Former Dynamo Kyiv captain Serhii Sydorchuk told us about his transition to Westerlo, what he talked about with the club's president Ihor Surkis and what factor was decisive in his decision to leave the capital's club.
Serhiy Sydorchuk. Photo: GettyImages"I was contacted by Westerlo back in April of that year. They took a very comprehensive approach to my transfer, and I was bribed by that. I understood that it would be very difficult to leave Dynamo. It's very hard to be without your family for a year and a half. You start to degrade as a person. For me, this was the main impetus for me to make this decision.
I had a conversation with Surkis, and not just one. When I had to move, we talked, and more than once. It was a difficult conversation, when you are already thinking about whether to switch or not. But we came to a common agreement. Surkis said: "If you think it will be better for you and your family, then take this step."
At Dynamo, they try to keep their players in order to get a better offer for them. They won't keep Westerlo for that long - someone else will take his place immediately. Now I don't see a player like Sydorchuk at Dynamo. There are young guys there, and I can't give Dynamo anything new. And if I can't give the team anything new, then I won't sit there for the sake of it, or as a wedding general.
I had a case when I had to move to Besiktas and I had already said goodbye to the guys at the base. But I did not leave. For me, it was like a pre-match training session. It's hard to leave a team that has made you a person. And the attitude I had with everyone there... It can be compared to when you leave your family for another city to go to university at the age of 17. I understood that this had to happen at some point. I'm not 18 anymore, and I had to make a decision. Sometimes you need a cold shower to live. When you play your whole life for one club, there is a certain charm to it. But you lose a lot," said Sydorchuk.
