One of Oleksandriya's leaders, Vladyslav Kalytyntsev, spoke about all the stages of his career, starting with his first steps at Dynamo Kyiv.
- Did you have an option to become a non-footballer? With a father like that, was the choice among sports obvious?
- No one forced me to play football. My father just said: "If you want, try it". He saw that I was always running around with a ball somewhere. So he took me to the Arsenal-European team at the age of eight. I think they played for the district or the region. If I'm not mistaken, it was near the Klovska station. There was no team there with players born in 1993, so I trained with the older ones, from 1991. And somehow I liked it that way. I spent two years there, and when I was 10, Dynamo Kyiv invited me to watch.
- Why didn't your father take you to Dynamo right away?
- I don't know. I think my dad wanted me to try out for the local team first, and then see if I fit in. I seemed to look good. There, Dynamo's selectors noticed me and invited me to watch.
- Who were your first coaches at Dynamo? How was it working with them?
- Valerii Shabelnykov, Pavlo Kikot, Andrii Biba and Yevhen Rudakov. I had a very good relationship with all of them. They taught me a lot.
- Did you feel special treatment because of your father's Dynamo background?
- On the contrary, the coaching staff helped me. I was a boy in general. Maybe I didn't realise it then. When I got older, I felt such pressure, but everything was fine in this regard. The guys in the team didn't treat me differently because of it either.
- You managed to play against your father when he was in charge of Donetsk's Olimpik and Zhytomyr's Polissia, but what was it like to train under his guidance? Did he demand more than others?
- Of course, more. I think even twice as much. It was at Dynamo-2 when I was 15-16 years old. And at that time there were already "men" with families. I got into adult football, but gradually adapted. My teammates helped me. We talked to my father after every training session, he asked: "How are you? What's up?". But he demanded twice as much.
- Later, Yurii Mykolaiovych would say that you had faster speed than him and a better shot. Which was more pleasant to hear?
- In terms of speed, yes. I definitely beat him there. And as for the shot, he meant that my right-hand shot was better. Maybe in some moments it was true.
- Oleksandr Aliyev used to say that his cannonball punch was a great merit of his father, who trained him from a young age. Do you have the same story?
- There were times when we went outside and I loved to kick the ball. At that time, Roberto Carlos was my idol. I watched him kick from the outside and tried to copy him. I also followed David Beckham. My parents also bought me a small goal at home. And I used to run around in the corridor, kick it, imagine that there were some rivals in front of me. I was furious, kicking the ball, and I ended up with a well-placed shot.
- You joined Dynamo's first team when it was led by Valeriy Gazzaev. How were you received in the team? Was there any "hazing"?
- I wouldn't say that there was a hazing. I just understood what kind of team I was in: that there were stars, high-level players. When I found out that I was going to the training camp with the first team, I was a bit scared. But then I talked to my father and he told me: "What are you talking about? This is such a chance! Go ahead and do your best. The main thing is to recover after training, don't hesitate to go to the massage room because you are younger. And be confident in yourself." That's how I went to my first training camp.
- Who was it from that squad that you looked at and couldn't believe you were playing in the same team as them?
- At the time, it was, of course, Milevskyi, Aliev, Ninkovych. Later Shevchenko came and I almost went crazy that I was training with him. He also gave me tips, without any "bossiness". He probably watched and couldn't believe that he was training with Kalitvintsev's son.
- It was said about Gazzaev that he gave very strange, sometimes even ridiculous exercises, and placed great emphasis on physical fitness. What do you remember about working with him?
- It's true, the workload there was very heavy. I was 17 when I went to the training camp. I remember that even the doctors came up to Gazzaev and told him to slow down. Gazzaev replied: "No. Let him do his best". I understand that he was testing me for my character: whether I could stand it or not. In the end, I did. I can say that he laid the foundation for my physical condition.
- As I remember now, I came home when I was very young, turned on Dynamo's May match against Zaporizhzhia Metalurh and saw your debut for Kyiv. I couldn't even imagine that such a young boy could play for such a team. What emotions did you have at that moment?
- Of course, I was nervous. Before the game, Gazzaev called the players, including me, and told them what to do. He said: "Don't worry". Somehow he calmed me down. In the first minutes of the game, I was afraid of making mistakes, but I was supported and played my 60 minutes. I even passed the ball to Milevsky.
- After that assist, did Milevskyi offer to keep him and Aliyev company in Kyiv nightclubs? What kind of communication did you have with them?
- No, there was no such thing (Smiles). I was young, I modestly went to training, to lunch. To have some kind of communication... It was in the training process that they really helped me.
- After such a debut, you were plagued by injuries. Do you understand now what was the reason for them?
