Shakhtar midfielder Taras Stepanenko spoke about his future after the 3-5 defeat to Porto in the Champions League.
Taras Stepanenko. Photo: shakhtar.com- It was the last match of the Champions League group in the old format. Will you miss it?
- And in which format are you more likely to progress?
- I don't know yet.
- It's always something new, you have to get used to it. If there are more teams, there are more opportunities for lower level teams to play in a tournament of this scale. It means that the competition among such teams will not be so high. There will be more chances to qualify. That's good for us. But there is still more to come... Next season will the team that wins the Ukrainian league still play in the Champions League?
- If Shakhtar - yes, if another one - probably not.
- We have to root for Shakhtar to be there. Therefore, we will try to get a good result.
- Are you staying at Shakhtar?
- I have a contract by the summer. To be honest, this is the first time in my life when 6 months are left till the end of the contract. It has always been 5 years, then 2. To be honest, I think about it a lot, I am worried. Because I have the strength to play, to continue my career. I will see how it will be in winter, what will be the options to continue my career.
To be honest, I want to be insured, because I still have to live till the summer, and football is such a game, where you can get injured and anything. And when you have six months to the end of your contract, and you are 34 years old - everyone looks at your age, despite the fact that you play all the matches at Shakhtar and the national team at a normal level. Therefore, I am thinking about it very much, communicating with people. We will see what will happen in winter.
Irina KOZYUPA
