EnglishShakhtar is a big club with fantastic fans
Monday, March 24, 2025
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Shakhtar goalkeeping coach Raimond van der Gouw celebrates his birthday on March 24. He turned 62
– Raimond, Happy Birthday! This is the second time in a row that you are celebrating with Shakhtar. What was this year in Ukraine like for you? What events were memorable and brought you the most joy?
– Thank you for the greetings! Indeed, this year we have experienced wonderful times and had a very successful season, becoming champions and winning the Ukrainian Cup. We showed beautiful and spectacular football. There were many bright events, but the most memorable for me, however, was the golden double.
– How do you see this period professionally and in terms of personal development? Are there things that you have learned as a coach this year? Have you find out anything new as a person?
– During this year I realised that Shakhtar is a really big club with fantastic fans. All the people in the club work very hard and are very friendly. This club is like a family, and I am happy to be a part of it. During this year I learned to be flexible. It is not easy for everyone here, but without our own stadium and training ground, we have learned to travel all the time and deal with the constant threats posed by the war. I have learned to value life, family, friends, and freedom even more.
– Your colleague Andrii Piatov and all your players are Ukrainian goalkeepers. Are there any specifics of the Ukrainian goalkeeping school? What strengths of our goalkeepers can you point out?
– I think we have very good goalkeepers, high-level professionals. They all work very hard and diligently every day, adapting to the difficult situation we are in. No one complains – they are very strong mentally. And it is a great pleasure to work with these guys.
– What would you like to wish yourself and Shakhtar before the final part of the season?
– I wish myself to stay healthy and enjoy my time at this great club. I would like us to finish the season strongly and reach the Ukrainian Cup final. But my biggest wish is for this war to end as soon as possible.
– Thank you for the greetings! Indeed, this year we have experienced wonderful times and had a very successful season, becoming champions and winning the Ukrainian Cup. We showed beautiful and spectacular football. There were many bright events, but the most memorable for me, however, was the golden double.
– How do you see this period professionally and in terms of personal development? Are there things that you have learned as a coach this year? Have you find out anything new as a person?
– During this year I realised that Shakhtar is a really big club with fantastic fans. All the people in the club work very hard and are very friendly. This club is like a family, and I am happy to be a part of it. During this year I learned to be flexible. It is not easy for everyone here, but without our own stadium and training ground, we have learned to travel all the time and deal with the constant threats posed by the war. I have learned to value life, family, friends, and freedom even more.
– Your colleague Andrii Piatov and all your players are Ukrainian goalkeepers. Are there any specifics of the Ukrainian goalkeeping school? What strengths of our goalkeepers can you point out?
– I think we have very good goalkeepers, high-level professionals. They all work very hard and diligently every day, adapting to the difficult situation we are in. No one complains – they are very strong mentally. And it is a great pleasure to work with these guys.
– What would you like to wish yourself and Shakhtar before the final part of the season?
– I wish myself to stay healthy and enjoy my time at this great club. I would like us to finish the season strongly and reach the Ukrainian Cup final. But my biggest wish is for this war to end as soon as possible.