- My first serious injury was to my knee - my own patellar ligament. It mostly affects athletes who are involved in jumping or basketball. And such loads as Gazzaev's... "We always jumped over hurdles, we did a lot of jumping exercises. I think that against this background, somewhere along the line, this ligament failed. Moreover, I was 17 years old, I was just growing up, and the ligaments could probably only hold out for a while.
I got this injury and dropped out. I had another knee injury when I played for Yakovenko's team, it happened in a game moment. It was a friendly game - literally 15-20 minutes, there was a collision - and I was out for about five months.
I recovered, started to get fit, worked out with a double. And almost immediately, in the training process, we were practicing one-on-one with the defenders, and somehow it happened that he stepped on my knee, I twisted it and tore two ligaments in my ankle. I was out for three months again. That was my period for a year, I was constantly out.
- Do your past injuries make themselves felt now?
- No, it's already in the past. Back then, Dynamo had a very good medical staff that sent me abroad for operations, and they controlled my treatment completely. Everything was at the highest level.
- You also managed to play one game each for Dynamo under Yurii Semin and Oleh Blokhin. How did Semin differ from Gazzayev and what do you remember from the legendary Oleg Vladimirovich?
- Semin was very fond of young people, he let them in. But it was at a time when I was injured, so I played only one game. Blokhin? What can I say... He told me: "You need to recover, play a few matches for the double". And so I spent all my time in the double...
- What were your impressions of working with Blokhin?
- I can't say anything about the workload, because I don't think I went to the training camp for him. But yes, I remember the "camon play" and all these moments like: "I would have scored". Well, probably, the winner of the Ballon d'Or, the legendary footballer, can afford such expressions.
- In Dynamo's first team, you played most of your games for Serhii Rebrov. It seems that none of the players gave negative feedback about working with him.
- It was a pleasure to work with Rebrov. The training process is interesting: everything is intense, everything with the ball. Everything was at a high level. I felt that he was a top-level coach. I wanted to go straight to every training session. He inspired the most confidence. His assistant at the time was Raul Riancho, who also treated me well. In the beginning, he had a lot of trust in me.
- Why did it not work out with Hatskevich? What has changed dramatically in the team after Rebrov?
- I will speak for myself. I had a training camp, everything was fine, I felt great, I gained conditioning. In a few days we had to fly to Kyiv, we had a light training session: simulated attacks. And I shot into the penalty area from the bottom and pulled the anterior thigh muscle and went out again.
I was recovering, then I arrived and Khatskevich told me: "You need to get fit through the double, play a few matches, and then we'll see." So I spent half a year in the double and played 15 matches. Then he included me in the application for the match against Karpaty, when we lost 1-2. I came on for, I think, 20-30 minutes. And that was the only game under his leadership for the first team.
- Do you still have a grudge against Dynamo because you didn't manage to get a foothold there?
- There are no resentments. I understand that injuries knocked me out and hindered my development. I think I overstayed my welcome at Dynamo. It's just that Khatskevich came at that time and told me to re-sign the contract. I re-signed it and it turned out that I didn't manage to play for him. Then it became obvious that I had to make a decision to leave Dynamo.
I am grateful to Ihor Mykhailovych Surkis for letting me go. I cancelled my contract, and he told me: "I wish you all the best, I don't want to slow down your career. Go play - I'm letting you go". He was the only one who spoke, and I sat there listening and nodding my head. I heard very warm words from him. Igor Mikhailovich really hoped that I would play for Dynamo. But this is football life. So we parted ways, and I thanked him.
- Who impressed you the most among the legionnaires during your time at Dynamo?
- Back then, the top players were Jermain Lens and Miguel Veloso. They came and it was immediately clear that these were crazy transfers. At that time, almost all the legionnaires were of a high level: Danilo Silva, Betao, Leandro Almeida.
- Wikipedia says that you were very close friends with Lukman Aruna. How true is this?
- Not really a friendship. We just had a warm relationship when we crossed paths at the base. Aruna is a very open-minded person, always joking, always relaxed. He is a nice guy.
- Were there any open "passengers" among the legionnaires at Dynamo? For example, Serhii Velychko, the coach of the Kyiv Children's and Youth Sports School, told a story in an interview about the grandson of a criminal mastermind, Omar Faroyan. Did you find him?
- "I found Omar, we were training with him at Dynamo-2. He is an ordinary guy, very modest and open. He tried to show what he could do. He played at his own level. There was a great desire to play, to listen to the coach (at that time my father). I remember only positive things about him.
As for the first-team internationals, I didn't understand the transfers of Facundo Bertoglio and striker Andre. Somehow I never understood how they got to Dynamo. I mean the football aspect, not the money that was paid for them. I believe that these players are not at the level of such a club.
- You had a legionnaire's experience in your career when you played for the Czech club Slovan. What can you remember about that period? Didn't you want to stay in Europe after that?
