and everything you want. From his lips, all this sounded very funny and expressive. Viktorovych is an incredibly artistic person. He knew how to defuse the atmosphere.
After a break of 10-15 minutes, we already started talking about the closest opponent or analyzing our game. I think that with another coach, few people would have sat on such a theory.
— At that time, there were many loan players from "Dynamo" in "Hoverl". Who paid your salary?
— "Dynamo" paid a certain percentage, and "Hoverla" paid the rest. Who agreed. There were also players who got everything from Hoverla. Personally, most of my salary was paid by Dynamo.
— You actually caught the last season of "Hoverla" before the club disappeared. What were the conditions in the team then?
— Of course, it could not be compared with Dynamo. Neither at the team level nor at the organizational level. The club survived. I was in the team only for the first part of the season. The guys who stayed there later said that it was getting worse and worse. Everything depended on the salary. Then they didn't pay anymore, and there were few reasons for joy.
Personally, I had nothing to complain about. We had a lot of draws in the first half of the year. The uniform was there, the field was there, the coach was there, the work process was there. So it was possible to play.
— Why did you decide to return to Dynamo after the first part of that season ended?
— I was told that they would already count on me. I didn't think twice and came back because I realized that I would be able to compete better after the six-month lease.
In the second half of the season, I made my debut for "Dynamo" - in the last round of the championship of Ukraine against Metalist in Kharkiv (4:1).
— After the end of that season, Shovkovskyi ended his career, and in the next campaign Serhiy Rebrov entrusted you with the number one spot in the team. How would you describe this coach?
— At that time, he was only in his second season as a head coach, but I immediately understood that he was a specialist of a different level than the ones I worked with before.
When I tried to arrive at the base first, he was already there. When he tried to go last, he was also there. It was a surprise to me. He was constantly developing. I am sure that even now Rebrov is learning something. Someone can say that he had strong players at Dynamo, but he produced results wherever he was.
I have the best memories of working with Rebrov. During his term, I managed to debut in the Champions League, and I also played consistently in the UPL. My childhood dream came true, for which I am very grateful.
— What do you remember from your first season in the Champions League?
— I remembered the atmosphere in Turkey during my debut match with Beşiktaş (1:1). Then many fans came, they are crazy. They know how to cheer well and support the team there. It was nice to play in such an atmosphere. I realized that this is already a big football.
— Why did "Dynamo" fail to defend the UPL championship in that campaign?
— We had a lot of unnecessary losses of points, which we then did not have enough. There were mistakes, including mine. I believe that at certain moments I could help the team. It is difficult to name a single reason, it was influenced by many factors.
— After the end of the season, Rebrov left, and Oleksandr Khatskevich was appointed in his place. Why did you lose trust?
— Even I still don't know. At the meeting, I won the competition and started the season as number one.
In the first game for the Super Cup, we lost to Shakhtar (1:2). Although I am self-critical, I believed that after this match I would play in the next match against Olympik in the championship. However, the coach decided that Maksym Koval will play. So gradually I stopped getting into the application at all.
— Did you have a conversation with the coach?
— There was no conversation. Maybe this is my mistake. Then I did not think that I could approach the coach and ask him something. I wanted to prove everything on the field. Already when I became older, I understood that it is normal when there is a dialogue between the player and the coach. A football player must know why. Then he can focus on his problem and fix it. I think that if I had approached the coach then, he would not have refused to talk to me.
— What were your personal relationships like?
— We had a normal relationship, there were no conflicts. I worked in training, but his choice of goalkeeper for the game kept falling to someone else. I tried to find a rental and wanted to leave, but there were no options.
— How did the option with "Paphos" come about for you?
— Oleksandr Pankov called my agent at the time, Andriy Mykhaylov, and offered this option. I am grateful to both of them that they found a common language and I ended up there.
— Why did you still decide not to stay at Dynamo?
— My contract ended and I didn't want to renew it. I understood that I will not play for Khatskevich. There was a desire to go for game practice as soon as possible. As soon as this opportunity arose, I took advantage of it.
— Were you offered to extend the contract in Kyiv?
