Former Dynamo captain Serhiy Sydorchuk, who now plays for Belgian side Westerlo, gave a lengthy interview to Nieuwsblad.
Sergey Sidorchuk- In the match against Antwerp, I felt like a professional again for the first time in many years. Because of the crown and the full-scale war, it had been at least four years since I last played in a full stadium. It was a fantastic feeling, I missed it a lot.
My family is moving to Belgium to live with me. When I told my wife that I was going to play football here and that we could live together again, she was extremely happy. It was the first time in a year and a half that we were really going to be together again.
It was a difficult period. My children were growing up, but I couldn't be with them. I also felt that they were homeless. Last summer, they came back to Kyiv once. It was an unforgettable moment. They were thrilled to be able to play in their room again. With their toys. Or take a walk in the garden. However, Kyiv is not a safe city now. As a child, I always felt safe. I hope I can give that feeling to my children here again.
- How did you prepare to meet your family?
- I prepared a bouquet of flowers for my wife and something tasty. The most important thing is that we can resume our normal life in Belgium. This is much, much more important than some new toys for the kids.
- Was the current situation in Ukraine the main reason for your move abroad?
- On a sporting level, I really wanted to experience a different atmosphere after eleven years at Dynamo Kyiv. In the future, I would like to remain active in the world of football as a manager or coach, so it would be good to gain experience in another country. In terms of competition, Belgium is interesting. The level is good, young players have the opportunity to develop, and there are coaches with interesting ideas.
The war in Ukraine made the choice somewhat easier, although it was painful to leave Dynamo after eleven years. It was as if I had cut off a part of my own body. In addition, I had to say goodbye by phone because I was in Poland with the national team. In Kyiv, I would have definitely cried.
- How did you survive the last year and a half?
- It was a difficult period. I remember very well the beginning of the full-scale war. It was 24 February, 4:00 in the morning. We were sleeping, and suddenly my eldest daughter appeared in our room. She was crying and screaming, she was scared. We could hear explosions outside, and the window handles in our apartment - we lived on the 24th floor - were torn out by the impact. I quickly grabbed our passports, some money and clothes to hide in the basement. We spent three days and three nights there. It was -10 degrees outside.
Our friends had gone to western Ukraine, and my wife was eight months pregnant. A couple of days later, I got a call from Lucescu: we could go to Bucharest, and since I have three children, I would be allowed to go abroad according to the law. When we were in Bucharest, the Russian army was just a few kilometres from Kyiv.
- It's hard to imagine, but last season you played a football competition in a country at war. What were your emotions on the pitch?
- I thought about it for a long time at the beginning of the competition. Why are we doing this? Does society even need football? During my visit to the hospital, I talked to the injured soldiers. Football is very important for the heroes who are fighting for our country. It gave them the feeling that they could return to the past, to a normal life. It gave them a sense of security. It gave me energy. I could do something for those people. Without those words, it would have been much harder for me to play.
- Weren't you afraid? Because something could happen at any moment.
- Most of the matches took place in the west or in the centre of Ukraine. It was a bit safer there, but in Ukraine you are always on the alert. The first time an air raid alarm goes off, it's a bit of a shock, but after a while it becomes commonplace.
- Have any matches been stopped because of the air raid?
- Of course. Then we all had to go to the bomb shelter. It was a strange feeling. There were even special rules for this. If the match could not be continued after an hour, both teams could mutually decide whether to continue the game later or keep the score. Once we were in the shelter for 40 minutes. The game was stopped in the 88th minute with the score 2-0. We still finished the match. We even spent another twenty minutes warming up for the last five minutes.
- What emotions are you experiencing now, realising that you can return to normal life in Belgium?
- It's impossible to describe what I saw in Ukraine. At such a moment, you learn to appreciate everything much more. A normal workout, a good night's sleep without disturbances. In Kyiv, the alarm went off at night two or three times a week. Then you had to go to the underground car park and wait until you were allowed to go back upstairs.
Sometimes you were there until 5am, and had to start training a few hours later. Imagine sitting there with your children and they have to go to school in the morning. In Belgium, we can get back to normal, but I also want to be useful to my team here as a footballer.
- How would you rate your first matches for Westerlo?
- In the match against Standard, it was important that we, as a team, were able to keep the goal intact. We drew 0-0. As Lucescu always said in Kyiv: "Winning is not important if you cannot win the next match". Every point is important for us now. But without a new positive result, the draw with Standard is worthless.
- Are you satisfied with your personal level of performance?
- I'm not a player who talks a lot about my own game. I want to be a team player. And the fact that I came from Dynamo Kyiv does not mean that I will be a great player here. All my life I had to fight for my place in the sun. This character is in my blood, and it will not change at Westerlo. But to answer your question: you haven't seen the best Sydorchuk yet. I still need time to adapt and grow to my best level.
- At the beginning of the season, Westerlo had great ambitions, but now they have to fight to avoid the relegation zone. Doesn't it bother you?
- Absolutely not. I felt I had to take this step. You sit in a warm bath all the time, but sometimes you need to take a cold shower. It keeps you sharp and gives you a new perspective. At the beginning of my career, I fought to keep my place in the elite with Metalurh Zaporizhzhia. If you can win that battle as a team, you develop a mentality that you can build on in the coming years.
- The battle for Westerlo will be long.
- It will be difficult, I am aware of that. But I am confident that we have a team that can take care of itself. Last season I watched a few matches. I saw similarities with Dynamo's football. A team that likes to play attentive and constructive football. Now, maybe we shouldn't show that for a while, now we need mainly points. When we get those, we will play good football.
Kirsten STERBAUNT
Translation and adaptation - Dynamo.kiev.ua. When using the material, hyperlink is required!