- The Czech championship was of a good level even at that time, all the teams played to the last minute. It was interesting, especially as it was my first experience of this kind at the age of 19. It was the Europa League, after all, where we went through three qualifying rounds and got to the group stage. It was a crazy experience for a young player. We left the group stage at the same time - it was a space. Sergiy Rybalka was still around, and he helped me a lot. He became my second father in the Czech Republic (Smiles).
- Let's go through the other teams you played for on loan. You had a pretty good first season at Chornomorets: 5+5 on the goal+assist system. How did you work with Oleksandr Babych, who was a novice coach at the time?
- I gained a lot of trust from Babych, and at that time Oleksandr Granovskyi was still working as his assistant. They helped me a lot. It was a great period, we were a very young team then. We managed to play good football. It was very pleasant to be at Chornomorets from the footballing aspect.
- Then there was Zorya Luhansk, for whom you didn't play much because of injuries.
- I had a one-year loan. I played nine matches in the first six months, I think. When I got injured, it was clear that I would not have time to recover even before the end of the championship. Then it was decided that I would return to Kyiv and get treatment at Dynamo.
- Yuriy Vernydub spoke in the press about you as a very talented footballer whom he counts on.
- We had a very warm relationship with him. He was hoping, but this injury happened... Yuriy Mykolayovych called me, was upset and said: "Look, the Europa League. I was really counting on you, but it happens - this is football. Get treatment, recover". That was our last conversation with him.
- You didn't find Fabrizio Ravanelli at Kyiv Arsenal anymore, but maybe you heard something from your teammates about his working methods?
- I don't remember, to be honest. I worked well with Igor Leonov, he is a positive coach. I'm very grateful to him because I joined the team when it was already the third round and I wasn't particularly ready, although I trained individually. I trained in the general group for just a week and he put me in the game against Olimpik, and we beat them. And somehow it went like that...
- It's hard to believe when you look back at the team's results, but you had great partners back then: Kovpak, Orikhovsky, Tankovsky, Lipartiya, Dubinchak, Avagimyan, Kozak and even Mudryk!
- Yes, we had a great team back then. It's a pity we didn't manage to stay in the UPL. What was missing? It's hard to say. We had a match with Chornomorets, which we drew 3-3, and we only needed a victory. And there was a dubious penalty against us. After that draw, we had no more chances. But we had a good period there.
- What were your impressions of Mudryk? Did he already devote a lot of time to individual work after training?
- Yes, it was already then. In training, Misha could, as they say, play children's football: he could climb on five or six players. This happened, but he was very serious about his training: he went to the gym and played chips. It happened that after training, we had already washed up and were about to go home. We looked at him and he was still playing those chips even in the rain. His coaches kicked him off the field afterwards (Smiles). But he still bent his line and continued to do so.
- Oleksandr Kovpak said that Mudryk played by himself on the pitch, constantly flirting. Didn't it annoy the team?
- Of course it did, because we needed a result and bonuses. That's why everyone wanted to stay in the UPL, and when Mudryk was playing with four or five people, while he could have just passed the ball, it annoyed the experienced players.
- Can you agree that the best period of your mature career was spent at Desna Chernihiv?
- This is definitely one of the best periods. But there were good periods under Rebrov at Dynamo, at Chornomorets. But in Desna - yes. I felt good there for 2.5 years, I was a player in the starting line-up. I had confidence in my own abilities. I felt like a fish in water.
All this is thanks to Oleksandr Riabokon and his coaching staff. And, of course, we had a strong team, good players. It was not for nothing that we were ranked fourth and qualified for the European Cups.
- What's the story with that scandalous transfer from Desna to Oleksandriya? Did they not pay you in Chernihiv?
- We resolved this issue, but we didn't pay. Everything was done according to procedure. Time will tell what will happen there.
- I'm from Kirovohrad region, I've been to Oleksandria, so I can't imagine where you spend your free time after football.
- At the training base almost all the time (Smiles). My family lives in Kyiv, so I go to them on weekends. Otherwise, it's recovery after training, all the procedures, the gym. In general, there is plenty to do, but I spend almost all my time at the base.
- How did you feel playing under Yurii Gura? It was written that he is a rather introverted, private person. What impressions did he leave?
- I wouldn't say that he is like that. We communicated with him normally. He is a good, kind person. I can't say anything bad about him. His dismissal? It all happened so quickly, but it was the management's decision. We don't get involved in these matters, we are players.
- How comfortable is it to work with Ruslan Rotan now? Which of your previous coaches does he remind you of?
- I feel very comfortable with him. He has an interesting training process, everything is with the ball, we work on pressure. He does everything to make us play modern football. If I compare him with anyone, it's Rebrov.
- Have you found an answer to the question of why Oleksandriya has been performing worse than in previous years for the second season in a row?
