Ivan Demydenko, a graduate of Dynamo Kyiv and a striker for Asteras Greece, recalled his performances in the White and Blues' system.
- Ivan, tell us how you started playing football and ended up in the Dynamo system?
- I started at Dynamo when I was 6 years old, from the very first recruitment. My brother also played at Dynamo's academy, and my parents decided to send me there as well. I stayed with the Kyiv team until I was 14.
- What do you remember about that period?
- We played very well until the age of 11, we beat everyone, including opponents in international tournaments. I remember how we beat Celtic. The Dynamo Academy had a very good coach, Valerii Mykolaiovych Krasnoshchek, who also worked as a selector. He recruited the best players from all over Ukraine.
- Which of the now-famous players were in your team back then?
- From the very beginning, there was Anton Bol, and at the end, Nazar Voloshin, Maksym Khlan, and Kyrylo Popov came in.
- Which of them stood out and was the leader?
- Undoubtedly, it was Bol. He was always calm on the pitch and had good ball control, just like now. I would also mention Nazariy Voloshin, who was very fast. By the way, I communicated with them the most. We still keep in touch.
- Did you find Zabarnyi, Brazhko, Vanat?
- I know them well. I lived at Dynamo's base because I was from outside Kyiv, so I often met them. In addition, I played for the U-15s several times.
- How did they perform at the time? Was it obvious that Zabarnyi would become a key player for Dynamo, the national team and move to the Premier League?
- Zabarnyi grew up and got stronger quickly. He was already training with the older guys. His leadership qualities were evident. Ilya is a very cheerful, positive and conflict-free guy.
We lived on the same floor with Brazhko and communicated well. We could train or fool around together. He's a great guy. Why didn't he become a main player in Dynamo's first team? When Sydorchuk plays in the centre of the pitch, it's hard to get a foothold in the team. But Brazhko was one of the best players in his position in the UEFA Youth Champions League and is now proving it at Zorya.
- What position did you play at Dynamo and who was your competition?
- At Dynamo, I played left and right winger. My rival was Zakruzhnyi. He finished football after the academy.
- Why didn't you manage to stay at Dynamo?
- I grew up very quickly - in six months I gained 12 cm (Demydenko is 193 cm tall - ed.). I lost my speed, I was very thin and I started to have problems with my knees. When you grow up fast, you get bumps on your knees.
At that point, I started to lose my game. I sat on the bench for a year, occasionally coming on as a substitute, and I was told outright that I would not play. I was offered to move to the Children's and Youth Sports School 15, and I agreed. The school was close to home and it took only 15 minutes to get there.
For the first six months I played for my U-17 age, and then I was transferred to U-19. I played with Max Kucheryavyi, who is now in Scotland, and Max Smiyan from Zorya. I enjoyed that period.
- Former Dynamo midfielder Facundo Bertoglio plays for Asteras. What is your relationship with him?
- We communicate with him, he knows Russian well. But I didn't really ask him about Dynamo, he only played four games there in six years, so I don't think he'd really want to remember that period. But Facundo really liked Ukraine, he told me: "Kyiv is the best city in my life".
At Asteras, Bertoglio is a star, an authority and the main player of the team.
Andriy Piskun