Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Volodymyr Brazhko gave an interview to Football Hub Youtube-channel.
Vladimir Brazhko. Photo - Yu.Yuriev- You have recently signed a new contract with Dynamo until 2028. Share your emotions about this event.
- I am very happy. "Dynamo is my home club, I have always dreamed of playing for the first team. I am glad that I am here.
- What is next?
- To establish myself in the main squad, to play steadily, to grow into a top player and go to play in Europe.
- And to become a champion?
- Of course! I talk about it in every interview. If we don't take the championship this season, it will be a failure. We have only one trophy left and we have to do it.
- What is the level of responsibility in the Dynamo first team?
- Difficult. Because I understand what the fans expect from me. Goals, assists, good play. And if I fail in the game, they will write about it. However, these are the thoughts of others, they do not bother me, because I think about myself. And if I played badly, I know it, and I don't need to talk about it, I analyse myself and deal with it myself.
- For example, it was like that in the recent match with Obolon, when you were substituted?
- Yes, I knew that I played badly. There is always something to work on and there is room to grow. There is no ceiling. Your ceiling is someone else's floor. I know that I have to work constantly and prove myself at every training session, in every game. And one should be loyal to praise as well as to criticism.
- Why did Dynamo have such a bad start of this season?
- Honestly, I don`t know. Maybe it was bad luck somewhere, something did not work out. This is football: someone wins, someone loses.
- Is your adaptation to "adult football" already completed?
- I do not know. I can say one thing: I feel very confident on the field, in the team. And how well my adaptation went, only the field will show. But I feel like in my own plate. Yes, it was difficult at the moment of transition from U-19 to the first team, but I passed this stage, withstood all the loads. Now everything is good.
- At one time you refused the option of renting to Chornomorets Odessa and stayed in the youth team of Dynamo. There is an opinion that you lost a year then....
- Maybe. Or maybe, on the contrary, this year was good for me. I was called to Chornomorets three times, until the last day of the transfer window. I stayed, counting on a chance, which I did not get, but I played in the UEFA Youth League - it was also my childhood dream.
And then I accepted the offer to go on loan, moved to Zorya and I think I did very right.
- Weren`t afraid of this new challenge? After all, not everyone manages to "get out" of all these leases....
- No, I was not afraid. Because I knew that I was going to one of the best teams in Ukraine. In addition, the coach of "Zoria" counted on me, he gave me a chance. I had to play in order to return to Dynamo in such a form, which would allow me to approach the first team. I am very glad that it happened that way.
- Do you remember how you scored for Dynamo while playing for Zorya?
- Unforgettable emotions. It was my first goal in UPL.
- Nobody from Dynamo took offence at you for this goal?
- No. Only in the youth team the guys joked about the fact that I celebrated this goal too vigorously. (Laughs).
- Last summer there was interest in you from Torino. Were you surprised?
- Yes. The agent said that Torino were interested in me. Then came the first offer, was refused. Then came the second offer, after which there was a lull. That was the end of it. But I think that after this story I will be watched even more in Europe. Maybe, in the end, some more serious club than Torino will come out with an offer. But I need to show myself on the pitch, and then as it happens, so it will happen.
- Which championships do you follow?
- England, Italy. Less often Germany. And, of course, I follow Spanish "Girona", where Tsygankov and Dovbik play.
- Is the English championship a priority?
- Yes, I really like this championship.
- What component do you need to improve in order to move there?
- Everything. First of all, the speed of decision making, it is very important in the top championships.
- Aren't you tired of comparing you with Sidorchuk?
- A little bit. But there will always be such comparisons. Maybe one day I will leave Dynamo, and then someone will compare me with him. I want to build my history at Dynamo.
- What was the first conversation with Mircea Lucescu after your return from Zorya?
- The first conversation with him was when the issue of Sidorchuk's departure was solved. The head coach said that he counted on me, hoped that I would do well. He showed and told me how to play in this position. And, of course, he wished me good luck.
- What approach does the older generation of Dynamo find to the young players?
- They always give me tips. They are the soul of the team. They are players who have played a lot of matches in their careers - much more than us. They know more than us. Someone will give you a hint, someone sometimes "shoves", but all this should be taken with a positive attitude: if they "shove" you, it means that you need to change something in yourself and listen to your elders.
- When Yarmolenko played for Dynamo before his transfer to Borussia, you probably served balls?
- Yes, I even have a photo with him from those times.
- And how is it to play with him now?
- It's great! You give him a pass, he goes 30 metres with the ball, scores, and you get a goal.
- Are you waiting for an invitation to the national team of Ukraine?
- I am working on getting such a call. But you need to understand that there is a very high competition. What I have in me now is not enough. I need to show more to make myself known and go to the national team. I need to play well and show a good level of football. So far I am helping the youth team, and then we will see. But to play for the national team is, of course, a dream.
Text transcript - Dynamo.kiev.ua, when using the material hyperlink is mandatory!
