Dynamo legend Oleksii Mykhailichenko spoke about the triumph of the USSR national team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. This is a good example for the Ukrainian team on the eve of the Games in Paris.
- Oleksiy Oleksandrovych, the cult English publication FourFourTwo has included you in the ranking of the best footballers in history who have won the Olympics. How do you feel about it?
- Of course, I am pleased. There were a lot of great players at the Olympics and it's a great honor to be among the best.
- Who else would you add to the list of the best from that USSR team? Name two players who will keep you company.
- Dobrovolsky and Tyshchenko, although he didn't play a single game. Vadym simply could not play. After undergoing surgery, he was treated improperly and a doping test showed banned drugs in his samples. Byshovets supported him and took him to the Olympics, but he could not include him in the application because any player on the national team could be subject to doping control. If Tyshchenko had played at the Olympics, it would have been much easier for us.
- Let's move back to 1988. Tell us, what were your expectations going into the Seoul Olympics?
- I was going there for the gold medal, and I had no other thoughts. I'll tell you an interesting story.
- I'd love to hear it.
- No one knew, but before the Olympics I bought a case of champagne and put it in a locker at Sheremetyevo Airport. I had a feeling that we would triumph in Seoul, and fortunately, it didn't let me down. After the victory, we returned to Moscow at 6 am. We were met by our wives and friends. And then I brought a box of champagne and glasses. Everyone was shocked!
- I read that on the eve of the Olympics, Pope John Paul II blessed the USSR team. Did you meet with the pontiff?
- Yes, it's true. It was my second meeting with the Pope, and I had met him before with Lobanovsky, but I don't remember before which tournament. And before the Olympics, we went to the Vatican with the Olympic team led by Byshovets. John Paul II wished us success, health, and happiness. The energy from the Pope was incredible.
- Nowadays, clubs are reluctant to let players join the Olympic team. How was the team formed in your time? As far as I know, Lobanovskyi, who was then the head of the USSR national team, was also reluctant to let his players go.
- No, it was the other way around, it was Byshovets who didn't want to let the players go from the Olympic team to the national team. The Seoul Olympics was the last one where all players were allowed to play, without an age limit. You have to look at this moment from different angles, because Lobanovsky and Byshovets were definitely not friends. There was always competition between them. The first national team was a priority for the state and everything was adjusted to it. I don't know why, but Byshovets wanted the players of the Olympic team not to participate in the European Championships, even though there were three months between tournaments and there was enough time to recover.
I am sure that Dobrovolsky and Tyshchenko were 100% fit to play at the Euros, but they were not allowed to go. Only I played at the Euros and the Olympics.
- How did you manage it?
- Honestly, I don't know the details of the wars between Byshovets and Lobanovsky. But I'm very glad to have played in two major tournaments.
- Let's move on to the Olympics itself. South Korea is a rather exotic country for Europeans. What do you remember about it?
- To be honest, I never saw South Korea. At first, we lived in the Olympic village in Busan, and before the semifinals and finals, we were put on a ship.
- Why?
- The Olympics had officially ended and there was a celebration in the Olympic Village, so we were hidden on a ship before the last two matches. We lived in a cabin together, I lived with Vadik Tyshchenko. Many artists were brought to the ship. Before the final, the Bravo band with Valery Syutkin performed for us.
And after our victory, a big concert with pop stars was organized on the ship: Leshchenko, Kobzon, Schirwindt, Derzhavin, and others.
- Viktor Tsoi was not there?
- It's a pity, but he was not there. I would have loved to talk to Tsoi, because I respect this singer and love his songs.
- Did you try any exotic dishes, as Koreans love to cook dogs?
- No, we had our traditional cuisine on the ship. I went to the city only for two hours after the final and the next day we flew home. We had no time to walk around.
- At the Olympics, the USSR national team had a difficult start, playing 0-0 with the tournament hosts, South Korea. Was it an underestimation of the opponent or did they have a strong team at the time?
- I remember this game very well, we were opening the Olympic tournament. There was definitely no underestimation. We were a little nervous. I had the only chance in the match, but unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to score. 0:0 was a natural result of that match. The Koreans played their best game of the tournament against us.
- After the match with South Korea, you went on a roll: five goals, including a double and an assist. Which match did you remember the most before the final?
- We had a very tough game against Australia in the quarterfinals. The Australians played in the British style, their players were strong and did not give up in the fight. We could not score a goal. The first half ended 0-0. Then it started to rain and I earned a penalty, which Dobrovolsky converted. I put an end to the match by scoring the third goal. I believe that the game with the Australians was a turning point in the tournament.
- The semifinal with Italy was also difficult. You won only in extra time - 3:2.
- The Italians had a serious team with many big names playing: Ferrara, Tassotti, Mauro. We conceded the first goal, but we got back into the game, scoring twice in extra time, the third goal was on my account, and the Italians managed to score only a goal.
- And then there was the final with star Brazil.
- It was a little easier for us with the Brazilians than with Italy. It was a crucial game for us, and we just went out to win. There was no internet and no information like there is now. There were a lot of stars playing in Brazil: Taffarel, Romario, Bebeto, Jorginho, but we just didn't know them.
- It is true that Byshovets told the team before the final: "Silver is good. But remember, only gold really shines."
- Yes, I remember those words well. We have always had the psychology of winners. I started working with Byshovets at the age of 11. I joined Dynamo at the age of 10, when the team was coached by Kotelnikov, then he left for a managerial position in the Football Federation, and Byshovets took over our group. Under him, the psychology of triumphant players was embedded in Dynamo, and we were only interested in winning first place wherever we played. I remember this phrase of Byshovets's from my childhood: "Only gold really shines."
- What kind of coach was Byshovets, more of a tactician or a motivator?
