Sergey Ovchinnikov: “I want to train the Russian team”

- You can be considered a soccer player who has cut a window into the unsportsmanlike television world. Do you remember your participation in the talk show School of Slander? It was a bold step for you - to come to the program not to the football journalists with whom you are used to talking, but to people in a completely different sphere, and even to the ladies?

- Remember - I remember, although more than two years have passed. But I do not think this is some particularly bold step. Firstly, there is nothing unusual in an invitation to a program about the culture of a football player. Football is a kind of art. Secondly, talking with ladies is always more pleasant than with men. And thirdly, I’m never afraid to talk. If I don’t know the answer, I say: “I don’t know.” And I’m not used to this shy.

- Does it not offend you that people of art all too often recall a playful saying: did your father have three sons - two smart ones, and a third football player?

“I think someone came up with this saying to justify their own stupidity.” More often it is athletes, as disciplined people, who graduate from a school with a gold medal and receive higher education. Athletes from childhood get used to self-control, and this is important in the process of personality formation.

- How did you study?

- Well, despite the fact that the ratings were not too important. In a sports school a lot of work. In addition, I had to spend a lot of time at the training camp, so I was mainly engaged in self-education.

- Indifference to the estimates during the football career remained?

- Objectivity matters here. To fair assessments, including critical, I always listen. But the subjectivity and lack of professionalism of those who give grades are sometimes annoying.

- You have a difficult relationship with the football press. Once you even said that our press is bad.

- Not all, not all. But overall, alas, bad. Unfortunately, the players here are not all good.

- In your opinion, over the past 15 years, our sports press has come closer to European models, has become more civilized?

- Yes, of course. However, strict journalistic canons exist in the West, but revolutions are constantly taking place in our country, and in the press, in particular, a new story is being written. Now I am watching a certain roll of sports publications in the "yellowness." Sometimes it's hard to figure out if I read Sport Express or Life. There are few articles about good luck and successful people, everyone loves to pour mud and write about failures. Often, journalists selflessly praise, and after a month they also selflessly begin to scold those who were praised. Obviously, they lack consistency and a sense of responsibility for their own words.

- Is talking with a journalist your work or goodwill?

- Of course, the club can oblige me to give interviews, but I believe that this is a voluntary matter, and if I am not in shape, not in spirit, I can correctly refuse. The sins of my temper followed me, but I understand that we should be tolerant and help each other. The bread of a journalist depends directly on the footballer. On the other hand, by spinning the player, creating him a name in the press, the journalist greatly helps the football player. So our relationship is very close, and correct relations are needed.

- Does Portugal have a similar system of relations?

- Yes, but a little differently built. There are three publications that mainly describe three clubs: Benfica, Sporting and Porto. Each club in each publication has its own journalists, they work with the club on a contract basis and write only good things about clubs.

- But what about the criticism?

- It’s not the journalists who criticize, but the experts. The journalist must find a football specialist and make critical comments with his words.

- In our country, players are often offended by criticism of specialists. For example, many goalkeepers do not like the comments of NTV-Plus commentator Vladimir Maslachenko.

- I think that many do not like the unambiguity of his judgments and the presentation of his view of the game as the ultimate truth. In fact, he usually says the right thing. In an interview I always emphasize that this is my personal opinion, and I reserve the right to listeners or readers to agree with me or not.

“ But are you not afraid to express your opinion, sometimes even shocking the public?”

- Of course, I'm not afraid to be afraid. But to express oneself specially in order to make an impression is not my case.

- Are your skirmishes with rivals and even judges a manifestation of a heightened sense of justice, or is it still your inability to control yourself?

- More likely the second. Sometimes just a desire to say: "I am against!"

- Once in an interview you said: “I don’t like two things in life - bread crumbs on a table and Spartak Moscow”.

- Yes, I remember that phrase. It is quite natural. I am a pupil of the Moscow Dynamo. For us, “Spartacus” has always been the main rival and irritant. At the same time, I am friends with many “Spartacus”. Saying this, I show my attitude not to the people representing Spartak, but to the club as an adversary.

- Do not you think that because of these statements about Spartak you did not go to the World Cup in 2002?

- No, it’s not a matter of words. Oleg Ivanovich Romantsev had many of his goalkeepers: Ruslan Nigmatullin had a clear first number, there were Stas Cherchesov and Sasha Filimonov. I just was not needed then.

- Do not you think that Nigmatullin played in Japan is not the best way?

- I never comment on the game of goalkeepers.

- However, when you watched the World Cup, you could not help but feel: would I play?

- I think that every player looks like football. And it always seems: here I would have played better. We love ourselves. Although, believe me, then, in 2002, I tried to watch games objectively.

