Ukrainian midfielder of Kryvbas Yehor Tverdokhlib spoke about his experience in the academy of Kyiv's Dynamo.
— You started playing football at a more serious level in the academy of Kyiv's Dynamo. How did you get there?
— Playing for Kyiv's Dynamo was a childhood dream. As far back as I can remember, my dad and older brother constantly took me to Kyiv to watch Dynamo matches at the Lobanovskyi Stadium and the NSC Olimpiyskiy. When I was training at Fastiv’s Olimp, we had a specialist who worked with Dynamo’s structure. He suggested I come for a trial. At that time I had been training for six months at Chaika. When I headed to Kyiv and showed up, I couldn’t believe I had made it. However, training at Dynamo's academy was not easy. I had to commute to Kyiv from my village for one and a half to two hours each way every day. But I also had to study in school. Sometimes, to make it to training, I had to skip classes. After a year and a half of such a schedule, I felt exhausted. Maybe because I was still undeveloped and not used to such challenges. Nevertheless, I don’t regret going through that. These difficulties strengthened me. I had to show character every day.
— Why didn’t you stay at the Dynamo academy?
— That’s a tough question. At first, I trained under Yuriy Yeskin. Then they merged two teams born in 2000 into one. The coach changed too. I soon had to leave. It happened quite simply: after one of the training sessions, we were told to stay behind, and they announced who was leaving the team. There was a whole list of nine or ten boys. For me, that was a massive blow. I was driving home with my dad and couldn’t calm down. I couldn’t believe I had been kicked out. I didn’t know what to do next. I even thought about quitting football. That happened too, even though I was only 13. Later, similar thoughts crept in a few more times, but my mom and dad helped me. When I got home, we began to discuss what to do. I decided that I would prove that I could and was capable. I immediately called the Chaika coach, informed him that I had been kicked out of Dynamo. The coach supported me and said I should return, that they were counting on me. In general, the team supported me then. I am grateful to the guys and the coach for that.
— After this story, do you still hold a grudge? Do you see Dynamo as a special irritant?
— No. I was just a kid. Why hold on to childish grudges? Especially since I faced many more difficulties in my career later on. For example, when I played among amateurs for Vyshhorod’s Chaika. This team was created so that boys who didn’t make it in professional football could train and play for another year and maybe show themselves to representatives of one of the clubs. At the end of the season, the team was indeed disbanded. I went for a trial with Luhansk Zorya U19. I was on trial for a month. I was assured that I was a good fit and, accordingly, I should stay. After a month of training, it really came down to signing a contract. It seemed that only formalities remained, but five days before the start of the championship, they told me: “You don’t fit. There will be no contract.”
Ivan Verbetsky