A graduate of Dynamo Kyiv and now a defender of Polissia Zhytomyr Serhii Chobotenko recalled his time at the capital's club.
Sergey Chobotenko- You started your football career in your native Zaporizhzhia. How did it go?
- In general, I probably had more chances to become a handball player rather than a footballer. Because my whole family on my father's side are handball players. My grandfather, grandmother, godfather, his wife, and my father, who ended his sports career early due to an injury, all played this sport. At that time, there was a top ZTR team in the city, for which many players of the Ukrainian national team played.
As far as I remember, children were brought to handball from the age of ten. However, my parents saw that I had a lot of energy, and I had to be given somewhere to do something earlier. So at the age of six, I entered the academy of Zaporizhzhia Metalurg, where I stayed until 2012.
- When you were 15, you moved to Dynamo's academy. Who noticed you?
- My Metalurg team and I reached the final of the DUFLU, and after one of the matches, a Dynamo representative approached me and offered to join them. At the same time, I had an invitation from Shakhtar. However, I chose Kyiv. For some reason, my heart was in Dynamo at the time.
- Who in the Dynamo academy stood out the most among your peers?
- We had a very strong team. Many players from 1997 are now playing at a high level: Viktor Tsygankov, Bohdan Mykhailychenko, Volodymyr Shepelev, Volodymyr Makhankov, Oleksiy Shchebetun, who also came with me from Metalurh, Yegor Nazarina, Denys Kostyshyn, Sania Tymchyk, Rostyslav Taranukha.
In addition to being a skilful team, we also had a good team, which also played a big role in our success. We still keep in touch, meet and talk.
- Was Tsygankov your biggest talent?
- Yes, he was. We took Tsygankov to train in 1996 because he had outgrown our team by then. He was travelling so much that we had to make the conditions more difficult for him. Even as a teenager, his talent was already evident, and it's no coincidence that he is now playing in the top championship.
- Was Tsygankov the first of your team to be offered a first-team contract?
- Yes, he was. First he was offered, and a little later - Mykhailychenko, who was called up to the first team at the age of 18 or 19 under Serhii Rebrov.
- Did Tymchyk already stand out in the academy for his speed?
- Yes, but Sanya ran through the air without touching the grass. He could catch up with anyone.
- In the Dynamo structure, you worked under the leadership of Vicente Gomez, who is now an assistant to the head coach of the national team of Ukraine Serhii Rebrov, and Unai Melgosa, the head coach of our youth team. What are your memories of working with these Spanish specialists?
- To say that I learnt a lot from them would be an understatement. When they came to us and started coaching, it was a different world.
They live the process, they are always emotional. We paid a lot of attention to details, taught them to think on the football field, analyse and scan the space. Everything was worked out to automaticity. Even during the warm-up, we did exercises that were close to the game. There was a certain structure, and the players were required to adhere to it.
- In 2015, you got into Dynamo's double. What were the salaries there?
- I had enough, I was happy to fight for the emblem.
- Were you involved in training with the first team?
- Yes, they did. Many people were trained under Serhii Rebrov, and I am no exception. I even played three friendly matches. It was a very useful experience for me at that age. Training with the best players gave me confidence for the future.
- Did you have any personal communication with Rebrov?
- At the time, not really, but a couple of months ago he came to the Polissia base, and we had a little chat and reminisced about the past. It was nice to see him.
- Have you hinted to Rebrov that it's time to call you up to the national team of Ukraine?
- I hint with my game and do my best to attract the attention of the national team coaching staff. I have ambitions to play for the national team.
- Who made the biggest impression on you in Dynamo's squad?
- Oh, there were a lot of top players back then. Yevhen Khacheridi, Aleksandar Dragovic and Domagoj Vida played directly in my position. All three of them are very strong. They are different, but you could take something from each of them. Khacheridi played well with his head, positionally and in martial arts. Dragovic was as good as anyone in the fight. I also liked how Vida played with his head.
At that time, Dynamo also had such masters as Andriy Yarmolenko and Jermaine Lens.
Yarmolenko's technique was at the highest level, he could beat anyone one-on-one. He also had a good shot. I also remember that he came up to me repeatedly and suggested something as a young player.
- How did the star legionnaires treat the young Ukrainians?
- They were fine. There was no superiority. I remember Miguel Veloso was always working out in the gym. Whenever you went in, he was there. You could probably find him in the gym at night. He impressed me in terms of his professionalism and attitude to his body. He was also a master of standards and regularly practised taking free kicks.
- By standards, Velozu was number one?
- Serhii Rybalka was also good. I remember the two of them in this component.
- How close were you personally to playing in Dynamo's first team?
- I had my chances. I can't say how close I was. At that time, quite a few youngsters were getting fit. I had the desire and ambition to play for Dynamo.
- This raises even more questions about your transfer to Shakhtar in the summer of 2017. There were rumours that you allegedly started having problems at Dynamo after your agent started luring you to Shakhtar.
- No, this did not happen at all. I had a stable playing practice at Dynamo under the Spaniards. In general, substantive conversations about Shakhtar began only about a month after I left Dynamo.
- What then was the reason for your abrupt departure from Dynamo?
- The answer is this: the Spaniards left. And then it happened as it happened. My contract with Dynamo had just expired in the summer. That's why the Spaniards left and I went with them.
- Did the financial factor matter?
- I have never put money at the forefront of my mind. My priority is personal development. Even if they offer me money, I won't join a team that I don't like in terms of style, structure and organisation. You can go to Saudi Arabia or China after the age of 30, or at that time. When you're 20 years old, money is an afterthought.
- Which team was stronger in those days: Dynamo or Shakhtar?
- I played for Shakhtar's U-21 team, and I was involved in the first team only a few times during international breaks. I can't say that the level of Dynamo and Shakhtar at that time was very different. Perhaps the Miners were more technical because they had a lot of Brazilians playing there.
- Where did you feel more comfortable in terms of the atmosphere?
- I spent only one season at Shakhtar, and six or seven years at Dynamo. In Kyiv, I had a lot of friends and we had a top team. So, of course, the atmosphere was nicer at Dynamo. The white and blues will always be in my heart.
Dmytro Venkov
