The central defender of Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Romanchuk, recalled a period of his career related to Kyiv Dynamo.
Oleksandr Romanchuk— In 2018, you went to a trial at Dynamo. Who invited you to Kyiv?
— I was on vacation (at that time, Romanchuk was playing for Lviv, — editor’s note), when my coach called me and informed me that I was going to a trial at Dynamo. Of course, it was nice to be noticed. After two weeks of the trial, the club signed a contract with me, and I stayed to play in Kyiv.
— Which of the now-famous players did you cross paths with in Kyiv?
— At that time, I communicated closely with Max Diachuk, Kolya Shaparenko, and Vitalik Mykolenko. Currently, we rarely contact, but we remain in touch. I remember when the war just started, we tried to help and support each other. I can say that they are not only talented players, but also wonderful people, first of all.
— Was the move to Lviv from Dynamo in 2020 a step back for you?
— I don’t think so. I had the opportunity to continue playing in the reserve for Dynamo, where at that time there were guys born in 2001-2002. But I felt that I needed to move and progress further. There was hope that, playing for Dynamo, I had a chance to make it to the first team.
I remember that I had one training camp with the first team, where I managed to score a goal. However, I understood that the head coach, at that time it was Oleksiy Mykhailychenko, was not counting on me in the long run. So, I had to make a difficult decision, a step forward — the move to Lviv, as I wanted to play in the Premier League against serious opponents. I do not regret this choice; it was the right one.
Yevhen Chepur
