From 6 to 12 March 2024, Grazia will host an elite tournament for the Ukrainian national team for the right to go to Euro U-17. The Ukrainian national team will play in a group with the hosts Greece and the youth national teams of Slovakia and Switzerland. The winner of the group goes to the Euros and the top 7 teams from eight groups, which are second in their groups.
Yevhen Ryabokon is a graduate of the Kolos Academy. After the war, he ended up in the Czech Republic, where he defends the colours of the local club Slovacko. In the autumn, Ryabokon was called up to the U-17 national team of Ukraine.
- How are you doing at Slovatsko?
- Not bad. For the last month I have been playing for the U-18 team. I play 90 minutes a game. My team is in the middle of the standings. If I had stayed in the U-17s, I would have been in the middle as well.
Now there will be the first game of the championship, I will go to the national team. It's more of a priority for me. I need to fight for a place in the first team, prove my qualifications to the coach.
- Is there a difference between U-17 and U-18?
- Yes, of course. I train and play against boys born in 2005-2006, who are a year or two older than me. You need to have more physical endurance to play 90 minutes. You have to play more one-on-one. It's harder to defend. In general, I'm doing well and I'm glad to have the opportunity to get better.
- Are you involved in the first team and U-19?
- I'm still far from the first team. I have already trained with the youth team. I understand this level and will strive to reach it this season.
- Are you satisfied with how your career is developing at Slovacko?
- Yes, I feel progress. My father is always by my side. He tries to help me in everything. The coaches trust me.
- I have made friends with the guys. They see how I work in training, and I am left to work on my own. They see that I am involved in older age groups. I already have some authority in the team.
- You have been in the Czech Republic for a long time. Have you fully adapted to life in this country?
- Yes, there are no problems. I already know the language. I am even confused with a local. Everything is going well with my studies. Although all subjects are taught in Czech. All my grades are good. I also received a certificate from a Ukrainian school remotely. I am improving my English, because it is important for modern football.
- Are there any other Ukrainians in Slovacko?
- There are none in the first team. There are two Ukrainians in the U-17s. In the winter, two more players, born in 2005 and 2006, came to the U-19.
- Do you ever visit Ukraine?
- Yes, I do. When there was a training camp in Kyiv in autumn, there was no problem to come. I am ready to go wherever necessary for the national team. I also spent the winter holidays in the capital of Ukraine. I bought myself some books and didn't forget to keep fit while I was on holiday at the club.
- What position do you play?
- I play in the centre of defence. I'm more of a right centre-back, but I can also play on the left. In the last matches I played in this position. I would not say that my game has become worse because of this.
- What other positions can you play?
- I played right-back, full-back and number ten.
- Who do you look up to among modern players?
- I have been following Liverpool for the last two years. On Sunday, I was at the Slovacko-Sparta match, but I watched the FA Cup final on my phone from the stadium. I am a big fan of Virgil van Dijk. In general, all of Liverpool's central defenders impress me. They are textured, play well one-on-one, and are able to pass long balls.
- In the autumn of 2007, the national team held the first round of qualification. They took third place in the group. How would you rate this tournament?
- It's very offensive that we took only third place. I wanted to start with a victory over Finland, but we only drew. It's important to start with a win to have more confidence. Moreover, the Finns were the main competitors in the fight for second place.
- We could have counted on a draw with Germany. We didn't have enough strength.
- It's good that at least we reached the elite round from the third position. Now we need to think about reaching the Euros.
- How would you rate your rivals in the elite round now?
- I can't say much about Switzerland and Greece. In the match against Slovakia, I can help with the language, because I understand it. I will understand my opponents. We often go to Slovakia for friendly matches.
- Do you have a chance to go to the Euro?
- The chances are good. The main thing is to believe in the team, the staff and the coach. We need to set the task of winning the group.
- Did your attitude change after the call-up?
- Yes, I have. For the better. The coach started to pay more attention to me, and the partners started to treat me differently.
- Yurii Moroz replaced Volodymyr Yezerskyi as the coach of the U-17 national team. Does it have any problems?
- No, there are no problems. This is football. You should always be ready for a change of coach. I will try to fulfil the requirements of the new coach.
- Do you have friendly relations with this partner?
- I communicate with Oleksandr Kharechko from Rukh. I have good relations with everyone.
- How was the national team received in general?
- No problems at all. The team is strong. The guys are showing their good side.
- Who is the team leader?
- The captain is Kyrylo Digtyar. In terms of music - Dmytro Strelchuk.
- In winter, you were at the viewing of Borussia Mönchengladbach. What were your impressions?
- Very good impressions. There is a high level there. I realised what else I need to work on, what I need to strive for. Unfortunately, I was not able to stay for long. German teams form their squads in the summer. It's not easy to make the transition to the U-19 in winter. I passed all the tests and left a good impression. I hope that in the summer we will return to this option. Now it is important for me to have a regular game practice.
- Has anyone else shown interest?
- "Rayo Vallecano offered to watch me, but it didn't work out. They wanted to see me in Madrid in early March, but at that time the national team will be playing in the elite round for the national team of Ukraine. So I had to turn down this option.
- Do you see your future in the Czech Republic?
- My goal is to reach Liverpool and win the Champions League. I will take small steps towards this. Now the task is to get into the youth team of the club from the leading European championships and become a major player in the youth national team of Ukraine.
Serhii Tyshchenko