Dmitry Shukov shared his opinion on the Netherlands after moving to Vitesse in 1995.
Former footballer CSKA played in the Netherlands for “Vitesse”, NAC, “Willem II” and “Twente”. He performed in the country from 1995 to 2007.
– When Vitesse retired, did you immediately feel you could raise the level of this team?
“I just arrived and did my job. Naturally, I had some excitement, but then again, I was 20 at the time – everything is interesting.
New country, people, culture. In general, everything is a curiosity. I immediately liked it there and wanted to stay. She did her best to get me.
– What were your first impressions of the Netherlands compared to Russia?
– I was surprised that everything was clean there. There, if you drive along the highway, cows graze and are all clean at the same time. Everything is green. The first time I came, apparently, was in November.
The foliage, in my opinion, was gone, but snow is rare there, so there was still green grass everywhere. All well cared for. Other architecture. People dress very differently than we did at the time.
– In recent years, it was customary to criticize football players even for drinking a mug of beer, although in Europe, as I understand it, drinking after a match is the order of things.
“Of course, there is a time and place for everything. Therefore, we at Vitesse also did not disperse after the match. It is generally not accepted there.
The team always gathers in a special large room: someone comes with their wives, someone with relatives. And no one ever left right after the games.
We always gathered for an hour or two in a place where we quietly spent time. They might as well drink beer, even if the bus passes somewhere nearby.
There were no bans. Of course, all of this takes into account the fact that you won’t get drunk and wallowing. Everyone should be aware of their own measure, so that without consequences, – said the coach of the youth teamWings of the Soviets».
