Catalan sports paper yesterday carried an interview it had with FC Barcelona newest member, centre-back Dmytro Chygrynskiy, reporting how this player is the perfect ‘anti-star’, a regular guy living in a world so different from one that is usually associated with many players of his level. The interview goes as such;

How do you spend your life in Barcelona? Do you live alone? Where?
No, I’m with my brother Vikhtor. He spends years working in Thailand, and every summer, would be back in Ukraine, to be with our family for one or two months, but this year he came home early in May, because I had very important matches like the finals of the UEFA Cup. Later, he worked in the negotiations with Barca and now, he is attracted to know a new country. Moreover, he believes it is important for him to be with me and he will remain in Barcelona.

Will your parents move here or stay in Ukraine?
They live in Iziaslav (the town where he was born) and want to visit, but I still have not found an apartment and continue to stay in the hotel. When I find one, my parents can come and spend some time, but they will still live in Ukraine. I would like to find a quiet place near the Ciutat Esportiva.

You were born in Iziaslav and spent three years in Lviv, one of the most nationalistic parts of the country, and they say you do not speak Ukrainian …
Ha, ha, ha! The explanation is simple. Yes I speak it, of course. But what could I do? I hope they asked me, so I can deny it. I speak Ukrainian with my parents and my brother, but in the region where I was living, Donbass (Shakhtar Donetsk headquarters and name of their new stadium), they all speak Russian. I don’t speak both languages.

Still without a driving license?
Yes, I have never tried to get one and I have never had a need for a car. In Ukraine, I had a friend who took me places, but the truth is, I like walking. And here my brother chauffeured me. That’s why I don’t care much for cars.

Also, it is said you do not like going out at night and to discotheques. Is that true?
Completely. That kind of life does not attract me, and I think I have never been to a ‘club’ (in Russia and Ukraine, it is called pubs and discotheques). What I like is tranquility.

After winning the UEFA Cup, you also completed a Masters Degree in ‘Intellectual Property’ from the University of Donetsk …
Yes, but it was not very difficult either. I already have a degree in Finance and only need to present the final paper to complete my Master. First of all, I analysed how Shakhtar football organization works and gathered all the information and characteristics. There was a lot of information, over 500 pages, but my work consisted of about 140. It just took me ten minutes organizing the most important aspect of how the club treats things related to intellectual property. And the text was in Ukrainian (smiles).

Have you had time to test the Catalan cuisine?
Slowly, but I think I like it very much, because I love fish. I’m passionate about seafood and here, they are good, from what I’ve seen. The trouble is I do not like ham. I know it is very good, but I don’t like it. Of course, when I go to Ukraine or when my parents come, I will buy to them one, because they love it. But I do not eat pork.

Do you maintain contact with your former teammates at Shakhtar?
Yes, I follow the team and sometimes I talk to some of the players. The atmosphere there was good and we were a good group. I had a close relationship with everybody, but perhaps my best friend in Shakhtar was Máximo Ugolini (Italian), the assistant coach.

Whenever you speak about your friends, you emphasizes the one living in Poland without giving any further details … Is he Jewhen Kopyl, Zaglebie Lubin goalkeeper, of the Polish League 1?
Yes, yes … it’s him. How did you find out? He is of my generation and we met in the lower division of the Ukrainian league. Now everyone has had to fend for themselves, but we are always in touch. We talk on the phone, but especially over the Internet.