- Many experienced players have left, and we have been strengthened by young players. The team is changing and rebuilding. Petrovic came to the team with a coaching staff and demands a completely different kind of football. We try to understand this and work every day and try to progress so that everything goes well.
- Was the meeting with your father in the Ukrainian Cup the most emotional football moment of the past year?
- Yes, especially as it turned out to be a match with a series of post-match penalties. It was a nice emotion. It was a real cup game and against my father.
- Yurii Mykolaiovych admitted that he mentally said "dog" about you. And what did you think of him when Polissia moved on?
- Well done (smiles). He said: "Let's go to the final, it doesn't matter who is there. Take the Cup".
- Getting back to Wikipedia. It says that you speak French, English and German. Is this true?
- I didn't understand where it came from at all. I just went to a school with a focus on French, but I didn't really learn it there. My English is also at a very low level. Of course, I need to start learning it, because it is a useful skill.
- In 2017, the media reported that you had signed a contract with the second German Bundesliga club Erzgebirge Aue. What is the story?
- Yes, we had negotiations with them at that time. We were waiting for an answer, but I didn't dare to go there and that was the end of it. Somehow I felt inside that I didn't want to go there and didn't see myself in that team.
- Do you still have a desire to try yourself abroad?
- If there are offers, why not? I currently have a contract with Oleksandriia and all my thoughts are only about it. We'll see what happens in the future.
- You were one of the leading players of various youth national teams in Ukraine. My most vivid impression is that fantastic goal against Russia.
- My emotions after that goal were positive. Now, even more so when I watch that goal. I'm getting high. Although we lost in that final, we came back the next year and beat them 4-0. So I'm twice as happy when I get to see the video of those matches.
How did you decide to take the shot? I was just always kicking during training. Since childhood, I didn't care what distance I shot from. Moreover, I felt confident then. I came to the national team with great pleasure and motivation. Such decisions are made when you have confidence and are in good condition.
I think everyone saw the reaction of our coaching staff. Everything was clear there, everyone was shocked, they didn't understand how you could score from there. The reaction of the Russians? They didn't seem to say anything, but they behaved terribly in that final. They could have said a couple of kind words that you could catch on to and, as they say, get hit in the face. It was not football, they were rotten.
- Who among the players of the youth and junior national teams stood out the most? You managed to play with Malynovskyi, Karavayev, Yurchenko, Buyalskyi and Budkivskyi...
- At that time, everyone was at a high level: Malinowski, Buyal... Karavayev was irreplaceable: he ran all over the right side, he had a lot of health there. Budkivsky, with his size and height, has good technique, plays well with his body - there are few such strikers. It was obvious that they could grow into great players. In the end, it happened.
- You were included in the reserve list of the Ukrainian national team, but you never made your debut. Can we say that this is still your dream?
- Of course, because I still haven't made my debut. This is my dream and goal. To get there, you need to play consistently and show decent statistics. It doesn't matter if you get there at 18, 30 or 36. There is always a chance to get there.
- Especially since Rebrov is now there - he is an acquaintance.
- Well, yes (smiles).
- You turned 31 in January. Do you have any hobbies other than football? Have you thought about what you'll do after your football career?
- I don't have any such hobbies. Sometimes I think about what will happen after my playing career. However, I want to play at a high level for another six or seven years. I do everything for this: I take care of myself, I train individually. As for coaching, I don't see myself there yet, but anything can happen. Now all my thoughts are only about football.
- In the next six or seven years, would you like to play under your father's guidance?
- Why not? Of course, I already have experience of working with him, but then I was very young. Now, if I were to work with him, I would get completely different impressions. It would be interesting to work with my dad.
- Let's finish our interview with a blitz. Who is the best coach you have worked with (apart from your father, of course)?
- I have gained some experience from all of them. They were all qualified professionals. I am grateful to each of them.
- Who is the strongest player you've played with in the same team?
- Yarmolenko.
- The strongest player you played against?
- Wow... Srna.
- The most talented player of the Dynamo Academy who did not realise his potential?
- At that time, it was centre-back Bratkov. He, of course, could have played at an even higher level.
- What achievement in your career are you most proud of?
- Probably the Ukrainian Cup in 2013, when we beat Shakhtar in Poltava. I'm also proud of the fact that I got into the Dynamo first team at the age of 17.
- How much of your potential have you realised?
- I think 60-65%.
- What would you change in your football career if you had the opportunity?
- I would work harder on myself. I would devote more time to myself, work out in the gym. Now we see that many players from different championships take care of their diet, sleep, and work out with their coaches.
- Finally, choose: play in the Premier League or make your debut for the Ukrainian national team?
- For the national team. Without hesitation. Although if you play in the Premier League, you will get into the national team .
Vladyslav Liutostanskyi