Ilya Kovalchuk: “Eldest son Philip plays football in Brazil”
How time flies ! I remember interviewing Ilya Kovalchuk in 2002. He already spent his first season in the NHL and participated in his first Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. So we sat next to Sokolniki, where the Spartak Cup was taking place this summer, and 19-year-old Kovalchuk told us what he wanted to achieve in hockey. And I was also happy when Pavel Bure congratulated him in the newspaper: they say that a very talented boy is growing up.
Over these 20 years, Ilya has already had four children. And he said with a smile in an interview with last April: “My eldest son Philip plays football, I went to Brazil to visit him. At 14, you have to keep everything under control. The Corinthians system plays the field on the edges, maybe in the middle. His favorite is the left winger, a ready-made prospect for the Russian national team.
But then it’s September and news breaks: Philip Kovalchuk is actually starting training with the Russian youth soccer team. What a twist! We are urgently leaving for team training.
Russia will play in Minsk at the UEFA tournament
It must be said that the junior youth team is not only training in Moscow at the Rublevo stadium, but is preparing to participate in the UEFA development tournament in Minsk, which begins in early October. The U-14 team led by Vladimir Volchek invited 23 players born in 2009. In addition, five players, including Philip, received their first call-ups to the team.
The UEFA development tournament itself will be held in Belarus from October 3-8 on the grounds of the ABFF Technical Center in Minsk. Teams from Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will play there. The final tournament team will include 20 players.
Our guys will play their first match on October 3 (12:00 Moscow time) against Tajikistan. The second will take place on October 5 (12:00 p.m.) against Kyrgyzstan and the third will take place on October 8 (2:00 p.m.) against Belarus.
And here is the composition of the Russian national team for this training camp. Another 20 years will pass and you look at these names – maybe someone will also become a star.
Goalkeepers: Nikita Pavlov (“Strogino”, Moscow), Maxim Kozlov (“Chertanovo”, Moscow).
Defenders: Pavel Gritsyshchuk, Ivan Perelomov, Ilya Sotnikov (Krasnodar), Kamal Abdurashidov, Artem Shpinkov (both Dynamo, Moscow), Ivan Yashin (Rodina, Moscow), Stepan Bogdanov (Spartak, Moscow), Sergei Sary (Strogino, Moscow), Artemy Kalyanin (Zenith, St. Petersburg).
Midfielder : Ramil Gainullin (Chertanovo, Moscow), Magomed Guseinov (Krasnodar), Danila Popkov (Dynamo, Moscow), Ilya Ivarlak (Spartak, Moscow), Alexander Andreev, Egor Kalinkin (both Strogino, Moscow), Egor Potapenko (Zenit, St. Petersburg), Daniil Dunamalyan (CSKA, Moscow), Philip Kovalchuk (Sao Paulo).
Advantages: Leonid Salikhov (Neftekhimik, Nizhnekamsk), Denis Grachev (Almaz-Antey, St. Petersburg), Andrey Litvinov (Master-Saturn, Yegoryevsk).
If by type, then it is Ilya Tsymbalar
In the list of guys from Strogino and Yegoryevsk, of course, the guy from Sao Paulo attracts attention. But as I was told, it’s not that rare in our football. Every year, guys from abroad are invited to selection camps – for example, from Israel or even England, there was a boy from the London Arsenal system.
The whole question is what will come out of it later. So we won’t make noise around Philip Kovalchuk. Dad once said in an interview with : “What I heard from my son is that he is very happy to be called up to the Russian national team. I arrived with great desire! I met the guys, the coaches and the whole team. Philip is happy and eager to fight! I myself try not to appear there at training camp. Let the guys train calmly. It’s his story, not mine. But I will fly to Minsk, where the national team matches will take place. Let’s encourage our people.”
After training in Rublevo, in fact, I crossed paths with Ilya. But he categorically refused an interview. And he did the right thing, if we’re talking about this case. So in this story we are not going to force the story that a 14 year old boy arrived from Brazil, who is now going to fuck all the local kids.
This is not true at all. What I saw with my own eyes is that Philip Kovalchuk is very modest, diligent, works with everyone and wants to learn something new every minute. Yes, he runs down the left flank and joins the attack.
