Andriy Yakovlev, a graduate of Shakhtar Academy, shared his memories of communicating with football agent Vadym Shabliy, who played for the Pitmen in his youth.
Andriy Yakovlev together with Vadim Shabliy played in Shakhtar's academy. According to Yakovlev, Shabliy got into the structure of the Donetsk club thanks to the connections of his relatives.
"He was my age and everyone knew he was in the academy thanks to his relatives' connections. Vadik was endlessly fond of football, but he did not lose his head. He realised that neither his physical size nor his stamina qualified him for real footballers. The only thing that set him apart was that he was very sociable. He got on well with everyone.
He told me that himself. He was 22 years old, and I was very surprised. What agent? The guy hadn't played at any level, how could he have connections at all for such a business? But he became an agent, of course, with the help of his family. They gave him a chance to start, and from then on he went his own way.
You have to understand that there were dozens of people around the "Brazilians". Some wanted to hang around celebrities and others wanted to do favours for them. Vadik came from a very wealthy family. It's entirely possible that he might have sold someone a phone or a car. But not for profit. They bought a smartphone from you one day and signed a contract the next. It might have been more of a way to get to know the players better," Yakovlev said.