I dedicate my debut to my family and father – he would be happy
Saturday, May 24, 2025
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Shakhtar defender Mykola Oharkov shared his impressions of his debut for the first team in the UPL match against Rukh
– Mykola, today you made your official debut for Shakhtar first team. You started your football journey in the Come on, Let’s Play! project, and this is the first time in the history of our club that a player from it makes the debut in Shakhtar’s starting line-up. What emotions are you feeling right now and what does this mean to you?
– The emotions are incredible! As I said in an interview, if you had asked me 8 years ago if I would play for Shakhtar, I would never have believed it. I have been watching them on TV since I was a child, and now I am playing here. So, it is very nice. And another thing: when I joined the Come on, Let’s Play! project, I did not know that Shakhtar’s scouts would be there. I was a kid then, and when we had already won the final, I was walking with the Cup and wanted to take a picture with the first team players, but my coach pulled me by the hand and said that I had good news waiting for me. They took me to those scouts, and they told me to attend Shakhtar trials in a month.
– Did you feel like your official debut was going to happen today? Were you nervous and how did you deal with it?
– Marino Pusic told me that I would debut, but he did not say how many minutes he would give me. I thought I would play for about five minutes, but he gave me much more time. It was very nice. Yes, I was a little worried, but when I went on the field, it was easier. Some of the players encouraged me, so it was nice to come on.
– And who exactly encouraged you? Maybe someone said something special? And what exactly did Marino Pusic say?
– They did not say anything special, they just encouraged me – Dmytro Kryskiv, Nazaryna. So, nothing like that. Marino Pusic said, “This is your time – come on and show yourself.” It was nice.
– Who do you dedicate this debut to?
– I dedicate this debut, of course, to my family, to my father, who is no longer here. I think he would be very happy about this, and I think he sees everything.
– The emotions are incredible! As I said in an interview, if you had asked me 8 years ago if I would play for Shakhtar, I would never have believed it. I have been watching them on TV since I was a child, and now I am playing here. So, it is very nice. And another thing: when I joined the Come on, Let’s Play! project, I did not know that Shakhtar’s scouts would be there. I was a kid then, and when we had already won the final, I was walking with the Cup and wanted to take a picture with the first team players, but my coach pulled me by the hand and said that I had good news waiting for me. They took me to those scouts, and they told me to attend Shakhtar trials in a month.
– Did you feel like your official debut was going to happen today? Were you nervous and how did you deal with it?
– Marino Pusic told me that I would debut, but he did not say how many minutes he would give me. I thought I would play for about five minutes, but he gave me much more time. It was very nice. Yes, I was a little worried, but when I went on the field, it was easier. Some of the players encouraged me, so it was nice to come on.
– And who exactly encouraged you? Maybe someone said something special? And what exactly did Marino Pusic say?
– They did not say anything special, they just encouraged me – Dmytro Kryskiv, Nazaryna. So, nothing like that. Marino Pusic said, “This is your time – come on and show yourself.” It was nice.
– Who do you dedicate this debut to?
– I dedicate this debut, of course, to my family, to my father, who is no longer here. I think he would be very happy about this, and I think he sees everything.