Oleksandr Stetsenko, a graduate of Dynamo Kyiv and Metalist Kharkiv and now the president of the Junior Kids Academy, recalled the highlights of his playing career during his time with the capital's club.
Oleksandr Stetsenko- Let's talk about your playing career. You started your football career in your native Kyiv. How did it go?
- I started at FC Kyiv. We practiced at the sports complex in Borshchahivka. Now, unfortunately, it is abandoned. Everything there is overgrown.
"At that time, Dynamo bought the sports complex and made it another of their training facilities. We became a pharmaceutical club. From there, I started to get involved in the Dynamo Academy.
- After graduation, you played for Dynamo-3, Dynamo-2, and the double, where you met a lot of star players. Who made the biggest impression on you at that time?
- There were a lot of great players. It's hard to single anyone out. I was also involved in training with the first team, where I went out on the field with people I had only seen on TV before.
I managed to play a lot with Sanya Aliyev, who was brought down from the base. He made a vivid impression. He just tore it up and scored two or three goals in every game, or even more.
I remember when I was still at the academy, we were training, and a double was playing on the neighboring field. We heard the announcer: "The match has started". After a while, people started applauding and the announcement came: "Oleksandr Aliyev scored a goal". Five minutes passed, and the announcer applauded again: "The goal was scored by Oleksandr Aliyev". And so on five times during the match...
- Did you have any memorable games together?
- We went to the match with Vorskla as a double. We were losing 0-1 - Sanya equalized. 1-2 down, Sanya scored the equalizer again. The last minute - Aliyev beats half the team and passes to Sanya Sytnyk, who scores into an empty net.
- Did Aliyev have the strongest shot among all your partners in your career?
- Aliyev definitely had the strongest shot at Dynamo, but in general, the strongest shot I've seen in my life was from Jaja Coelho at Metalist. No offense to Sani, but Zhazhi's shot is stronger.
- Which of the current Dynamo generation do you like the most?
- Brazhko is my favorite! His quality of play is at the level of the Champions League. Just look at how the man takes the ball! It seems that in the first match against Salzburg (0:2) he intercepted in the right zone, the ball went to the left, and he managed to run and intercept there. The volume is crazy. He loses so much strength, but he doesn't lose the quality of his work with the ball.
It was said that there is no replacement for Taras Stepanenko and Serhiy Sydorchuk in the Ukrainian national team. Here is a replacement, please.
- Nowadays, Vladyslav Vanat is given big advances in the Kyiv team. Can he be compared to the White and Blue strikers of your time? The same Roman Zozulya, Artem Kravets...
- They are different players, but they can be compared with Kravets. They are the same, give or take. Only he is right-handed, and he is left-handed.
I still think that Tioma is more interesting. He did practically the same things on the field, but better: receiving, passing the ball... Krava was really a monster. Plus, he's a little taller, and this is a header game.
- How did you leave Dynamo?
- When I was 18 or 19, my contract expired. It seems we just didn't agree on the terms of a new deal. I wanted a little more. Or maybe they didn't count on me. I don't remember.
I wanted to play. Although I cannot say that I had no practice at all at Dynamo. "Metalist paid some compensation for my upbringing, and I left. You never know in advance how it will be better.
- How did your relationship with Markevich develop?
- In Ukraine, there are only two greats - Valery Lobanovsky and Markevich. You can only imagine his experience! He could identify a football player in a square.
I remember when they brought a Brazilian to watch. We were playing in a square and Markevych said: "Yes, there's something here". And they left him. That Brazilian was Clayton Chavier.
I saw Markevych's training process, how he behaves, and I can say that he is a legend. What's a legend? He's a real boulder!
Dmytro Venkov
