English “Everton” defender and Ukraine national team player Vitaliy Mykolenko shared on the YouTube channel “Vzbirna” how he arrived at the national team training camp and discussed expectations for the World Cup 2026 qualifier match against Iceland, which will take place tomorrow in Reykjavik.
Vitaliy Mykolenko. Photo — UAF— What were the first words you heard from Serhiy Rebrov at this training camp?
— “Hello!”. (Laughs). To be serious, I don’t even remember what we talked about during our first meeting. Probably about my physical condition, since everyone played for their clubs on Saturday and Sunday, and that’s why Serhiy Stanislavovych was interested in how we were feeling.
— And how is your physical condition?
— Good, satisfactory. Much better than it was at the last gathering.
— What’s the atmosphere like in the team right now?
— As always, everyone is positive. Everything here is very easy, positive. I’m always happy to see the guys, the newcomers. Actually, we have one newcomer (Vladyslav Veletien, — ed.), but we’ve already welcomed him.
— Who is currently the biggest joker in the team, and who is the most serious?
— The main jokers are Burchan and Svatok. And the most serious... Probably, Oleksandr Tymchyk.
— How do you assess our qualifying group overall?
— There’s a favorite — it’s France. That’s clear. And there are three teams. We played against Azerbaijan away and ended up with a 1:1 draw, and now we need to win each of the remaining four matches. The matches against Iceland and Azerbaijan are against our competitors for second place, which we must win. That’s the only way we can secure the second place.
— Is there a feeling of pressure to achieve results in the team ahead of the upcoming matches?
— There’s always a sense of pressure — both in the club and in the national team. In the national team, it’s probably even greater because there’s not much time for preparation. Everyone arrives in different conditions. Plus, we also have many injured players now. In the national team, you always feel pressure. Of course, when you’re playing friendly matches, it’s less, but it’s still there because you need to show good football and win.
And when you play qualifying matches, which determine your future, whether you go to the World Cup or Europe, then of course, that’s a lot of pressure: you play for your country and do everything you can. Yes, sometimes it doesn’t work out, but that’s life.
— What would you like to say to Ukrainian fans ahead of these important matches?
— Patience, patience. I won’t say, “support us,” but you should support us. Some people support, some don’t want to support. Some pour a lot of criticism on us — that’s normal and even right, because after some matches we deserve it. But I want to wish patience and, if they can, to cheer for us.
— Let’s talk about the “Lion of the Match” award. Do you follow this? Do you ask for votes for yourself?
— No, of course not. This is probably an award for fans, for their activity. And from a professional point of view, I would disagree with about 80% of the awards.
— Why?
— In some matches, there’s an obvious “Lion of the Match” — scored a goal or the goalkeeper made several incredible saves, but from a professional point of view, for example, the central midfielder played a great match, and thanks to him, we regained all the balls, didn’t allow any counterattacks, and he also did well in attack, but he remains unnoticed.
As Taras Stepanenko once said: “Here’s the star team, and I want to be the black canvas behind it, to make it shine more.” Sometimes fans don’t notice such players on the field, but professionals, players notice. That’s why I say: I would disagree with 80% of the “Lions of the Matches,” sometimes it’s just funny.
