Oleksiy Shchebetun, a graduate of Dynamo Kyiv, spoke about his career at the capital's club and explained why he failed to break into the first team.
Alexey Shchebetun- Tell us, how did a young boy from Zaporizhzhia get into Dynamo's academy?
- In Zaporizhzhia, I played in the children's and youth championship, where I had good results. Oleksandr Pavlovych Gurzheiev, a Dynamo selector, worked at Metalurh (Zaporizhzhia). He told me that Dynamo was interested in me and that I needed to score a few more goals for the transfer to take place. And it so happened that in three games I scored nine goals and left no chance for Dynamo's selectors. As a result, I went to Kyiv.
- How did Dynamo receive you?
- Everything did not go as smoothly as I wanted. There were problems with my documents, and I didn't play for six months. They couldn't declare me because Metalurh wanted money for me. I had signed a scholarship contract with the Zaporizhzhia club and was paid 500 hryvnias.
Therefore, Metalurh demanded a million hryvnias from Dynamo for my transfer. It was clear that no one would pay that kind of money for a young guy. But in six months the situation somehow resolved and Dynamo claimed me. I started playing, scoring, gained confidence and trust from the coaches. Six months later, I was transferred from the U-17s to the U-19s, and I moved to the base in Koncha Zaspa.
- At that time, Dynamo's youngsters were coached by Serhii Rebrov's current assistants, the Spaniards Unai Melgosa and Vicente Gomez. What impression did they make on you?
- Vicente Gomez worked with the double and pulled me up there, the boys were coached by Len, and then Melgosa took his place. It was a great period, the coaches trusted me, I played and scored a lot.
I remember that the Spaniards explained every little football detail to us. Sometimes, we would start doing an exercise, and after 20 seconds they would stop us and show us where to move to the millimetre.
I really liked this approach. On the pitch, we acted as a single mechanism. Dynamo built a system so that the double, the youngsters and the first team played in the same style, and the transition to a higher level was not felt.
- Who was the leader of the Dynamo youth team?
- There was no leader as such, we played as a single unit. Everyone knew where to run and who to pass to. I can mention Vitya Tsygankov, who was already playing in the first team. He was technically well equipped and stood out wherever he played.
- Who did you compete with as a striker?
- At first, there was no competition at all, I was the only striker. Then Besedin returned from a loan spell at Metalist, and Yaremchuk from Oleksandriya, and we alternated appearances in the double. When the Youth Champions League started, I started playing more for the U-19s.
Then Besedin was called up to the first team, Yaremchuk went to Europe, and I competed with Nazariy Rusyn. Dynamo have always had good players.
- Who was stronger: Besedin or Yaremchuk?
- I can't single out anyone, they have different styles. Yaremchuk is more mobile and textured, Besedin did a lot of work. At that time, Moraes and Mbokani were in the first team, and I tried to take a little bit from each forward.
- Did Rebrov let you train with the first team?
- The next day after the game, the first team had a run and the double trained with them. Rebrov gave us a taste of the game.
- Who impressed you from the first team?
- Yarmolenko was playing then, but I followed the players of my position more. I liked the way Moraes played - he was always ready for the moment, scored a lot.
- Did Rebrov communicate with you?
- I don't know about the others, but not with me. Vicente Gomez talked to us more. He kept saying: "We are preparing you for the first team, they are waiting for you." Vicente was Rebrov's guide.
- Who were your friends at Dynamo?
- Basically, with the guys I graduated with - Tymchyk, Mykhailychenko, Shepelev, Orikhovskyi, although he is a year older.
- Can you tell us a funny story from that period?
- When I was already training with the double, I was invited to play a match for the U-19s against Chornomorets. We won 2-0, but in the 80th minute I was replaced by Melgosa. I'll be honest, I didn't play well then.
Vicente Gomez, the coach of the double team, was watching the match. After the game, he came into the dressing room and started shouting: "How did you not break Shchebetun's face for such a terrible game?!" Mykola Shaparenko also got hit, but I got hit harder. Vicente told him not to see us in the team, and we ran together for a week on an artificial field.
He didn't even ride in the same lift with me. Once I was standing near the lift at the Dynamo base, Vicente came out of the restaurant, went to the lift, but then he saw me and walked up the stairs. This went on for a week, and then he called me and Shaparenko to his office and said that the conflict was over. We were forgiven.
- What was the salary of the Dynamo double back then?
- I had a growing contract. The first year - $1,000, the second - $2,000, the third - $3,000. But I never made it to three.
- Why didn't you manage to play for Dynamo and went on loan to Stal?
- I had a year left on my contract and at that time it was decided what to do next. At that time, my agent was Shabliy and his assistant Karpov. They told me: "If you score a double against Shakhtar, you will definitely sign a contract with Dynamo". We lost 1-2, but I scored the goal. They called: "Everything is in place, we will sign the contract. Get ready".
A week after that call, I found out that Rebrov and the Spaniards were leaving, and Khatskevich would be Dynamo's head coach. I call the agents again, and they answer: "Everything is on hold for now, you have to wait".
Then the agents told me that there was an option to rent. I agreed, because I was overstaying my welcome in the double and wanted to play for the first team. So I went on loan to Stal (Kamianske), which played in the Premier League. Later, Tymchyk and Mykhailychenko joined me. I wanted to prove myself and return to Dynamo as an established player.
- But it didn't work out.
- Everything started out great. Stal coach Yeghishe Melikyan said he was counting on me. In the first round, we beat Zorya, the bronze medallist of Ukraine, and then Chornomorets. The first wake-up call for me came in the third round. We were beating Shakhtar 1-0, I tried my best, ran a lot, I wanted to prove something, but the coach replaced me in the 43rd minute. I never understood it, because I could have been replaced during the break. In the end, we lost, 1-2.
After that game, the coach put me on as a substitute and blamed me in theory - that I was doing everything wrong. But I am an addicted player. When we are mostly defending, I can't beat ten players by myself and score a goal. Maybe the coach saw it differently.
- Why were you transferred to the double?
- After Shakhtar, we lost to Karpaty, and I came on as a substitute. Before the game against Zorya, Melikyan told me: "This is your last chance". It really hurt me psychologically. I tried my best, but we played more in defence, and I did not do much. We lost 0-1, and the assistant head coach told me that I was transferred to the double.
I was very offended that Melikyan didn't explain anything to me. In the double, it is not clear why I was put in the place of a holding midfielder.
After Melikyan, Kostov came in, but he probably didn't even know I existed. As I understood it, Stal no longer counted on me. I was young and did not know how to act in this situation. I gave up, just finalised my contract and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
- What happened after you returned to Dynamo?
- I approached the double-header coach Yurii Leontiiovych Moroz and asked what I should do next. He said he would talk to Khatskevich and give me an answer. After the meeting, he said that Khatskevich was not counting on me, so we would say goodbye. I was given my documents, and that was the end of my story with Dynamo. I don't have a grudge against Khatskevich, because I didn't prove myself on loan, and no one will wait for me to play up to my potential. If I were him, I wouldn't have taken myself into the first team either.
Andrii Piskun
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