If we talk about type – you know how much they like it in hockey: this 18 year old forward who goes to the draft – he’s like Chris Pronger or Vladimir Tarasenko… So, in terms of type and role, the type Kovalchuk’s son is our “Brazilian” Ilya Tsymbalar. For which we still have to grow and grow. But potential can include technique, ingenuity, vision of the field and the ability to carry out non-standard actions.
National team coach: “Football academies in Russia work very well”
After the lesson, I talk with coach Vladimir Volchek.
— The youth team of this age was created a little less than a year ago, and during that time it played mainly with club teams. The first international matches took place in June, when the team beat Uzbekistan twice on the road. The first international tournament is now coming. Among those who regularly receive calls to the team and who are expected to form the backbone in the future are defenders Gritsyshchuk and Kalyanin, midfielders Andreev, Kalinkin, Potapenko, Gainullin and Guseinov. The composition of the goalkeeper team is stable – Pavlov and Kozlov.
— How are preparations going for the UEFA Development Tournament in Minsk?
— Before there was one training session per day, now we have moved to two training sessions per day. The guys are drawn into the process. Let’s get ready for the first match of the tournament.
— I heard that UEFA could allow our boys under 17 to participate in international matches.
“We are preparing for when we are allowed to play.” During the season we form a team and organize selection camps. We invited all the strongest guys to this tournament. The tournament in Minsk will show the level of the team, which in the future, as I hope, will participate in the qualifying stages of the European Championship and reach the final. This is why we do our work.
And our closest countries, with which we cooperate, have made great progress in the field of football. If before the matches against neighbors were not so intense, now every match is intense and winning against these teams is not so easy. The tournament will therefore be indicative. The level of football in Belarus, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is quite high. By competing with them, we can understand what level our team is.
— Do we have a talented generation of 14-year-olds growing up in Russia? What can you say about these guys?
— I will tell you that the country’s football academies work very well. Every year they produce young footballers who then progress to Premier League level. If we talk about the youngest, then we can generally only talk about their level through the example of competition with European teams. Only by comparison and competition can we assess the prospects of a generation.
— Is this a typical story when recruiters of the Russian national team attract talented guys who play abroad to training camps?
“It doesn’t happen often and that’s what initially interested us. » The guy studies in the Brazilian system. Maybe he will give us something new from what he learned there. The most important thing is that he came here for training camp with great pleasure, has come a long way and is joining the team well.
— Can we say that Brazil has better technology?
— It’s not a fact that they work better there. And you can’t say that with just one example. But it is clear that Philip is really well equipped technically. At the same time, understanding the game is also important. The technique itself, without team interactions, is not related to football. You need to understand how to act on offense and defense. And in this regard, we all need to improve.
— Did you speak with Ilya Kovalchuk? What was the conversation about?
“Ilya demanded that his son not receive any concessions and train with everyone on equal terms. It is important that Philip grows precisely because of his data. And it is clear that the guy strives for this, wants to reach heights in football himself.
-What is his role ?
– We are looking now. For now, perhaps, an interior zone. There is more space on the flank where he can show his individual qualities. And in the central zone, it is the team actions that are important. Therefore, I use him on the flank, somewhere in the inside zone, so that he joins the team faster.
Philip Kovalchuk: ‘My dream is to win the Ballon d’Or’
And I couldn’t miss the opportunity to make history as the first journalist to interview Philip Kovalchuk. What if he really became a great football player? Who knows?..
— Coming to training camps is very useful. We come together as a team and I really hope that we will soon play against big teams like Germany, Italy… And now we are preparing for it. We train every day, live in a hotel like a team of adults, eat and relax. So I think everything is very well organized,” Philip said.
— And when you study in a football academy in Brazil, what is the most interesting thing there?
— All the guys there are very technical. Already big and strong. The level there is very high. But it’s good for me. I become better myself when I follow them.
-What is your big dream?
“I want to get into the Premier League, into professional football, and one day win the Ballon d’Or.”
— Why didn’t you choose hockey, like dad?
— I just liked football. I didn’t like hockey much and I wasn’t very good at it. I played football much better.
— Who is your favorite footballer?
– Now – Cristiano Ronaldo.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
