Shakhtar is in my DNA
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
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On May 26, the former Shakhtar defender Razvan Rat turns 39
Over 10 years, Rat made 300 competitive appearances for Shakhtar and won 17 trophies - 7 league titles, 5 Cups, 4 Super Cups of Ukraine, and the UEFA Cup. Razvan made his last appearance in a Shakhtar shirt exactly 7 years ago, on 26 May 2013 at the Donbass Arena.
- Razvan, please accept our greetings on your birthday! From all the employees and fans of Shakhtar we send the best wishes of good health, well-being and good luck in all your endeavours. How have you been?
- Thanks a lot! We live in Bucharest. In general, everything’s well. I work on television. In my home city of Slatina, I have a football academy and my hotel business. Well, the related activities are currently restricted. Figuratively speaking, I’ve been “suffering”, like everyone else, just due to the current coronavirus situation worldwide. I made a kind of social gesture: my hotel presently accommodates the compatriots who have returned to Romania from abroad and are on mandatory quarantine. Today, we’ve received the fourth group. Plus, I previously invested in an IT company - it is engaged in blockchain technology in the field of cybersecurity.
- What are you to a greater extent now - an investor and leader or an expert and analyst on sports TV?
- I’m a multifunctional person now. I’m trying to manage everything: to watch the IT company, the hotel, and the right development of the Academy. I learn new things in those fields. At the same time I work as an expert on television, which brings me closer to football. In a word, I do the things I like and can do.
- Coaching isn’t your cup of tea?
- I’ve got a weakness - my patience. It’s not sufficient, so it would be very difficult for me to become a coach. A mentor who is not ready to wait and wants everything to work out right away is unlikely to succeed. Some administrative work suits me. Of course, I want to be close to football, because that’s really my thing. Some time ago, I graduated from the faculty of sports management and attended several courses in the same field. In general, the optimum thing for me is to be one of the club’s management and train with the guys at the same time, but it’s hard to say how accomplishable that is.
- You’ve got enough stuff to do. And what does your spouse and daughter do in Romania?
- My daughter studies in the International Baccalaureate system, in other words, at an English school, because after leaving Donetsk we’ve changed four countries. My wife is engaged in singing, English and fitness. And we try to spend our free time with the whole family.
- What does Shakhtar mean in your life?
- Shakhtar is in my DNA, in my blood, and it will always be like this! I also have a saying that this is not a club, but a lifestyle. This is the team everyone wants to join and no one wants to leave. I think so.
- How do you like the current Shakhtar and its playing style?
- The club is true to its philosophy. Ball control, short passing, quick attacks, quality transitions - all this is present. The players repeat what we did on the pitch. Plus the Brazilians who give the fans a feeling that everything’s easy, that football is pure joy. I respect other clubs, but there have been no equals of Shakhtar in Ukraine for a very long time. For 15 to 16 years, they have been by far the best team in the country. At one time, we were successful in Europe, and I believe that once the guys can even surpass this achievement. Unfortunately, the team don’t play in Donetsk, and this greatly affects their lives, the things that form Shakhtar’s essence. It’s always hard without your own stadium and base. When you need to go somewhere for every match, it’s uncomfortable and unnatural. The championship has changed in recent years as well: there are teams, let's say, without great traditions. A number of clubs who gave the competition that fighting spirit are missing: Metalist, Metalurh Donetsk, Karpaty of that time ... But all those are important components for growth and, as a result, for great results on the European stage. The Championship level should rise.
- What former teammates do you keep in touch with?
- Pyatov, Stepanenko, Kryvtsov, talking about whose who still play for Shakhtar these days. Also with Shevchuk, Seleznyov, Hubschman, Lewandowski, Srna. Also, we have a ‘veteran’ group on WhatsApp, which also includes the guys of our golden years who continue playing - Jadson, Fernandinho, Willian, Douglas Costa and some others ... Recently, we marked the anniversary of winning the UEFA Cup. My friends sent me photos and videos, recalling the atmosphere of the semi-final against Dynamo. What games we had at the Donbass Arena! I miss that time ... The atmosphere, the noise that they always made in Donetsk at Shakhtar’s Champions League games. I should thank the fans for all those years, for the way they cheered for our team. I hope one day it will be like that again! I think this is a dream of every fan - to be at home and support their home team at the home ground.
