Dynamo Kyiv defender Denys Popov gave an online interview for the club's fans on the VDINamo YouTube channel. We bring to your attention the most interesting fragments of this communication.
Денис Попов- You will probably not be surprised to hear that you have a reputation in Ukrainian football as a brutal defender, a man who is not a pleasant memory for any forward. Do you agree with this reputation as a fighter on the pitch who is better not to meet?
- Perhaps, it is better to see from the outside. It happens because I have to defend the goal and the forwards have to score. Sometimes, perhaps, I meet them harshly, sometimes not very cleanly, but this is my job.
- Have you ever played particularly tough against a certain opponent?
- Yes, it happens that emotions go wrong, but not in such a way as to deliberately "cut down" someone, because I understand that you can injure a player in this way, and I know what injuries are and how difficult it is to recover from them. Everyone has a family, and football is the players' bread and butter. If you manage to play tough, it is by no means intentional.
- Many people thought that you were deliberately "ramming" Junior Moraes after he became a principled rival... There were even memes made at the time, T-shirt prints were made...
- I remember, but I had no conflicts with him, the fact that he joined Shakhtar was his personal choice. But in that situation, it was one of my very first games for the first team, especially with a principal opponent, so I had to prove myself and benefit the team. That's why I had to meet somewhere tougher.
- Don't you envy hockey players because in their sport you can fight during games?
- Yes, I do. Seriously, I even thought about it. There are such moments. But emotions are to blame, you have to be able to control them.
- Did you fight with someone on the field?
- No, I would have finished then, I would have been disqualified, banned and so on. I am well aware that all this pushing, all these provocations have one goal - to get you off the pitch and thus remove you from the field. If we met someone on the street, I'm sure they wouldn't tell us the things they sometimes say on the pitch. There are such characters, I don't even want to talk about them.
- On 17 February, Usyk was supposed to fight Fury. How did the team take the news that the fight was postponed?
- You can't imagine how much I was looking forward to this fight. It was supposed to take place on my birthday. I really wanted it, imagine if Usyk had become an absolute champion on that day. Of course, I was a little disappointed, I don't know what Oleksandr's emotions are, he's probably disappointed too. But this is a traumatic sport, everything happens.
- What are your predictions for this fight?
- I think it will be a tough fight. Of course, I'll be rooting for Sasha, keeping my fingers crossed.
- Do you know each other personally?
- We met him once. He looked at me as if he had seen me somewhere, but couldn't remember who I was. At least that's what I thought. I asked him to take a picture with me, and he looked at me in such a way that I felt embarrassed.
- Where did this happen?
- I met him on the street and decided that it was worth taking a photo with him, because he is our outstanding athlete.
- It would be interesting to see you sparring with a boxer...
- There would be nothing to see. If it was a professional, it would probably be over in 30 seconds. Boxers prepare differently, they have different loads, different breathing patterns.
- Instead, you are a fan of another sport - billiards...
- Yes, I like billiards.
- Which footballer did you dream of being like as a child?
- Sergio Ramos. Not exactly like him, but he impressed me in his prime years.
- Which of the Ukrainian defenders would you particularly mention?
- If we talk about those who played before, it's Zhenya Khacheridi. He was probably a significant figure not only for me, but also for many fans. I also liked Dragovic and Vida - real fighters. I would also add Rakytskyi to this list. I liked his passing, his vision of football. Now I would mention Matvienko - a skilled defender.
- Which Dynamo players do you think are ready to play in the Premier League?
- Probably the first is Shaparenko, of course, he is a talented player. Then Bushchan. Vanat, if he gets a little bit stronger. You see, the Premier League is a completely different level, it's hard to guess. God willing, there will be more representatives of our nation there, so that they glorify Ukraine in this league.
- How do you respond to criticism on social media and in the media?
- I don't react at all. I don't even read it. There are people who are experts sitting on sofas and armchairs, but have never been in this environment. They are only interested when someone has some kind of failure or someone makes a mistake - then they hype it. I realised this a long time ago, so I try not to communicate with anyone. Sometimes they will say or write something that, as they say, you can't put a hat on it. But that's their job.
- What did you dream of becoming as a child? Only a footballer?
- Probably, yes, although I wasn't one hundred per cent sure that I would grow up to be a professional footballer, let alone get into Dynamo Kyiv. I just dreamed of playing football and didn't even think as a child that I could earn money from it.
- What was your plan B?
- There was no plan B. He probably would have found me somehow, but maybe not. I don't even know how my life would have turned out.
- Will Dynamo become the champion this season?
- We have a goal, and we will strive for it. We will bring it to life every day with our hard work. I believe that we should succeed. But this is sport, it's hard to predict anything. You have to work hard and believe in the best.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our soldiers, our defenders. I understand that it sounds trite, but there are no words to describe what you do, the heroism and courage you show. I bow to you and thank you very much for defending our country.
