Dynamo midfielder Vladyslav Kabayev told us why he gave Andriy Yarmolenko the number 7.
Vladislav Kabaev- You gave your number to Yarmolenko. Fans even thanked you on Instagram for this gesture. Why did you decide to do it?
- At first they wrote: "Give this number back, you don't deserve it". There was a lot of negativity. All my life I played under the number 22, but Dynamo, number 7, was such a dream. I wanted it, but did I live up to it or not? Only I can tell myself.
It was from the heart. I went up to Yarmolenko myself and said: "So it was meant to be." I was told that he was a great guy, and now I'm convinced of that. I have a lot of respect for this footballer. He came and said: "I don't care". I said: "No, take it. I'll take the number 22, I did better under it at Zorya. Maybe I should change the number."
Yarmolenko then came up to me for three more days and asked, "Are you sure you're changing your number?" He said he was ready to play under a different number, but I said: "Take it, it's fine". And I don't regret changing my number at all. Then the fans started writing: "Thank you."
If you lose the ball, Yarmolenko will run to recover it for you. It's a lot of respect. I don't know what he was like before, but now he has come to Dynamo and added solidity on the pitch. He is a great footballer. I didn't even think that such a player would come to us. I enjoy his game and learn a lot from him. Andriy is a great player.