- Razvan, please accept our greetings on your birthday! From all the employees and fans of Shakhtar we send the best wishes of good health, well-being and good luck in all your endeavours. How have you been?
- Thanks a lot! We live in Bucharest. In general, everything’s well. I work on television. In my home city of Slatina, I have a football academy and my hotel business. Well, the related activities are currently restricted. Figuratively speaking, I’ve been “suffering”, like everyone else, just due to the current coronavirus situation worldwide. I made a kind of social gesture: my hotel presently accommodates the compatriots who have returned to Romania from abroad and are on mandatory quarantine. Today, we’ve received the fourth group. Plus, I previously invested in an IT company - it is engaged in blockchain technology in the field of cybersecurity.
- What are you to a greater extent now - an investor and leader or an expert and analyst on sports TV?
- I’m a multifunctional person now. I’m trying to manage everything: to watch the IT company, the hotel, and the right development of the Academy. I learn new things in those fields. At the same time I work as an expert on television, which brings me closer to football. In a word, I do the things I like and can do.
- Coaching isn’t your cup of tea?
- I’ve got a weakness - my patience. It’s not sufficient, so it would be very difficult for me to become a coach. A mentor who is not ready to wait and wants everything to work out right away is unlikely to succeed. Some administrative work suits me. Of course, I want to be close to football, because that’s really my thing. Some time ago, I graduated from the faculty of sports management and attended several courses in the same field. In general, the optimum thing for me is to be one of the club’s management and train with the guys at the same time, but it’s hard to say how accomplishable that is.
- You’ve got enough stuff to do. And what does your spouse and daughter do in Romania?
- My daughter studies in the International Baccalaureate system, in other words, at an English school, because after leaving Donetsk we’ve changed four countries. My wife is engaged in singing, English and fitness. And we try to spend our free time with the whole family.
- What does Shakhtar mean in your life?
- Shakhtar is in my DNA, in my blood, and it will always be like this! I also have a saying that this is not a club, but a lifestyle. This is the team everyone wants to join and no one wants to leave. I think so.
- How do you like the current Shakhtar and its playing style?
- The club is true to its philosophy. Ball control, short passing, quick attacks, quality transitions - all this is present. The players repeat what we did on the pitch. Plus the Brazilians who give the fans a feeling that everything’s easy, that football is pure joy. I respect other clubs, but there have been no equals of Shakhtar in Ukraine for a very long time. For 15 to 16 years, they have been by far the best team in the country. At one time, we were successful in Europe, and I believe that once the guys can even surpass this achievement. Unfortunately, the team don’t play in Donetsk, and this greatly affects their lives, the things that form Shakhtar’s essence. It’s always hard without your own stadium and base. When you need to go somewhere for every match, it’s uncomfortable and unnatural. The championship has changed in recent years as well: there are teams, let's say, without great traditions. A number of clubs who gave the competition that fighting spirit are missing: Metalist, Metalurh Donetsk, Karpaty of that time ... But all those are important components for growth and, as a result, for great results on the European stage. The Championship level should rise.
- What former teammates do you keep in touch with?
- Pyatov, Stepanenko, Kryvtsov, talking about whose who still play for Shakhtar these days. Also with Shevchuk, Seleznyov, Hubschman, Lewandowski, Srna. Also, we have a ‘veteran’ group on WhatsApp, which also includes the guys of our golden years who continue playing - Jadson, Fernandinho, Willian, Douglas Costa and some others ... Recently, we marked the anniversary of winning the UEFA Cup. My friends sent me photos and videos, recalling the atmosphere of the semi-final against Dynamo. What games we had at the Donbass Arena! I miss that time ... The atmosphere, the noise that they always made in Donetsk at Shakhtar’s Champions League games. I should thank the fans for all those years, for the way they cheered for our team. I hope one day it will be like that again! I think this is a dream of every fan - to be at home and support their home team at the home ground.