Defender of "Zorya" Roman Vantukh, who previously played for Dynamo, talked about his club career.
Roman Vantukh. Photo — FC «Zorya»— How did you get into the Kyiv "Dynamo" academy? What memories do you have of that time?
— I was finishing school, and at that time our academy didn’t have an adult team and we were offered various options. When I heard that there was an opportunity to go to "Dynamo", I had no doubts for a second. It was my favorite club.
— Which coach had the most influence on your development as a player?
— Each period had coaches who helped me reach a new level. Everyone contributed to my development: at first it was Halushka Petro Petrovych — he was the first step for me. Next was a very long period at FC "Lviv". It was Kolobych Oleg Vasylovych, he created a very good team, which, despite its modest capabilities, achieved good results and raised many players who reached the level of the UPL. At "Dynamo" it was Moroz Yurii Leontiyovych, to whom I owe my getting into "Dynamo" and being able to develop before moving to the adult team.
And at the adult level, my first coach was Shevchuk Vyacheslav Anatoliyovych — he entrusted me with a place at "Olympik", which at that time was fighting to stay in the league. So I thank him for this brave step — we accomplished our task then.
— What aspects of the training process do you consider the most important for achieving high results?
— The most important thing for achieving results is dedication.
— You played on loan for several clubs, including "Olympik", "Oleksandriya", "Chornomorets", and "Dnipro-1". How did these transitions affect your development?
— Each club had different tasks: somewhere I was fighting for survival, somewhere for a place in European cups. Therefore, this is definitely positive experience. It’s a pity that I couldn’t play for "Dnipro-1", which was then fighting for prize places. There was a good team, but due to the start of the full-scale war, we couldn’t finish the championship.
— In 2022, you signed a full contract with "Zorya" until 2026. What prompted you to take this step?
— "Zorya" is a big club in Ukrainian football, so it was nice that this club was interested in my services. At that time, head coach Patrick Van Leeuwen played a big role — I wanted to work with a foreign coach. He then created a very strong team.
— Roman, how would you describe the atmosphere in the team at this stage of the season? Earlier you mentioned that "Zorya" is really forming a good collective. What do you think has been the key factor for this — the work of the new coaching staff, changes in the locker room, or just the time the team has spent together?
— The team is currently being built! Hence our unstable results. Many young boys are getting their chance and taking their first steps. There aren’t that many experienced footballers. I can highlight only Budkivskyi. We have a good atmosphere within the team, which gives hope that from match to match we will progress as a team and improve our results.
