Former striker of Dnipro, Shakhtar, the Ukrainian national team, and now coach of FC Epicenter, Serhiy Nagornyak, named the players who, in his opinion, were extremely talented, but did not realize their potential.
He also shared his personal experience, recalling how at a certain point he wanted to leave football. Nagornyak spoke about this in the Sport Talk video podcast with Andrey Kovalsky.
Sergey Nagornyak about talents
The first players who came to the coach's mind were footballers Aleksandr Aliev and Artem Milevskiy. Nagornyak values their talent extremely highly.
Now watching
– Believe me, they have already achieved good results. But they could have achieved much more in football, and Leonenko for example. These are people who were gifted with a talent that not every football player has, – noted Sergey Nagornyak.
At the same time, they have repeatedly made the news due to various scandals, in particular those related to alcohol. According to the coach, it is important that now the players themselves do not keep silent about their life stories.
“They are trying so hard to convey to our youth what needs to be done and what shouldn't. This concerns what I told you, that I sometimes give lectures to football players, so to speak, about life,” Nagornyak explained.
Nagornyak on how he wanted to leave football
The coach also recalled his own difficult period in his career. After several years of playing in China, he faced injuries and mental fatigue, which almost led him to quit football.
– There was a moment when I thought: “Okay, I’m sick of it all. I’m going home.” However, it’s okay – I went to bed, got up, and everything wasn’t as bad as it seemed. That is, you know what they say: you have to lie down and sleep on this thought to make the right decision, – shared Sergey Nagornyak.
The footballer decided to move to China in 2000, when his contract with Shakhtar ended. He played in the Celestial Empire for four years.
Olympic champion and MP Zhan Beleniuk also shared his personal experiences in a conversation with Andriy Kovalsky. He told how he first met his relatives from Rwanda and how this affected his self-identification.
