Oleksandr Pikhalenok: "Now I am ready for competition at Dynamo, I am waiting for it"

Dynamo Kyiv newcomer Oleksandr Pikhalenok gave a lengthy interview to the club's media, in which he spoke about his emotions after the transfer, the motivation for choosing the Kyiv club, and his football dreams.

- Welcome to Dynamo, Oleksandr! There was a lot of talk in the media about your transfer. Tell us, how did everything go?

- First, I received specifics from Dynamo. When Shakhtar found out that Dynamo wanted to buy me, having the first right to me, the Miners also put forward their conditions. It took a lot of time to think about it, because there were a lot of legal issues to resolve so that Shakhtar would not put up any obstacles.

- So you had specific offers from both Dynamo and Shakhtar?

- Yes, and I chose Dynamo. I am very happy to be here.

- Which of your relatives or friends were the first to share the news of your transfer?

- Of course, first of all with my family - my wife, mom, dad. My dad is one hundred percent behind Dynamo. As for the players of the Kyiv club, I talked to Tymchyk, Bushchan, Yarmolenko. Andrii picked up important words that finally convinced me to join Dynamo. Of course, I also talked to the president of Kyiv - we had a very pleasant conversation, I felt a lot of sincerity in his words, which also influenced my decision.

- Why did you choose Dynamo over Shakhtar?

- At this stage of my career, my heart belongs more to Dynamo. I will try to give 100 percent in games for the White and Blues.

- During these four or five days of negotiations, did you have a lot of worries, or did you manage to sleep well?

- Indeed, for three or four days I did not sleep very well, I was on the phone all day, my head was full. But for me, I clearly understood where I was going to go.

- You are from Donetsk, you played at Shakhtar and Mariupol. Dynamo also has Mykola Shaparenko, who is from Donetsk region. How do you feel, tell us how it feels to be in Dynamo after such a past?

- I don't see anything unusual in this. I have pleasant feelings, I will defend the colors of Dynamo Kyiv, I will try to make our fans happy with my game.

- You said that when you were a child, you came to enroll in Shakhtar's school wearing a Dynamo shirt with Shevchenko's name on it. Tell us about this story.

- Indeed (smiles). I was 5 years old, I came with my father to watch Shakhtar's game. Shevchenko's shirt was my first. But then I was not accepted - they said that they recruit from the age of six. They said come back next year. At the time, I remember everyone wondering why I was wearing a Dynamo shirt, but my father convinced everyone that we were really from Donetsk.

- So your father insisted more on your transfer to Dynamo?

- I would say he approved the transfer.

- Nowadays, many experts consider your left foot to be one of the best in the UPL in terms of sharpening. Can you compare yourself to any player in the top championship who has a similar style?

- In fact, it's very difficult to say so, because all players are different, there are no identical ones.

- Is there a player you look up to?

- I really like the way Toni Kroos plays, and I will miss him a lot when he retires after Euro 2024.

- Can you say that despite the fact that you didn't play at Shakhtar, your career has turned out as it should have?

- Yes, absolutely, I have no regrets. This is the past. I have no grudge against Shakhtar, I just need to prove myself on the football field. I understand that Dynamo's matches with Shakhtar are top-level derbies. I played against Shakhtar as a member of Dnipro-1, and those were also great games, but wearing a Dynamo shirt will be a completely different level and responsibility.

- So, are you looking forward to the matches with Shakhtar the most?

- You can say that. But at the same time, you need to tune in to all the games and always show your best, because titles are not won only in confrontations with Shakhtar.

- You signed a contract until 2029. Dynamo has a lot of competition in the center of the field now - captain Buyalsky, Shaparenko, Andrievsky, and Shepelev. But, in fact, only one of them is left-handed - Andrievsky. Tell us about your expectations from the competition for a place in the squad.

- This is Dynamo Kyiv, and there is always competition at the highest level. And there was a lot of competition on my way - it was at Shakhtar, Dnipro-1, and Mariupol. And now I am ready for competition at Dynamo, I am waiting for it.

- You said that you really want to play in the Champions League. This season, the CL has a new format. However, just like with Dnipro-1 last year, you will have to start from the second qualifying round...

- I am very interested in the new format. I know it will be difficult, given that we start from the second qualifying round. Last year, Dnipro-1 and I did not perform well in the qualifiers. But I hope that my dream will come true - to play in the Champions League in a Dynamo shirt.

- In the second part of the season, you didn't play much because of an injury, you didn't get a call-up to the national team for the preparatory matches for Euro 2024. Have you already planned how you will prepare for the start of the new season?

- Usually, during a long vacation, I rest for a maximum of ten days, and then I keep myself in shape - the gym, jogging. Every day the loads are increasing, so I approach the training camp not with zero conditions, but 50-70% ready. So I'm already looking forward to the training.

- What are you looking forward to most from the training camp? Getting to know the team or developing team actions?

- Acquaintances, among other things. Yes, I know a lot of guys, but still not all of them. I'm looking forward to meeting Oleksandr Shovkovskyi to find out his view on the game, his vision of how I should play.

- You have a lot of photos with Oleksandr Tymchyk, why is that?

- Tymchyk is my godfather, he baptized my son. We started communicating with him in the national team, either in U19 or U21 - I don't remember now. Somehow it happened that we started living together at the training camp. From that moment on, our friendship began. We live nearby, our wives communicate well.

- With whom else from Dynamo players do you already communicate?

- I also kept in touch with Dubinchak and Kabayev. Sometimes I can correspond with Bushchan. I keep in touch with a lot of people through emails and phone calls.

- How do you imagine your debut for Dynamo? How will you feel when you go out on the field in a White and Blue shirt?

- I think I will feel like ants running through my body. But the excitement always goes away with the starting whistle. So I'm really looking forward to this moment!