Every year on 6 January, Dynamo Kyiv fans remember Valeriy Lobanovsky, who was born on this frosty winter day 85 years ago.
Photo: fcdynamo.comTraditionally, the Meter's family and friends, his like-minded colleagues, pupils and ordinary fans gather at the Hero of Ukraine's grave at Baikove Cemetery and at the monument to the Great Coach near the stadium named after him.
"Every time I come to the Baikove cemetery and the monument near the stadium, I have one thought - that my father and mother are with me and help me in everything. Especially at this time. It's nice that the memory of my father continues to live in the hearts of many people," says Svitlana Lobanovska, the coach's daughter.
Pupils of the Valeriy Lobanovsky Dynamo Children's and Youth Football School also come to the monument to the Meter. It is important that the children know the history of the great club and the biographies of iconic personalities in Dynamo's history.
"It's great that even after all these years people remember Valeriy Lobanovskiy. We see a lot of children, which is also very important - they will grow up and pass it on to their children. What Lobanovsky did in these times, especially with all the events that are happening, will be very difficult to repeat.
He was ahead of his time, he did something that no one else in the former Soviet Union had managed to do. He was not just a coach, but also a teacher and psychologist. Many generations of good coaches and footballers grew up on his example," recalls legendary footballer and Dynamo coach Leonid Buryak.
No wonder the words "We are alive as long as we are remembered" are inscribed on Valeriy Lobanovsky's grave, and the words of the famous song "...And we remember with love" are engraved on his monument near the stadium. The memory of the Meter will live on for many, many years to come, as he was many years ahead of the football of his time with his vision of the game of millions.
