Giorgi Sudakov “could play for Barcelona”, but he’s sitting in a bunker: Donetsk coach criticizes the Ukraine war
Georgiy Sudakov of FC Shakhtar Donetsk
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The young Ukrainian international Giorgi Sudakov is currently in Kyiv. The situation there is unbearable for his former sponsor.
Shachtjor Donetsk’s former youth coach Fernando Valente drew attention to the fate of his ex-protégé Giorgi Sudakov (19) with a social media post and thus protested against the war in Ukraine. The young footballer could aspire to a great career, instead the Russian invasion is forcing him to hide in a bunker, the Portuguese wrote in a well-noticed post on Twitter.
Valente said his heart was “broken” by the “senseless war” in his adopted country. He continued: “Sudakov was the most talented player I’ve ever coached. A Ukraine international who recently extended his contract with Shakhtar until 2026. A wonderful person who is expecting a baby daughter with his wife Lisa. They had dreams that they wanted to fulfill. Those dreams were shattered in a bunker by a senseless war.”
Valente: ‘Sudakov could play for Barcelona or Man City’
In addition, the coach posted a picture of Sudakov with his partner, which was allegedly taken in a bunker in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. He prays “for all the young players and friends” who made him happy in his two years in Ukraine, the coach continued.
Valente, who was once responsible for the U21s at Donetsk, also spoke to the Portuguese agency Agnecia Lusa about Sudakov: “This is a boy with enormous potential. He could even play for Barcelona or Manchester City. We have a great relationship.”
Sudakov has been playing for Shachtjor since 2017 and made his professional breakthrough last year. He completed three caps for Ukraine. Before the end of the season due to the war, the attacking midfielder scored four goals in ten league appearances. Sudakov has also played for Donetsk in the Champions League.