Dynamo goalkeeper Bushchan moves to Al-Shabab in Arabia
Kyiv • UNN
Dynamo Kyiv goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan has signed a 2.5-year contract with Al-Shabab for €3 million. During his 16 years at Dynamo, the goalkeeper played 181 matches and won a number of trophies.
Dynamo Kyiv goalkeeper and Ukraine national team player Heorhiy Bushchan has left the Kyiv team after 16 years. The goalkeeper signed a 2.5-year contract with the Arabian Al-Shabab. This was reported by the press service of Dynamo, according to UNN.
Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan has joined the club from Saudi Arabia. The local Al Shabab held successful negotiations with our club on Bushchan's transfer. The goalkeeper passed a medical examination in Riyadh, agreed on the details of a personal contract and signed a 2.5-year deal
Addendum
Dynamo's press service does not disclose the amount of the transfer, but the Transfermarkt portal reports that Al-Shabab paid 3 million euros for the 30-year-old.
"Al-Shabab has already introduced Bushchan on its Instagram page.
"The lair guard is here. Welcome aboard, Zhora," the post below the video reads.
"My home club, my home fans... It is very difficult to find words to describe what I feel now. My heart is breaking at the thought of leaving my home. The team that has become my family. The fans who have become my friends. I want you to know that I remember every day at the club, every person who was there for me and supported me in difficult moments. I would not have become the footballer you know without the help of my team, management and fans. Only together we became champions and experienced a sense of pride. Only together did we taste victory and feel the bitterness of failure. I am not here without you, and I will always be a part of you. Because we are a family," Bushchan wrote.
He noted that almost 16 years have passed like 16 days.
"I remember my first day at the club as vividly as I remember my last... today. Together with you, it is time for us to move on. I am leaving with my head held high, knowing that I did everything for the sake of the diamond on my heart. I am leaving knowing that a worthy replacement has grown up to support me, who will maintain the standard we have set. I believe in Dynamo and will always believe in it. Just as I believe that many of my fan friends, heroes who are defending Ukraine, will return home with Ukraine's victory. Although, unfortunately, I will not be able to say this to many of them... I love you. I love Kyiv. I love Dynamo," Bushchan addressed the fans.
Al-Shabab plays in the elite division of Saudi Arabia. The team is in 6th place in the standings. The team scored 29 points and won 9 victories, two draws and lost 6 times in the current campaign. In April, Al Shabab will play in the semifinals of the King's Cup against Al Ittihad, which is represented by world football stars, including Ngolo Kante, Fabinho, Danilo Pereira, Karim Benzema and Moussa Diaby.
Bushchan can make his debut for the new team this Friday, January 31, when his Al-Shabab will visit Al-Ettifaq.
In its history, Al Shabab has won medals in the Saudi Premier League 6 times (the last time in 2012) and won the King's Cup three times.
The team features well-known players, including Italian Giacomo Bonaventura, Belgian Yannick Ferreira Carrasco and Portuguese Daniel Podense. The Arabian team is coached by Turkish Fatih Terim. Also in January, former Juventus midfielder and Ballon d'Or winner Pavel Nedved became the sporting director of Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab.
By the way, Heorhiy Bushchan is a graduate of Dynamo Kyiv. He joined Dynamo's senior team in 2011, but waited 6 long years for his debut. On August 20, 2017, he made his first-team debut in the UPL match against Stal. On November 2, 2017, he made his Europa League debut in a match against Swiss side Young Boys.
At the time, Bushchan was expected to become the team's main goalkeeper in the second part of the championship, against the backdrop of unsuccessful performances by Maksym Koval and Artem Rudko, but he was injured during the winter training camp, which forced the club to urgently loan Denys Boyko from Besiktas.
He managed to fully become the main goalkeeper of Kyiv in the 2019/2020 season. As a member of Dynamo, he won the Ukrainian championship, the Cup twice and the Super Cup of Ukraine three times, played in the Champions League and the Europa League. This season, he has played 27 matches for Dynamo in all competitions, and a total of 181 matches in his career.
He made his debut for the national team on October 7, 2020, in a friendly match between France and Ukraine. In total, he played 18 matches for the Blue and Yellows, participated in the final tournaments of Euro 2020 (5 matches) and Euro 2024 (was in the application, did not play).
Bushchan did not take part in Dynamo's previous Europa League match against Galatasaray. Instead, Ruslan Neshcheret took his place in goal. Tomorrow, January 30, Dynamo will play its final match of the European Cup campaign against Latvian side RFS.
