Deserved coach of Ukraine Myron Markevych shared memories about the famous Ukrainian footballer Andriy Polunin, who recently passed away.
Myron Markevych. Photo — fckarpaty.org.ua— A bright person. A classy footballer. We crossed paths not only in «Karpaty», later I worked with him in «Dnipro». I felt his support towards me. After all, Andriy was a veteran of Dnipro, one of the best players. We had a good relationship. It’s a pity it turned out this way…
I should have been there in Lutsk too — to play football. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come. And before that, we played in Sambor. Everything seemed normal. But that’s life. There’s nothing you can do.
— What surprised you about Polunin on the field?
— He was a footballer of a high level. To be honest, I don’t see such masters now. Football intelligence, understanding, vision. You can’t teach that. Polunin had a very high class.
— Was he respected by people not only for his game?
— Absolutely. He was fair and did not tolerate falsehood. It’s a pity he’s no longer with us.
— In 1998, the Lviv «Karpaty», led by you, won the bronze in the Premier League. Which performance by Polunin do you remember the most?
— Against Kyiv «Dynamo» in Lviv. I think everyone remembers that game («Karpaty» won 2:1, Polunin noted with an assist, — ed. note). Andriy was one of the best on the field.
— Shortly after, he moved to «Nuremberg». Did you have the opportunity to keep him in «Karpaty»?
— Well, I just understood him humanly. After all, it was the Bundesliga. So we did not hinder his transfer in any way.
Oleh Babii
