Former defender of "Dynamo" Laszlo Bodnar, who is now part of the coaching staff of "Kishvarda," shared in an interview with Nemzeti Sport about the meeting with the Kyiv club during the training camp.
Laszlo Bodnar and Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. Photo: fcdynamo.comAbout the meeting with Shovkovskyi:
"Shovkovskyi is a club legend. We often stayed after training to practice free kicks. I’ll say this: I managed to score against him from a distance a few times. I have fond memories of Kyiv — it was my first foreign club. It was there that I developed physically and entered the international football circuit, and later the national team.
How did I end up in "Dynamo"? In the spring of 1999, we crushed "Ferencvaros" 6:1 with "Debrecen," and I scored the sixth goal. At that time, one of the farm teams of "Dynamo" was training in Debrecen, and one of the leaders recommended me to the Kyiv club. The then right-back of the team, Oleg Luzhny, had just transferred to "Arsenal," so I was seen as his replacement.
I was observed for a year, and in the spring of 2000, I was invited to Kyiv. We agreed on a preliminary contract, and in the summer, I became a player of the Ukrainian club."
About his first match in the Champions League against "Manchester United," which took place on November 8, 2000:
"I played on the right flank of the defense, and Giggs was up against me. I won’t say I wasn’t nervous before the match. Beckham slipped the ball behind my back for Giggs, but he was substituted in the 35th minute. To be honest, it wasn’t because I was defending so well, but due to an injury.
We only lost 0:1, and at the end of the game, after my cross, Georgi Demetradze wasted a great opportunity. If he had scored, "Manchester" might have slipped out of the group. In the first match in Kyiv, we drew 0:0, and I came on as a substitute. After that match, we celebrated the result... with a haircut."
About the legendary coach Valeriy Lobanovskyi:
"He was always very correct. He didn’t talk much, only announced that he would be at training and sat in the stands. And during matches, he didn’t shout from the technical zone. Opportunities were gradually given to me — I think he liked me. After him, under Oleksiy Mykhailychenko, I played less, but overall, I cannot be dissatisfied with my Kyiv career: I won the championship twice, one time the Cup of Ukraine, and played in the Champions League. "Dynamo" is the biggest club I played for. I hope I won’t be offended for this in "Red Bull" or "Rodi." It was nice to remember Kyiv thanks to this friendly match".
