Maksym Khlan: ‘Never stop and give more of yourself to life!’

Maksym Khlan, a young and promising midfielder of LechiaGdańsk and the U-21 national team of Ukraine, spoke exclusively about bullying in Ukrainian football, the trial with Zorya, adaptation in Poland, childhood idols, helping Ukrainian orphans and personal motivation.

 

— Maksym, do you remember the moment when you realised you were going to be a footballer?

 

— Yes, I remember. It was in Zhytomyr, I was seven years old. 27 January was my birthday, and the next day we went with my father to choose a sports club for me. We started going to ballet and wrestling (I’m a pretty good dancer, by the way), went to taekwondo, and I saw one guy ‘knocking’ another guy out — and I decided that it wasn’t for me (laughs). We went home and, on the way, saw the boys walking in football uniforms. My dad asked where, what and who, and we went to sign up for football the same day. I remember how they gave me some trainers 10 sizes too big (laughs). Since then, I’ve been in love with football. So, my dad’s gift for my seventh birthday is now my life’s work.

 

— How much did your family support you and believe that you were serious?

 

— I somehow started developing very quickly — and in just a year, I was invited by Dynamo Kyiv. I played in the juniors until I was twelve, and my parents immediately saw that I was doing quite well, so we focused on that. I always had support and faith that I would succeed. I’m very independent and have been living on my own since I was twelve, so I’ve always made my own decisions, more independent, but of course, I wouldn’t have succeeded without the support of my parents.

 

— Who were your childhood idols and who do you look up to now?

 

— My childhood idols were standard, probably like everyone else’s — Cristiano and Messi. Now I don’t have any idols, but I take a little bit from everyone. There is no universal footballer. Messi has dribbling, Cristiano has finishing, you can take something from everyone. I learn a little bit, once I even thought about becoming a goalkeeper, but then there was a rivalry between Valdes and Casillas. My brother and I would throw the ball to each other and choose who was Valdes and who was Casillas. But it’s good that I somehow stepped away from this role and looked up to Ronaldo and Messi (laughs).

 

— You currently play for Lechia Gdansk. Your move to this club is connected with the scandal at Zorya Luhansk. As far as we know, the terms of the new contract didn’t suit you: you didn’t agree to the terms of the new contract, which you considered to be bondage, and refused to sign it? And now Zorya representatives are suing you?

 

— I wanted to find a compromise so that we could come to an agreement and both parties would feel comfortable, but they immediately started using threats and ultimatums. The terms and conditions in the contract were pressuring me from all sides. When I said: ‘Let’s close the debts,’ they immediately started talking to me in the language of threats. There has already been one court hearing in Ukraine. The UAF Chamber of Disputes is considering the case, but there is still one more hearing to go. All this is being delayed because there is a change of leadership in the UAF. If the decision does not satisfy one of the parties, the case will go to the trial in Lausanne.

 

— Did you have any doubts before moving to Lechia? Were you not afraid to take this step?

 

— I consulted a lawyer before cancelling my contract. But, first of all, I think it’s my character trait that I didn’t tolerate such an attitude towards myself. It was really bullying, and I endured it until a certain point. Then I offered to terminate the contract by mutual agreement, but they continued to abuse and threaten me, and I didn’t want to just sit back and waste time. I wanted to prove that this is not the way to treat a person, not even a footballer, but a human being. I wanted to show the players that you should not tolerate being bullied. Unfortunately, this practice is very common in Ukrainian football. You have to show that you are also human beings and expect respect, you have been training since childhood to play football, not to run around in circles.

 

— Before Zorya, you played for Lviv’s Karpaty, and you were very well regarded. Did your former club advise you something when they found out that you had terminated your contract early?

 

— No, no one officially approached me. But old friends, acquaintances, some managers supported me. I spent seven years with this club, they gave me a lot, I just keep in touch with them, and some people were there for me.

 

— I recently watched a programme on YouTube about how Shakhtar ‘bury’ talented players. And we don’t even know dozens of other stories, because the guys are silent. How do you not lose yourself, your talent and not be afraid to defend your dream?

