Vitalii Hotsuliak, the children's coach of Ukraine goalkeeper Heorhii Bushchan, commented on the beginning of the Dynamo player's career before the decisive match against Italy.
"When he was 7-8 years old, he was brought to our sports school by someone from the yard. He was two heads taller than his peers. And he immediately stood out for his leadership qualities.
My task as the first coach was to find a place for the player on the football field, to motivate him and give him the first knowledge. The most important thing is to set him on the right path. He wanted to be a striker, and I immediately realised that he should be put in goal with his height, but Zhorik was not keen. At first, he saw himself as a forward, like all kids. He said: "I want to score goals and that's it". He was offended. He refused.
When the boys were playing in the yard, he stood on the goal, but at the football school he saw himself only as a striker. I had to use various tricks to move him from attack to midfield, then from midfield to defence. Gradually, I positioned him closer to the goal.
Once we played a friendly match, there was a boy on the goal and he missed a goal. Zhorik really didn't like losing. He was very excited when a goal was scored. All the boys didn't like to lose, but for him it was a real tragedy. So he ran up to this boy, took his gloves away from him, kicked him out of the goal and took his place. This was such a fateful incident, because only afterwards he resigned himself and said: "I will be a goalkeeper". I told him: "That's it, Zhora, thank God. I'm glad."
He then waited a long time for his time at Dynamo, sitting under Shovkovskyi. I said then that his time would come. But he played so well at Euro 2020, I can say he was a spectacle.
We are still in touch with him. Now I can't give him any advice, he's already a master himself. I only adjust him so that he does not end his career at the age of 30. I tell him that goalkeepers play up to 40. The main thing is to have health and desire, but he has all the data to play longer. He agrees in general. But we'll see how it goes.
Not everyone has such data as Zhorik. God gave him everything to be a goalkeeper. Just develop, work, achieve. Basically, that's what he did. Due to his hard work, he made the Zhora Bushchan we know now.
I wish him not to worry, to go out on the pitch and play his game. When he is not worried, calm, plays as well as he can, he does well," said Gotsulyak.