The famous Dnipro midfielder of the 80's Eduard Son told about the interest in him from Dynamo Kyiv and Spartak Moscow.
Eduard Sohn- It is known that before Dnipro, you had an option to join Spartak Moscow.
- Yes. Spartak invited me twice in 1984 and in 1990.
- Well, the story when Oleg Romantsev called you in December 1990 and you eventually turned him down is known to everyone. But about the invitation of Beskov in 1984, I would like to know more about it?
- The story was as follows. Since my youth years I started to be involved in the games of the USSR national team. I played in two junior teams, made up of boys of 1963-64 and 1964-65 years. Among the Ukrainians there played Oleg Protasov, Gennady Litovchenko, Pavel Yakovenko, Igor Petrov. In general, I was on the radar.
And then one day I found out that Spartak were interested in me. True, not directly, but through our shoemaker, who, at one time was a player of "Kairat". One of Spartak's coaches, Sergei Rozhkov, approached him. He is a former Spartak player, but also played for Kairat. He told the cobbler to ask me about my desire to move to Spartak. And at that time I liked the game of this team very much. Spartak in the early 80's of the last century, played soccer close to what the Spaniards are now showing: active, combinational, through the pass. The kind of soccer that was very close to me.
- And you agreed?
- Yes. But I was a student, and I still had a year to study at the institute. Spartak told me to transfer to the correspondence department, and then they would take me away. I went to the rector of the institute and told him that I wanted to transfer to the correspondence department, as I was invited to another club. The rector says to me: "Tell me which one?" I said, "I can't yet." The rector insisted, saying if I didn't tell him, he wouldn't transfer me anywhere. I had to say it was Spartak. As it turned out, it was his favorite team, and he went along with me.
- But Spartak didn't take you in 1984. Why?
- When Beskov was told that I could be taken from "Kairat", the first thing he asked was how he was doing with the army. He was told that in a year I was graduating from the institute. And that year "Spartak" from Voronezh wanted to take Valery Shmarov. But the age to serve came, and he was taken to CSKA. And then Beskov said: "I don't need a second Shmarov."
So, I was rejected by Spartak. They said that you'd serve, then we'd look at it. When I served, playing in Smolensk "Iskra", there was an option with "Dnipro". Moscow Torpedo and Kairat called me. There were talks about the interest of Dynamo Kyiv.
- There was no invitation from Kyiv?
- I know that Kyivians were looking at me, but there was no offer from the club. But I wouldn`t have gone there at that moment.
- Why?
- I knew well and really assessed my capabilities. I think, at that moment, it would have been hard for me to break into the main squad at Dynamo Kyiv.
Oleksandr Petrov