 

— Everything is very individual, it is difficult to give any advice to players and families. Football is a sport for the poor, because it is the boys from simple families who want to prove themselves and achieve success. A child who grew up in the countryside or simply not in a wealthy family a priori feels not very confident, so, of course, he will listen and do everything he is told, especially in such eminent clubs. Everything is very individual, but if he has the strength of character and fighting spirit, he will become a footballer in any case. Mudryk is a great example for me, because I’m sure he had a lot of difficult situations, but he was able to get out of them. So, everything is very individual, because talent alone is not enough. It’s not scary to fall — the main thing is to get up.

 

— I have also often heard the opinion that this is a very common situation in Ukraine. Why do you think that is?

 

— By the way, I am often asked this question, but because of my age, I cannot afford to say some things, because maybe in a few years my opinion will change. At the moment, I think this is a problem with our entire system. Everything goes down from the top: someone showed that it is possible to ‘smear’ players with such actions — and that’s it. It seems to me that a new generation of presidents and managers must come to change this. I think we should only follow the example of good people who have made a contribution to sport and the education of footballers.

 

— How easily and quickly did you adapt in Poland?

 

— Very quickly, almost instantly, because I had a difficult period, even depression. And here I was so sincerely accepted into the club: my first match was great, it was as if I joined the team from that first game, everything happened very quickly.

 

— What is your usual daily schedule? How do you spend your free time?

 

— Now, when the season is in full swing and there are games every three days, we have fewer training sessions. There is very little time. They insist that we have a very good lunch because we spend a lot of energy. I really like to walk around the city of Gdansk. It’s a very beautiful city! To have a coffee… We live together with Sarnawski as neighbours, so we often walk together. He recently had a child, so we have been walking more often. When I was on holiday in winter, I paid more attention to Ukrainian orphans. I like to see children happy, especially those who have a difficult life situation. When I visit them, they run to me and hug me. I can say that I am still a child myself (laughs). I remember the first time I went there, I was thinking about how to make them happy — at that very moment. When I arrived and saw their eyes, I was so elated. There was so much sincerity in those eyes. I recently won MVP, which is 10,000 zlotys (about 100,000 hryvnias), and I gave it to the kids: they are going to travel to the Carpathians soon. I often organise tickets for children and they come to the games: there are three orphanages with up to 300 children. It can be difficult to organise all this, but I try. Also, fans often come up to me on walks to take pictures, so I have to pay attention to them too, so I definitely don’t get bored.

 

— Do you get a lot of attention from girls? 

 

— Oh, I’m trying not to open my email, because I’ll open something odd, and I don’t need it: I’m focused purely on football. They tag me in stories, saying, ‘open the direct’. I opened the direct a few times: there were such photos that I’d rather not open anything else (laughs).

 

— Lechia’s director Jakub Chodorowski said that there are players in Ukraine who are interesting for Lechia. Who else would you like to see on the same field with you?

 

— By the way, I was recently asked this question and I answered it: Roma Vantukh and Nazariy Rusyn. I think it’s still possible for Roma, but Nazariy is already at a high level— it’s harder there. They are godfathers to each other (which means, they baptised children together), so we have to pull them together. They jokingly call me the third godfather.

 

— Very soon the Ukrainian national team will play at EURO 2024 in Germany, what do you think are our strongest qualities?

 

— We have spirit. The spirit of Ukrainians. It can be called a winning spirit. We have strong legionnaire players, we have a lot of talent. We have everything to play in the playoffs at least, and we can easily compete for the Top 3. Everything will depend on our mood: both the players and our fans. The motivation the people give us will determine how the guys will play.

 

— The Polish Championship is often an intermediate step in a player’s career. In which championship do you see yourself playing in the near future?

 

— I really like the Spanish and English leagues. This is the highest level where I would like to spend most of my career, but I don’t know how it will turn out. I’m doing everything I can to be the best version of myself. I always watch Real Madrid and Barcelona games. Lately, I’ve been watching Girona a lot. A team that does so much from a minimum is worth a lot. And from the English League, Manchester City, they are doing something incredible. I watch and try to learn.

 

— You are 21 years old now. What will Maksym Khlan be like in 5 years?

 

— That’s a really cool question. I’ve never thought about it before. I don’t want to answer too trite, but, first of all, I want to always have a passion for football, this hunger for everything: to learn about the world, football, life, to become better and at the same time have success and achievements in the top leagues. You know, you can become the best, win everything in the world, but fall into depression and lose the sense of being. You should never stop and give more of yourself to life!

 

Photos by Mateusz Stodkowski / Trojmiasto.pl