Artem Dovbyk: "I want our team to showcase its full potential at this Euro"

01.06.2024 12:00

On May 31, the Ukrainian national team, preparing for the start of Euro 2024, held two training sessions at their camp in Germany.

In the afternoon, La Liga's top scorer Artem Dovbyk joined the national team. The newly crowned Pichichi flew into Munich from Barcelona and immediately got to work.

The forward also commented on his season at Girona and outlined his goals for the upcoming European Championship.

"I didn't bring the Pichichi trophy to the national team camp because I will only receive the actual prize in December. That's when Marca awards their winners. Where will it be kept? I have a place at home where I store all my awards. This season, I've collected quite a few. But I think my wife and daughter will find a spot for one more trophy.

Of course, at the start of the season, I couldn't have imagined winning this award, but as the season progressed, I realized I could compete for it. By the end of the season, I had a good chance of winning the prize, and it happened. This award is also for those who supported me throughout the season. It's an award for our armed forces too. I have many friends on the front lines who also supported me. It's an award for my family and the whole country.

My teammate Cristian Stuani was the first to call me a contender for the Pichichi trophy. It happened, I think, after the fifth round when I scored a brace. At that point, I had only three goals. The next morning, we met for breakfast, and he said, 'Hola, Pichichi.' He called me that throughout the season. He probably knew something. Stuani's nickname for me added motivation and set the tone for the entire championship.

Did Sørloth and Bellingham congratulate me on the trophy? No, not really. Bellingham is currently preparing for the Champions League final, and I wish Sørloth a speedy recovery from his injury.

I spent a lot of energy this season because I played in almost every match for Girona. But it's great that I finished on such a high note. Both I and the team did well, as qualifying for the Champions League is a historic moment for Girona. Of course, there was fatigue, but I had a few days of rest and am now ready to work with the national team.

Photo by Dan Balashov

Regarding my personal goals for the European Championship — I don't like to predict. I want our team to showcase its full potential at this Euro. I won't set any special goals for myself. We need to prepare well and give our all because we have at least three tough matches ahead of us," said Artem Dovbyk.

Ukraine national team roster:

Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica, Portugal), Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid, Spain).

Defenders: Mykola Matviyenko, Yukhym Konoplya, Valeriy Bondar (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton, England), Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth, England), Oleksandr Svatok (SK Dnipro-1), Maksym Talovierov (LASK, Austria), Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr).

Midfielders: Andriy Yarmolenko, Mykola Shaparenko, Volodymyr Brazhko (all Dynamo Kyiv), Taras Stepanenko, Oleksandr Zubkov, Georgiy Sudakov (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal, England), Viktor Tsygankov (Girona, Spain), Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea, England), Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo, Belgium), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genoa, Italy).

Forwards: Artem Dovbyk (Girona, Spain), Roman Yaremchuk (Valencia, Spain), Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv).

Reserve list: Dmytro Riznyk, Danylo Sikan (both Shakhtar Donetsk), Denys Popov, Vitaliy Buyalskyi, Vladyslav Kabaiev (all Dynamo Kyiv), Yehor Yarmolyuk (Brentford, England).

On June 3, the team will play a friendly match against the hosts of EURO 2024 in Nuremberg, Germany. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.

The next day, the team will fly to Warsaw, Poland. In the capital of the neighboring country, Ukraine will play its next preparatory and friendly match against Poland on June 7. Kick-off is at 21:45 Kyiv time.

The final match before the pre-tournament camp will be against the Moldovan national team on June 11 in Chisinau, Moldova. Kick-off is at 19:00 Kyiv time.

On June 12, the national team will arrive at their permanent base for EURO 2024 in Wiesbaden.

Group E Match Schedule for EURO 2024

June 17: Romania vs Ukraine. Arena Munich, Munich. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.

June 17: Belgium vs Slovakia. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

June 21: Slovakia vs Ukraine. Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf. Kick-off: 16:00 Kyiv time.

June 22: Belgium vs Romania. Cologne Stadium, Cologne. Kick-off: 22:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Slovakia vs Romania. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Ukraine vs Belgium. Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

Kick-off times are in Kyiv time.

Oleksandr Hlyvynskyi, press secretary of the Ukrainian national team