Former Dynamo Kyiv forward Viktor Leonenko shared his expectations for Euro 2024, which kicked off in Germany last Friday.
Viktor Leonenko. Photo — centernews.com.ua"Is this Ukraine national team the strongest in history? When such statements are made, it turns out that Sheva and Rebrov are weaklings"
- Viktor Yevhenovych, who do you think will win Euro 2024?
- I think France or England. These teams are the strongest at the European Championships. The only thing that can hinder them is injuries.
- Which of the top teams will fail at the Euro?
- I think the Spaniards or Italians will fail. Perhaps the Germans will end up failing. The championships speak for themselves. You see what Bayern is playing now. In Italy, probably, half of the national team will be from Inter. But I would not want strong teams to fail, because fans may not go to other teams. It's also interesting to see what will happen with Portugal.
- Who will you be rooting for at the Euros?
- For Ukraine, of course!
- And besides our national team?
- I support the quality of football. Whoever plays well, I will support. That is, if I manage to watch the Euro, because the light is sometimes on, sometimes off.
- Many experts praise Ukraine, saying that we can almost reach the Euro finals. Do you believe it?
- Only "dummies", that is, non-professionals, can say that. For our team, leaving the group will be a super result. Then call these experts and ask them: "Why didn't we win the Euro?". I wonder what they will say in response.
- Do you agree with the statement that the Ukrainian national team has the strongest generation in history?
- That's not a very intelligent thing to say. To be considered the strongest team, you have to win something. When such statements are made, it turns out that Sheva and Rebrov are weak. And our national team has never had a better offense! You can add Luzhny and Shovkovsky to the list. How then can today's team be the strongest? Yaremchuk is sitting in reserve, Mudryk is constantly criticized. And he managed to disgrace himself with Moldova - he made so many mistakes!
I've even come up with a new nickname for him. I used to call him "Mishka 70", but now he is my "rugby player". You look at him, and all the time he doesn't have enough space on the field, and he constantly runs behind the goal, like rugby players in a fall.
- So you're not impressed with the match against Moldova?
- What could you see there? Moldova is a very weak team, and the match against them gave nothing. Although Rebrov was playing the team against Romania there. Even my cat Avatar already knows who we're going to play. The only question is: will Mykolenko play? If not, then Zinchenko will play instead. And in the attack, most likely, Dovbyk will play from the first minutes.
"The stars of the Ukrainian national team? So far, it's Dovbyk and Tsygankov, who had a great season in Girona. All the others are either playing or not, or are injured."
- There is a lot of praise for Shaparenko in the national team now. What do you think of him?
- You need to praise if you score a lot and give a lot! Sudakov was recognized as the best player of the season in the UPL, and he has only six goals and four assists, and this is in our championship! And this is despite the fact that he plays for Shakhtar, the national champion!
In our league, it's impossible to understand whether Shaparenko is good or not. Even in such a weak league, Dynamo manages to take second place. The European Championship and European Cups will show whether Shaparenko is really good.
- What stars do you see in the Ukrainian national team? Which of our players can make a shot at the Euros?
- So far, it's Dovbyk and Tsygankov, who had a great season at Girona. All the others are either playing or not, or are injured. There is no one else to single out! In general, I expect all our players to make a shot at Euro 2024 and go to Europe. Now, thank God, Ukrainian clubs are letting them go, not like before.
- By the way, the main contenders for Dovbyk are Atletico Madrid and AC Milan. Where would you recommend Artem to go?
- It's better for him to stay in Spain, so Atletico. La Liga plays technical football and Dovbyk already knows this championship. And in Italy, he will have to start all over again. Moreover, Milan is not playing as confidently as Inter. The problem for Dovbyk may be that next season it will be harder for him to score, because all opponents will be preparing for him. But I hope that he will confirm his scoring qualities.
"With teams like Moldova, Yarmolenko can still produce a result, but with others - hardly"
- What do you think about the veterans, Stepanenko and Yarmolenko. Do they still reach the level of the national team?
- If Stepanenko is playing, it means that Brazhko is weaker than Taras.
- Brazhko is Jozsef Szabo's favorite player.
- I'm not arguing, he's good, but he's just young and lacks experience. Also, Brazhko is a tough tackler and may not play the full 90 minutes due to suspension.
As for Yarmolenko, he can still produce results with teams like Moldova, but with others - hardly. Moreover, I think that we will play almost all games at the Euros from the defense on the counterattack. However, this applies to most teams, because everyone plays with some fear at the World Cup and European Championships.
- Who do you think will take a place in the goal of the Ukrainian national team?
- Lunin, of course! All the goalkeepers in the Ukrainian national team are good, but Rebrov trusts Lunin. However, we shouldn't forget that Lunin played in Real Madrid only because of Courtois' injury. My advice to him is that Lunin needs to leave Real Madrid if he wants to play all the time.
Andriy Piskun
