After Dynamo, Artem Besedin became the champion of Kazakhstan and the winner of the Cyprus Cup. How does the legend live now? What are the plans and hopes of the former Ukraine forward? He spoke about this in an interview withSbirna.
Artem Besedin. Photo: V. Rasner
"I try not to miss Dynamo and national team matches"
- Artem, you have already missed two of your team's league matches.
- I got injured, but fortunately it was not serious. I've already started running work, so I should be fit for the next round.
- While playing in Kazakhstan, do you have time to follow Dynamo and the Ukrainian national team?
- Of course I do. I try not to miss matches with the participation of these teams.
- How do you like the current Dynamo?
- Kyiv are on the move now. The team plays easily, even despite the draw in the last match with Rukh. "Dynamo has strengthened itself well with Ukrainians. Vladyslav Kabaev fit in well with the team a little earlier, and now Oleksandr Pikhalenok, Maksym Bragaru, and many of the Dynamo players are called up to different national teams. It is clear that the team has an idea. Plus, there are experienced players such as Andriy Yarmolenko and Vitaliy Buyalsky. The team is now showing results largely thanks to the coaching staff. Yes, it was not enough to make it to the group round of the Champions League, but Dynamo's rivals in the Europa League are very strong. It will be interesting to watch the team in the fall. The fans have been waiting for big victories from the white and blues. I believe that everything will work out.
- Who are three of Dynamo's key players at the moment?
- I think Yarmolenko, a legend of the club who played at a serious level in Europe, is responsible for the atmosphere and team spirit. Mykola Shaparenko sets the pace of Dynamo's play in the center of the field. Of course, Vitaliy Buyalsky, who has played more than two hundred matches in the Kyiv team, is also an authority. I have already mentioned Oleksandr Pikhalenko. This footballer has a great eye for the field and can make a jewel-like pass.
- Which of the Dynamo players do you communicate with most often?
- In the winter, when I was already playing in Kazakhstan at the Turkish training camp, I came to visit Dynamo several times, our teams were not far from each other. Otherwise, I keep in touch with Vladyslav Kabayev and Oleksandr Andrievsky.
"It was our joint decision with Dynamo"
- You left Dynamo as a free agent. Did you not want to stay or was it a joint decision with the club?
- It was a joint decision. We had a good parting of the ways. Ihor Mykhailovych Surkis was not against my staying at Dynamo, but at the same time, the president understood my situation, for which I am very grateful to him. I wanted more peace for my large family.
- Before leaving for Kazakhstan, you played on loan for Cyprus' Omonia, though not for long...
- I liked it in Cyprus, and the level of local football is at a decent level. I could have stayed there, but unfortunately, I got injured before the final match of the National Cup, so I had to return to Kyiv.
- You mentioned Shaparenko. There is interest in him from European clubs. In your opinion, in which championship would this midfielder be like a fish in water?
- I think in the Spanish league. Combination football, quick counterattacks are his element. In England and Germany, there is more power football, and in Italy, the players act very tightly, organized. Shaparenko, of course, is the choice, but again, I think Mykola would have liked La Liga (smiles).
- Vanat looks good in the attack for Kyiv right now. Do you think the forward is progressing?
- He's young, but not too much. People of his age play in the top championships and score a lot. Vladyslav is a good striker, fast. The main thing is to score more often, and then he can get on the pencil of famous European clubs. You can see that the striker tries his best in every match.
- Panamanian striker Guerrero joined Dynamo from Zorya. Have you seen him in action?
- This forward has a good eye for goal, but, in my opinion, he still needs time to adapt to Dynamo. It will be interesting to watch this player.
"What is my ideal striker? The one who scores regularly"
- Is Oleksandr Shovkovskyi able to bring Dynamo back to the level that the team had, say, under Serhiy Rebrov in 2014 and 2015?
- I managed to play with Shovkovskyi in the same team. He helped me a lot when I was injured and then disqualified. His advice was invaluable. He is a good man, and it is already clear that he is becoming a great mentor. Judging by the current dynamics, we can definitely say that Dynamo is progressing.