— I don't even remember anymore. I did not have a personal conversation with Igor Surkis, but I was already looking for it. Maybe I could have stayed, but I'm not one of those players who will just sit back and get paid.
- Literally two months after your departure from Dynamo, Khatskevich was fired for failing to qualify for the Champions League. Didn't regret your decision?
— There were different opinions. I understood that I could prove my suitability to the new head coach and compete. However, at that time I already had a contract with another club, so there could be no talks about this.
— How do you now remember your period in Cyprus?
— One of the best periods of my career. Played steadily for three seasons, but always wanted something better. One of the disadvantages of this championship is that it is difficult to move from it to a stronger championship. They come to Cyprus to end their careers. I had an option with a middle peasant of Turkey, but it did not grow.
The level of championship of Cyprus is high. All teams sign quality legionnaires, there are no passing matches in Cyprus. As an example, this season our teams could not beat the club AEK (Larnaca) in the European Cups.
— During your second season in Cyprus, "Paphos" was headed by Dmytro Mykhaylenko for some time. What do you think about this trainer?
— We are in good human relations. Even now we can call each other. I have positive memories of working under his leadership. Orest Kuzyk also played in the team. When there were more Ukrainians in the team, my heart also felt warmer.
Mykhaylenko is a high-level coach, but something did not work out for him in Paphos. This was only his first coaching experience abroad. He did not have his assistants who worked with him in "Dnipro" and where there were good results.
Now he has a creative break, but I think that he will soon lead a team and prove his coaching level.
— It is no secret that "Paphos" has Russian owners. Have you had any problems with this?
— One of the two presidents was Roman Dubov. He directly managed the club. Dubov himself studied in Kyiv, and he treats Ukraine very well. I don't want to talk about his position, so that he doesn't have any problems, but with the beginning of the war, he offered his help.
Dubov was very involved in the team and tried to build one of the strongest teams in Cyprus. She really is getting better and better.
— When it was time to leave Cyprus, few people knew that you were moving to a club from Ukraine. How and when did "Metalist" come to you?
— Yevhen Krasnikov called me and asked if I wanted to join the team. He did not need to persuade me. I was ready to at least swim, at least walk. Half a year before the conclusion of the agreement with Pafos, I signed a preliminary contract with Metalist. Frankly told the president of the club that I really want to return home if everything works out with "Metalist".
— Ironically, you negotiated a contract with Krasnikov when Metalist was a Ferrari that was supposed to break into the UPL, but very soon the situation changed dramatically.
- Literally as soon as I signed the contract, a full-scale war began, and the future of the club became unclear. I played in Cyprus and was in constant contact with the management of Metalist. I was told that it was necessary to look for some kind of rental, because there was no financing, as such, at that time. In general, no one knew whether the championship would start.
— What do you know about the current situation in "Metalist"?
— I don't have the full picture. I did not terminate the contract, and I have no desire to do so. In the meantime, I am talking further with the management about some new lease abroad or in Ukraine. Personally, I want to go to Ukraine, but there are no offers. I hope that "Metalist" will finish this championship, and it remains to hope for the best. The situation in the club is very difficult.
— With whom are you currently in direct contact regarding your future in Metalist?
— From time to time we talk with Krasnikov, because I signed the contract when he was actually the second person in the club after Yaroslavsky.
— Why did you get to "Lekh" and how are you currently doing in this team?
— This option was offered to me by one of the Cypriot agents. The negotiations did not take long, and I agreed almost immediately.
I'm not playing at the moment. Started the season as the main goalkeeper, but after five matches I got an injury that ruled me out for three weeks. Then the team had a very important stretch when it played two matches a week in the championship and European cups. My competitor played well, the coach began to trust him with a place in the goal.
I am currently training, working and doing everything I can to be ready to play if the opportunity arises.
— "Leh" this season has already managed to go far enough in the European Cups.
— Yes, to the 1/4 finals of the Conference League. This is a historic success for the club and Polish football. God grant that the team will continue like this in the future.
— Where do you see yourself in the future?
— First of all, in Ukraine. If the funding comes back, there can be no talks. I have a contract with Metalist.
Dmytro Venkov