Former midfielder of Kyiv's Dynamo, Dmytro Mykhailenko, recalled the period of his career at the capital club (1994−2001) and spoke about the legendary Ukrainian coach Valeriy Lobanovskyi.
Dmytro Mykhailenko— After Dnipro, there were talks that you were offered to go to Germany, but instead you went to Dynamo together with Mykola Pavlov. How did it all happen?
— At that time, there were neither agents nor representatives, so I don't know for sure. There were rumors that some German team was interested in me. But personally, no one approached me. Moreover, I was very young, and I only learned about it from the press.
Football in the 90s and everything around it was a completely different time. Without agents, they simply didn't exist, everything was decided by the coaches. Everyone was paid equally, we had no contracts, we just played football.
— To understand the context: was the option of staying at Dnipro considered, or was the decision made for you?
— No, I made that decision. I was invited a bit earlier, but I didn't want to move to Dynamo because I was satisfied with everything at Dnipro: a great team, players with whom I grew up since I was 12, the coach.
— How did the transfer happen then?
— I remember, Dnipro was training in Crimea, and Mykola Petrovych Pavlov came up to me and said: "We need to go to Kyiv, a request from the president of Dnipro — Leonid Kuchma." I might be mistaken, but he said something similar. I said "okay" and went.
— At Dynamo, you played alongside Rebrov, Shevchenko, Shovkovskiy, and other legends of Ukrainian football. What were these talents and people like?
— When I came to Dynamo, the guys you mentioned were almost my peers. We just enjoyed playing.
Now, with time, we see what heights those players achieved: Luzhny, Shevchenko, Rebrov, Kaladze, and others. Now we understand that playing with them is a real privilege.
— And how did it feel then?
— Back then, we just played, won, performed well in Europe, reached the spring part of European competitions. Then time showed how competitive Dynamo was back then in Europe.
It was a great happiness to play alongside such footballers and to win.
— Considering the fierce competition at Dynamo in the late 90s, did you not receive offers to leave for playing time earlier than it actually happened?
— Offers came, but at that time there weren't so many clubs in Ukraine where one could realistically transfer. Shakhtar began to develop only later, and Dnipro was in crisis then. I didn't feel stability and choice at that time.
— How psychologically pressuring was it not to play at the peak of your career?
— It was very hard, as everyone wants to play — like any player. The competition at Dynamo was very high. Many strong players, no need to name names. So it wasn't easy. And when the opportunity to leave arose — I seized it.
— I heard that at that time there was quite an unpleasant story with the reaction of Kyiv fans. There was even a certain bullying of you. Why was that?
— Who knows? I don't even know why it happened. Yes, something like that happened, but I don't know why. Indeed, they booed me. No one explained the reason to me.
— Did it pass afterwards, or what?
— I don't know — whether it passed or I just left. I didn't pay much attention to it. I tried to focus more on my game, so I didn't delve into all of that.
— What match while playing for Dynamo do you remember the most?
— The campaign during Lobanovskyi’s last return. His first two seasons. Victories over Barcelona, Real Madrid — those are forever. It's unforgettable.
— And of those matches, where you played more? Was it something from your early seasons at Dynamo?
— Yes, from the early ones. But I can’t remember exactly. Although I didn't play, the victories in European competitions are what I remember the most.
— Do you agree with the opinion that Lobanovskyi’s ideas were ahead of his time?
— Certainly, regarding football coaching skills, he was the first.
If evaluated objectively, Dnipro is a place where you feel good and at home, great atmosphere, friendly team. Dynamo is a professional team, the training process, a completely different approach. High loads, tough challenges.
Valeriy Vasilyovych was already ahead of his time then. Even in Europe. He was the first to understand that football could be counted. All technical-tactical matters, video analysis — he was one of the first to apply all this. Correction of play through video, calculation of each player’s contribution. Before him, probably, no one did that — even in Europe. But we can no longer check that. But he was definitely at the forefront of football science.
— The best coach in the history of Ukraine: Kucherevskyi, Lobanovskyi, or someone else?
— I think Lobanovskyi. He had a colossal impact on Ukrainian football.
Igor Lysenko
