Ukraine goalkeepers coach Rustam Khudjamov said what he thinks about the performance of Real Madrid's Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin this season.
Rustam Hudjamov- Rustam, what do you think about Andriy Lunin's game in the return match of the Champions League 1/4 final with Manchester City and in general this season for Real Madrid?
- If I speak favourably about the match in Manchester, it will be Captain Hindsight. Everything is on the surface, after all. Everyone has seen it and everyone understands it, so my comments would probably be redundant. If you look at what I have said about Andriy over the last six years, how long he has been a Real Madrid player, it has been one thing: he should wait to be trusted to play in the squad. He had all the human qualities to become a number one from the start of his Spanish career. What he didn't have was the experience of playing for such a club.
- Do you think that now for the Ukrainian goalkeeper his star time has come?
- I think so.
- What were your premonitions before the penalty shootout in Lunin's victorious quarter-final in Manchester?
- I watched the match together with my children: one of my sons is a Real Madrid fan, the other one is a Manchester City fan. I said to him straight away: "I'm sorry, but Real will win" (laughs). Even when Modric failed to score a penalty in the post-match lottery, somehow there was confidence that the Madrid team would win.
- Was it because you were convinced of Andriy Lunin's skill?
- I was confident, and it is understandable. If you take away from the fact that Andriy and I work as a coach and a mentee, I was rooting for him as a Ukrainian for a Ukrainian. I repeat: I was fully confident that everything would be OK for him.
- It should be assumed that it was Andriy's human and professional qualities, as well as his confident play for Real Madrid in La Liga and Champions League, that were key in the decision of the coaching staff of the Ukrainian national team in choosing a candidate for the number one position in both play-off matches of qualification for Euro 2024?
- It is clear that there were different motives. However, from my side it would be incorrect to pass judgement on what we discussed with the coaching staff and Serhiy Stanislavovich (Rebrov - editor's note) personally. Considering the attitude to other goalkeepers of the national team, which we have not three, but four - Trubin, Buschan and Riznyk. I follow each of them closely, as well as all the representatives of our coaching staff. We carefully analyse their game, so I think it is inappropriate to single out any of them or talk about their motives in choosing for this or that match. So I apologise to everyone for this. I respect each of our goalkeepers and perfectly understand their feelings when they are not in the squad. But there is only one place in the goal.
- Recently I have come across information that Lunin may leave Real Madrid and move to another club - in particular, Bayern Munich. Do these rumours have any basis?
- It seems to me that these are more rumours than reality. Lunin likes everything in Madrid, and he likes the club he plays for too. What else could be better - as a footballer and a man of any profession? It's like the famous saying: "You don't look for good from good". Another thing is that Bayern might want to have him. However, whether Real Madrid will let their main goalkeeper go is a big question.
Maxim Kovalenko