- Byshovets not only taught us how to play football competently, but also instilled in us the psychology of winners. I am very grateful to him for that. During my entire career with Byshovets, we had only two second places and one third place, all the rest were first. We didn't even celebrate the second place, it was a failure for Dynamo.
- Was Byshovets jealous of Lobanovskyi in terms of football, since you played in both his team and Valerii Vasylovych's?
- Byshovets thought more about himself, because they had a coaching struggle with Lobanovsky. Each of them wanted to show that they were the best.
- And what is your opinion, who is better: Lobanovsky or Byshovets?
- Byshovets taught me how to play football, and Lobanovskyi taught me how to play big football. I am very grateful to these two coaches, they are on the same level for me. Without Byshovets and Lobanovskyi, there would be no Mykhailychenko.
- Let's get back to the final. Do you remember how the match with Brazil developed?
- Of course I do. In the 30th minute, after a corner kick, Dima Kharin made a mistake on the way out, and Romario opened the scoring. We did not succeed and had few chances. But in the second half, I earned a penalty, which Dobrovolsky converted, after which we controlled the game and snatched the victory in extra time, even playing in the minority, scored by Savichev, who came on as a substitute.
I remember what Lobanovsky said to me right after the Olympics: "You know how to fall". I said: "Vasylovych, it's a 100% penalty, I didn't draw it." - "Okay, okay"(laughs - A.P.'s note).
- How was it playing against the future world champions: Bebeto, Romario, Taffarella, Jorginho? Did you feel like they were the gods of football?
- Bebeto and Jorginho were not visible on the field at all, Romario had only one chance to score. Most of all, I liked Taffarel, he is a cool and very charismatic goalkeeper who helped the Brazilians out in that match more than once, including after my shot. Later I crossed paths with him in Italy when I played for Sampdoria and he played for Parma.
- What were your emotions when the final whistle blew?
- We all exhaled. It was over, we had done it. We had been working so long and hard to achieve this triumph that we were exhausted. We pulled out the extra time with Brazil with all our might. We got on the ship late at night, drank a couple of glasses of champagne and went to sleep.
- Did the management set you up for the final in any way?
- There was one unpleasant incident before the final. The USSR football management, headed by Koloskov, invited me, Yevhen Kuznetsov, Kharin, Dobrovolsky, and Horlukovych to their office and said that they were changing the prize money for second place to a much smaller amount, while the first place prize money remained the same. Everyone was outraged: "Why is that?!" I said: "Okay, guys, get up and leave. We are not interested in second place. We're going to win the final."
- Did the management want to motivate you to win by lowering the prize money for second place?
- No, they didn't. They were just sure Brazil would win and wanted to save money.
- How much did you get paid for winning the final?
- Each player received six thousand dollars and 12 thousand rubles. We were also promised a Volga, but only Byshovets and I got the car. I don't know why that was. I was recovering from an injury, walking with a cane, maybe that's why they took pity on me and gave me a car(laughs - A.P.'s note).
- Which goal at the Olympics do you remember the most?
- I really remember the goal against the United States in the group stage, when I threw the goalkeeper over. I would also like to mention the ball to the Italians, because it was the winning goal and was also spectacular.
- Is the Olympic gold medal your most valuable medal?
- For me, all awards are the most valuable. They are the milestones of my life. I even remember the first medal for Dynamo's double, and it is also valuable to me. Each medal marks a certain stage of my career, so I can't single out any one. I am pleased that I played in teams that won awards.
- Oleksiy Oleksandrovych, let's talk a little bit about the present. For the first time in the history of Ukraine, our football team has reached the Olympics. What do you expect from their performance?
- I am proud of our guys. I really want our team to perform well and win the gold medal at the Olympics. This is a landmark tournament for Ukraine in this difficult time. If there are Olympic champions next to me, Cherednyk, Lyutyi, Yarovenko and Tyshchenko, I will be only too happy.
We could have competed at the Olympics even earlier. In 2004, the Ukrainian youth team under my leadership became the vice-champion of Europe. But then, just then, they began to separate the Winter and Summer Olympics, and our team, unfortunately, did not go to the Games because of this, because they were postponed.
- The head coach of the Olympic team, Ruslan Rotan, faced a problem when forming the team. Many clubs, both Ukrainian and foreign, did not let their players go to the Games. Our team lost Trubin, Mudryk, Sudakov, Brazhko and other leaders. The reason is that the Olympics are not held on FIFA dates and teams need to prepare for the season. You coached the club and the national team. On whose side is the truth here?
- Currently, there can be no truth on the side of the clubs in this situation. We must now do everything to make Ukraine heard around the world. The Olympics can be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we have to make concessions. The clubs had to find a compromise with the Olympic team and let the guys go. This is my personal point of view.
- Give some motivational speech for the players of our Olympic team from the height of your experience.
- Guys, forget all club matters and focus on playing for the Olympic team. Remember that you are defending the honor of our country. Whatever the result, you have to play in a way that makes you feel proud to look the fans in the eye. I believe you will succeed.
The World Cup and the European Championship are football forums, while the Olympics are global. At the Games, you worry about all your athletes: athletes, gymnasts, swimmers, and football players. This is a completely different feeling than at the Euros and the World Cup, and it can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
- Let's talk a bit about the main team. Why didn't Ukraine get out of the mediocre group at Euro 24, even though this generation is called the strongest in our history?
- We have a young and very good team. The Ukrainian national team had big problems, but we managed to get to the Euros, and this is a good lesson. We worked so hard for the European Championship, so the result is natural. But our players have already had a few bumps and have played in such a big tournament. This experience is very important for the future. I am sure that the World Cup will not be held without Ukraine and our team will be even stronger at the World Cup.
Andriy Piskun