- Dynamo players who have moved to European clubs look good. As a former partner of Ilya Zabarnyi, what can you say about this player?
- He is a strong footballer. It is not for nothing that the top teams of the Premier League and beyond want him. Ilya quickly felt adult football. His progress at Dynamo was rapid, and now this defender does not stop in his excellence.
- Is Bournemouth a step up for him?
- I have no doubt about it. I think it's even better for Zabarnyi to play in such a team first to adapt to the Premier League. Playing for Bournemouth, you can grow, because the English Championship has almost every round like the Champions League. Many people want to play there. This is the top level of club football.
- One of the leaders of Girona is Tsygankov. Is Viktor capable of more?
- Of course he is. He is one of the best Ukrainian attacking midfielders. I watched Girona's match against PSG in the Champions League. If there is a level, it will not go anywhere. Viktor almost never loses the ball, he thinks on the football field. I heard and read that many European top clubs want to see Tsygankov. I'm sincerely happy for Viktor that his career is going this way.
In general, I try not to miss matches with the participation of Ukrainians in European football, I always worry about them. Everyone shows a good level of play. This also applies to Tsygankov, so I'm sure that Girona, like Bournemouth's Zabarny, is a step up.
- How do you like Artem Dovbyk's rise at the club level?
- Becoming the top scorer in one of the strongest European leagues speaks for itself. Last summer, Artem joined Roma. The Italian league is very different from the Spanish La Liga. It's good that Dovbyk has already scored for his new team, so we are confident that the Ukrainian striker will prove himself in Serie A. I watched Roma's match against Genoa. I can say that Dovbyk looked good, he could have scored many times, but he was a little unlucky. But if the striker has chances, then there will be goals.
- What is your ideal striker?
- The one who scores goals in every game. It doesn't matter how tall he is, whether he is a ramming or a speedy player. The value of a forward is his efficiency. Now the Englishman Harry Kane is breaking records for goals scored. And tomorrow it may be someone else. There are many great strikers in Europe today.
"I am grateful to Rebrov for his faith in me. I know I will return to the national team"
- All of the previously mentioned players are players of the Ukrainian national team, which, to put it mildly, disappointed at the last Euro. Why do you think that is?
- Although I played for the national team, I was not at Euro 2024, so it is difficult for me to assess the team's performance. This is the responsibility of the coaching staff. From the outside, I can say that the guys tried hard, but something went wrong, especially in the match against Romania.
Yes, the blue and yellows did not have a good start in the League of Nations. It's like a negative aftermath of the European Championship. But nothing is lost yet. We need to draw the right conclusions and show everything this team is capable of in the October matches. There are high hopes for this national team of Ukraine. The team can fix everything.
- Is Serhii Rebrov on the right track?
- I have worked with this specialist and I am grateful to Serhiy Stanislavovych for believing in me. I know his methods of work, how he treats the business. I know his assistant Vicente Gomez. They are great specialists and know what they are doing. Everyone misfires, it is important to get up from your knees. I am sure that Sergey Rebrov will succeed.
- I can't help but ask you about the youth national team, for which you once played, and now this team has made it to the European Championship. What is the key to the success of the Blue and Yellows?
- Almost all the youth players play for their main teams. It is difficult to surprise these players, even the England national team. And if you add the right approach to the work of the coaching staff, the quality of the game and the result were not long in coming. They are very good, we can only applaud the team for such a performance in the qualifying group, although they have not yet finished (smiles).
- You are only 28 years old now. Do you believe that you will still be able to wear the blue and yellow shirt of the national team?
- I know I will. This is my number one goal. The main thing is to work hard, play and score. It is important that I do not let my health down. Otherwise, after such injuries as I received at Euro 2020, it is difficult to recover. I didn't even know if I would be able to continue playing. And the recovery path was very difficult. Now I am full of strength and desire to prove myself.
Serhii Demianchuk
