Former coach of "Dnipro-1" Alexander Grytsai spoke about Ukrainian footballers who made it to the list of the best players in the world in 2024 as part of the "Ballon d\'Or" project — the forward of the Italian "Roma" Artem Dovbik and the goalkeeper of Madrid "Real" Andriy Lunin.
Alexander Grytsai— Alexander, do you think Rodri deserved to receive the "Ballon d\'Or" or should the award have gone to Vinicius?
— To be honest, it’s a tough question. But as a former midfielder, I’m still glad that players in this position are receiving "Ballon d\'Ors". On the other hand, fans love goals and dribbles. Therefore, of course, most thought that Vinicius would be the award winner. But I’m glad Rodri received the "Ballon d\'Or". Why not? Last season he won the Premier League with "Man City" and the Euro with the Spanish national team. I think it’s good for popularizing football.
— It’s nice that your former charge at "Dnipro-1" Artem Dovbik placed 29th in the list of the Ballon d\'Or nominees. By the way, he is the first Ukrainian to be nominated after Andriy Shevchenko in 2006. What’s your comment on that?
— I’m very happy for him. He deserves it. After all, last season he was the top scorer in La Liga. With his work on the field and his goals, Artem earned such recognition!
— Another one of your former charges at "Zarya" Andriy Lunin came third in the nomination for the title of best goalkeeper in the world in 2024. What do you have to say about that?
— I’m also happy for him. After all, last season Lunin was practically the main goalkeeper for "Real", helping the team reach the Champions League final, which the Madrid team eventually won. Andriy and Artem earned this recognition with their work.
— When you were coaching Dovbik and Lunin, did you think that Artem and Andriy might end up in such lists of the best players in the world?
— With Lunin, it was clear that he was a very promising goalkeeper. When Andriy came from "Dnipro" to "Zarya", he was immediately worked into the starting lineup to later sell successfully. And that’s how it happened! Lunin was bought by "Real" in 2018 for almost 9 million euros with bonuses.
As for Dovbik, I would say that it was hard to predict whether he would be in the list of the top 30 footballers in the world. He started at "Cherkassy Dnipro". Then he had an injury, which he was recovering from. From 2018 to 2020, he played in Denmark for "Midtjylland" and "SønderjyskE". After that, Artem returned to Ukraine, becoming a player for "Dnipro-1". It was not easy for him, but under Yovichevich, he started to shine! As a result, in "Dnipro-1", Dovbik's development went smoothly, and he began to progress.
— What are the main qualities you can highlight in Dovbik and Lunin?
— Both have excellent personal qualities. As for their professional qualities, it is worth noting that Artem and Andriy are constantly evolving and working on themselves and their development. As a result, they have reached such heights!
Dmitry Kotkov