- It seems that Ovchinnikov is cruel and quick-tempered, but sometimes it’s as if you see another person - soft and reasonable.

- My career has ended, and now I am a different person. I belong to myself and am responsible for myself, I do not need to build my image, there is no constant stress and pressure, hence the calm mood and the same perception of life. I don’t have any anger or resentment towards anyone, I wish everyone good luck.

- You said "career ended"?

- I do not want to pronounce this phrase in a statement form and draw a line. I could still play, but there are circumstances that need to be completed. In the six months that I put Dynamo on transfer, not a single offer was received. And that is understandable. Of course, I can get into the goal and play better than many, but I am no longer a promising player, and only a coach with whom we have a trusting relationship can suit this situation.

- There was a time when you said that you would not leave Lokomotiv. But still they left, retaining the sympathy of the fans. The poster "Boss - Number One Forever" continued to hang in its original place on the podium in Cherkizovo.

- I was always pleased. And I never denied the “Locomotive”, even playing for the “Dynamo”. But it so happened that I ended up at Dynamo. Although I was always ready and now ready to give everything that is required of me to Lokomotiv.

- And you can build the sentence like this: “I have never denied Dynamo, even playing for Lokomotiv? Are you a pupil of Dynamo?

- No, you can't build a phrase like that. That “Dynamo”, in which I played as a child, then a youth, is no longer there, I decided for myself. Much has changed, I will not argue, for better or worse, but for me the new Dynamo is unacceptable. Meanwhile, everything that I did at Dynamo last year, I did professionally, and I have nothing to reproach myself with.

- Is it possible, in your opinion, to talk about the Russian goalkeeper school?

- Complicated. We had the great Lev Yashin, he played for a long time, and many goalkeepers of his generation did not realize themselves. And many are still offended by fate. I read an interview with goalkeepers of those years and worry a little about them. Then there was Rinat Dasayev, Stas Cherchesov, Dmitry Harin. But I would not unite them in a certain community. Now the obvious leader is Igor Akinfeev, but he is just a wonderful goalkeeper, and not a follower of any traditions.

- You have quickly developed a friendly relationship with Akinfeev?

- Yes. I admire his attitude to the matter, his human qualities and his game. He has already achieved a lot: he won the UEFA Cup, played in the Champions League, for the national team. And I'm proud that he is a Russian goalkeeper.

- Why, when listing our famous goalkeepers, you did not mention the name of Ovchinnikov? Out of modesty?

- Not at all. Goalkeepers are ranked by playing for the national team. I played for the national team a little - that’s the whole story. At the same time, I have something to be proud of. Thanks to performances at the Porto, they still recognize me abroad. We can say that I'm a club goalkeeper. And the great one - it should be realized in the club, and a lot to play for the national team.

“ Have you often regretted something?” They came home and thought: here I was wrong?

- It happened. I will not rest against the horn if I realized that I was wrong. But I will not regret anything. What has been done is done, time cannot be returned. When they ask me, would I change anything in my life, if I had the opportunity, I answer: of course, I would. But in reality, a new life will not succeed, so there is no need to regret it.

- Having met the famous Belgian Michel Prudum during the transition to Porto, did you realize that he is stronger?

- Yes of course. In addition, having got to Portugal, only after some time he looked around, got used to the situation, realized that there were people like me around and began to work in full force. He studied at Prudumm for the best. Honor to Michel that he understood a lot about me and helped me a lot. Of course, I could think that I myself can do everything, because I was already 27 years old, but I understood that, having learned the best from my opponent, I could “kill” him the best.

- Have you already shared your experience with someone?

“If anyone asks, of course I will explain.” But now the goalkeepers themselves know what they need. And overall this is true. Unfortunately, our goalkeepers are trained incorrectly. Often, a new coach in a team begins by dictating his training rules, and the goalkeeper doesn’t interfere with the goalkeeper: he himself knows how to train. He can be helped, but to retrain and say: “Do as I do”, in no case.

- Would you like to become a goalkeeper coach?

- Not. I want to train Moscow “Lokomotiv”, then the Russian team. Hopefully this will happen sooner or later.

- What do you feel when you see episodes similar to the one in which Petr Cech was injured?

- These are very unpleasant moments, and I think the attackers sometimes have malicious intent.

- Do not you equate your profession with the profession of a gladiator, stuntman? After all, it became dangerous to play at the gate.

- It's dangerous everywhere. Any professional game sport is fraught with injuries. But athletes are brave people.

- Once you starred in a music video. Do you feel that you can find your place not only in football?

- I think everyone can prove themselves in various fields, but not everyone is given such a chance. I introduced myself. It was not easy to film, I had to work hard, because no one canceled the training. It was interesting. However, I did not think about another profession and did not think about it.

Sergey Ovchinnikov talks with judges

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