Famous former midfielder of several Ukrainian clubs Kyrylo Kovalchuk recalled his performances for the national team of Ukraine.
— Ten years ago, you played for the national team of Ukraine when it lost to Slovakia (0:1) in the qualification for the European Championship in Kyiv. What did you feel at that moment?
— You know, anything can happen. There are matches when your team deserves to lose, and there are times when it doesn't. I remember in that match against Slovakia, we missed at least five clear chances. We attacked a lot, created chances, shot at goal literally from a few meters, but the ball, as they say, just didn’t go in.
There were no complaints directed at us at that time, because the team played, had potential in that match. Well, we lost — so we lost. I remember after that, we secured three consecutive victories (against Belarus 2:0, Macedonia 1:0, Luxembourg 3:0, — ed. note), which ultimately allowed us to qualify for Euro 2016 in France.
— Ten years have passed. Can you compare that team you played for with the current one?
— It’s hard to do, and why bother?
— Two players from that team still play in the current one.
— Yarmolenko and Stepanenko. Both are professionals to the core. They weren't debutants back then either, as Yarmolenko had already played at Euro 2012, and Stepanenko participated in friendly matches before Euro 2012 and in the World Cup qualifiers starting from the first matches. So they already had experience playing for the national team.
— From your experience, what does a player feel when he is called up to the national team and represents his country on the international stage?
— I think that in such a situation, everyone feels the same. I believe there is no player who does not dream of playing for the national team. And when you are called up, that dream becomes a reality. It’s prestige, your sporting achievement, which can be considered the best in your career.
Being called up to the national team for every player is also an evaluation of their individual performance, which they show at a certain stage of their playing career. When you are a player of the national team, you understand that you are among the best footballers of your country. Everyone feels this. Of course, you have more responsibility, first of all, for the result.
— Do you remember the game against Luxembourg when you went on the field together with Yarmolenko?
— Of course. We played away, and Yarmolenko scored all three goals against Luxembourg. While in the national team, I saw how Andriy works at training, how he plays. What can I say — he’s a top player. As for the goals scored for the national team, Yarmolenko is currently close to the record (Yarmolenko currently has 46 goals, Shevchenko has 48, — ed. note).
Here, he clearly outperformed any player who has ever played in the championships of Ukraine. I’m confident about that. And he has a lot of individual achievements. Perhaps, that’s why Yarmolenko did not shine as brightly playing in Germany and England, didn’t become as remarkable as Shevchenko or Voronin.
If you ask an average fan now: ‘Who is Yarmolenko?’ They’d say he is a player of ‘Dynamo’ and the national team of Ukraine — that’s all. But few know about Andriy’s individual achievements, both domestically and internationally. Except perhaps for some football experts and journalists.
— By the way, how were you received in the national team in 2014?
— Everything was impeccable. I think there’s a good microclimate in the national team now too. However, six months before the start of Euro 2016, when I was no longer being called up, rumors circulated that there were supposedly some conflicts.
— Do you believe that?
— I wouldn’t want to stir up the past, but personally, I can’t imagine it. Mostly, in our national team, we had players gathered from two or three teams: ‘Dynamo’, ‘Shakhtar’, ‘Dnipro’. Sometimes someone from ‘Zorya’, ‘Chornomorets’, ‘Vorskla’ would be called up. All the guys know each other, are friends. We’ve crossed paths in games so many times. Well, what kind of conflicts could there be?
— And what can you say about the head coach of the national team Mykhailo Fomenko?
— Fomenko placed a high value on strict discipline and order. I remember we would move to the base five days before the game and stay there. Fomenko didn’t let anyone go home after training, even though he could have. At training, everyone had to put in their best effort and work at full strength. Fomenko had character — you could feel it. You couldn’t relax around him.
Oleksandr Petrov