I was also 34 when we beat Barcelona: Stepanenko sharply responded to critics about his age
Kyiv • UNN
Taras Stepanenko, a 34-year-old midfielder for the Ukrainian national team and Shakhtar Donetsk, denied criticism calling into question his age and fitness, citing his performances against Barcelona, England and Italy, saying that only he will decide when to end his career based on his inner feelings and abilities.
Midfielder of the national team of Ukraine and Shakhtar Donetsk Taras Stepanenko responded to critics about his age, physical condition and whether it was time to end his career, noting that he "was 34 and then when Barcelona won, played matches with England, Italy", reports UNN.
"I have known him (Razvan Ratz - ed.) for a very long time, I know his jokes, they are very specific. The guys told me about his words. I took it well. He called me, said that he was misunderstood, there was an incorrect translation. We were joking, I have a good relationship with him. About the topic of retirement. When a person is over 30, everyone starts saying that he is old in football. I don't know where it comes from. I have my own head, I work. We run around every day with sensors that show your physical condition. When you look at their indicators, everything becomes clear, and you will not be able to deceive anyone. People react to defeat, saying that Stepanenko is old. But I was 34 and when we beat Barcelona, we played matches against England, Italy. I don't really understand what's changed. These six months were not very successful for me due to injuries," Stepanenko said at a press conference on the eve of the match with Belgium.
He added that after every match in the Ukrainian Championship, he comes home and gets on the treadmill.
"This is so that when the coach gives me a chance to play, I stay at the level I should be at. The most important thing is not what they say, but what you do. I can finish tomorrow, in a year or two. But this is my decision, which I will make when I am ready. Razvan was joking, but they always write about it to me. Why didn't you write after the game with Barcelona? This is my inner feeling and only I will make a decision when I know that I can't do something," Stepanenko added.
At the same time, Vitaly Mikolenko stressed that it's not about age.
"Ashley Young plays with me, he's 38, and no one says he's old, that it's time for him to retire. Everything is shown by sensors, as Taras says. When you see that he, Yarmolenko, Sidorchuk are in the top five in training, you understand that it doesn't matter what age he is, if he shows everything on the field, works so hard. People see only the tip of the iceberg," Mikolenko said.
Context
Former defender of Shakhtar Donetsk and the Romanian national team Razvan Ratz, who was once Stepanenko's partner, said after the match of the Ukrainian national team against Romania, in which the Romanians won, that he would call Stepanenko and tell him to end his career.
"An incredible atmosphere in the stands, there were a lot of our fans at the stadium, probably 50 thousand. I'll call Stepanenko and tell him to end his career. A few years ago, I was on the pitch, and now I watched the game from the podium. It's quite unusual to be a fan, you feel emotions differently. Ukraine didn't play football at all, they looked very apathetic, and we squeezed everything out of them! The difference was noticeable from the beginning to the end of the match," Ratz said.
Recall
Left-back of the English "Everton" and the national team of Ukraine Vitaly Mikolenko saidthat he has been training on the field with the team for two days and is preparing for the match with Belgium in Normal mode.
