Winning the title is an incredible feeling!
Sunday, May 10, 2026
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Shakhtar head coach Arda Turan shared his thoughts on winning the 2025/26 UPL title
– Arda, this is your first league title in Ukraine with Shakhtar. What was this season like and what are your emotions now?
– First of all, I would like to say that today is Mother’s Day and I’m convinced there are many mothers who love their children deeply in this country. I’m also a son, I have a wife, we have children, so I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all mothers on this wonderful day. I wish you peace, happiness, love and harmony.
I would also like to note that when I first arrived here, in the very first days at the club, I already knew about the very high tactical discipline of our opponents and the really high level they operate at – this applies to Dynamo Kyiv, Polissia under Ruslan Rotan, Metalist 1925 and LNZ. They all made our lives difficult throughout the season. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank them for helping us improve day by day, match by match, for creating competition over the course of the season and for keeping the Ukrainian league at a high level.
As for today, I can only say that I’m extremely happy. From the very first day I arrived here, I was warmly welcomed by everyone: my players, the staff and the coaches all helped me feel at home. This victory is for them. All the effort we put in over the course of the season, I dedicate to them and to our fans. And I also want to promise that we will do everything to improve ourselves and represent Ukraine even better in the next European campaign.
– If we recall your first meeting with the club’s management, what were the main objectives set for you? And what proved to be the most difficult during this season?
– First of all, winning the title is an incredible feeling! And to answer your question, that was indeed the objective set for me by the club’s management. But the most important detail was that we had to win it playing as Shakhtar, in the style of football that Shakhtar have historically given to their supporters. That means dominating possession, being proactive and constantly creating danger in front of the opposition goal. And I’m happy that we managed to achieve that. At the same time, another very important objective is to integrate young players, develop them and help them grow, and in my opinion, we also managed to achieve that goal. I will say this frankly, but I believe we represented Ukraine very well on the European stage this season. We can truly be proud of this campaign.
It is also important to take into account the circumstances that accompanied us. In my view, there are not enough words to describe the difficulty of our campaign – both in the league and in European competitions – as we constantly had to deal with challenging logistical conditions. And regarding my players, I want to say that they truly performed a job that can be placed in the category of superhuman. For all the effort and the physical readiness they showed from game to game, despite a congested schedule, I can only bow to them with endless respect.
And speaking about the future season, I would like to emphasise that it does not matter who represent Ukraine in European competitions – Dynamo, Polissia, LNZ, Metalist 1925 – they all deserve proper conditions to be able to compete on two fronts. We must help each other, and if there is an opportunity, I would like to underline the importance of making certain changes to the calendar that would allow us to better manage such situations of playing on two fronts.
I can also add this: I’m endlessly grateful to the Ukrainian people for accepting me and for being there every single day. To see their smiles, their embraces, their sincerity each time, despite all the circumstances they are living through, is simply hard to put into words. My deepest gratitude and respect!
– First of all, I would like to say that today is Mother’s Day and I’m convinced there are many mothers who love their children deeply in this country. I’m also a son, I have a wife, we have children, so I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all mothers on this wonderful day. I wish you peace, happiness, love and harmony.
I would also like to note that when I first arrived here, in the very first days at the club, I already knew about the very high tactical discipline of our opponents and the really high level they operate at – this applies to Dynamo Kyiv, Polissia under Ruslan Rotan, Metalist 1925 and LNZ. They all made our lives difficult throughout the season. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank them for helping us improve day by day, match by match, for creating competition over the course of the season and for keeping the Ukrainian league at a high level.
As for today, I can only say that I’m extremely happy. From the very first day I arrived here, I was warmly welcomed by everyone: my players, the staff and the coaches all helped me feel at home. This victory is for them. All the effort we put in over the course of the season, I dedicate to them and to our fans. And I also want to promise that we will do everything to improve ourselves and represent Ukraine even better in the next European campaign.
– If we recall your first meeting with the club’s management, what were the main objectives set for you? And what proved to be the most difficult during this season?
– First of all, winning the title is an incredible feeling! And to answer your question, that was indeed the objective set for me by the club’s management. But the most important detail was that we had to win it playing as Shakhtar, in the style of football that Shakhtar have historically given to their supporters. That means dominating possession, being proactive and constantly creating danger in front of the opposition goal. And I’m happy that we managed to achieve that. At the same time, another very important objective is to integrate young players, develop them and help them grow, and in my opinion, we also managed to achieve that goal. I will say this frankly, but I believe we represented Ukraine very well on the European stage this season. We can truly be proud of this campaign.
It is also important to take into account the circumstances that accompanied us. In my view, there are not enough words to describe the difficulty of our campaign – both in the league and in European competitions – as we constantly had to deal with challenging logistical conditions. And regarding my players, I want to say that they truly performed a job that can be placed in the category of superhuman. For all the effort and the physical readiness they showed from game to game, despite a congested schedule, I can only bow to them with endless respect.
And speaking about the future season, I would like to emphasise that it does not matter who represent Ukraine in European competitions – Dynamo, Polissia, LNZ, Metalist 1925 – they all deserve proper conditions to be able to compete on two fronts. We must help each other, and if there is an opportunity, I would like to underline the importance of making certain changes to the calendar that would allow us to better manage such situations of playing on two fronts.
I can also add this: I’m endlessly grateful to the Ukrainian people for accepting me and for being there every single day. To see their smiles, their embraces, their sincerity each time, despite all the circumstances they are living through, is simply hard to put into words. My deepest gratitude and respect!