Just six months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I met Mykhailo Mudryk just after midnight on a crisp September night in eastern Germany.
This was in September 2022, and by then Mudryk had become a new talent for Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk. He played in the opening game of the Champions League against German team RB Leipzig and became the team's main attacking threat, scoring in Shakhtar's shock 4-1 victory.
For Mudryk and his teammates, the Champions League offered a respite from the horrors back home. When Russian bombs fell on Ukraine in February 2022, many of Shakhtar's foreign players took emergency shelter in windowless hotel rooms in Kiev, but multiple embassies, soccer federations and European football's governing body An escape plan was drawn up following the intervention of UEFA.
Shakhtar had more than a dozen Brazilian players on its roster at the time, but many left for safe havens after the Ukrainian season ended and did not return. Football will resume in Ukraine in the 2022-23 season, and Shakhtar, who were first forced from their home in Donetsk in 2014 following the Russian-backed invasion, have been playing their home matches in the relatively safe city of Lviv in western Ukraine. , the match was being played. It is still frequently interrupted by air raid sirens.
Shakhtar's team was a shell of its former self, with only one player signing for more than £2 million ($2.51 million at current rates). This team consisted mainly of young and inexperienced men. When they faced Real Madrid the following month, the starting squad included 10 Ukrainian players, eight of whom had come through the club's youth system and seven of whom were under 23.
Just 21 years old, Mudryk has become the marquee player of a team whose tenacity and incredible resistance seem to sum up the Ukrainian struggle.
That night in Germany, The Athletic They were incorporated into the Ukrainian side and produced a documentary about their attempts to continue playing in the midst of the war. I spoke briefly to Mudryk and his midfield teammate and close friend Georgy Sudakov as they departed from their Leipzig hotel early in the morning. Their unexpected victory made their heads spin, adrenaline coursing through their veins. But they also explained that they wanted a reminder of normal life by rapidly forcing them underground, walking freely at night, in a place with no shelter, no shouts, no air raid sirens. did. After doing so for about 30 minutes, they returned to their room.
At that point, Mudryk's star was just beginning to shine. He is extremely serious and it is difficult to imagine that he would have risen to fame so quickly had it not been for the premature departure of the Brazilian player.
Mudryk was a player who only made his debut for the national team in June 2022, but after some impressive performances in the Champions League, including against Real Madrid, by January 2023 he became the player of all time in Ukrainian football. He became the highest paid player. He signed with Chelsea in the Premier League, pledging a deposit of £62m, with the possibility of further payments of £26.5m depending on his and Chelsea's success.
This week's news that Mudryk has tested positive for the banned substance meldonium is a dagger to the heart of Ukrainian football, leaving the player in a fight to reclaim his career. The extent of the damage will depend on the results of Madrik's 'B' sample, but as the adverse findings relate to his 'A' sample, which is not yet clear, he has been provisionally suspended by the English Football Association. He has been suspended.
Ukraine's Euro 2024 campaign became an emotional symbol of national pride (Andrzej Iwanczuk / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Chelsea's move to sign the player was significant, with him signing a seven-and-a-half-year contract with an option for a further year. Even in the midst of the invasion, Shakhtar managed to attract a bidding war and there was such interest. He had previously been pursued by Germany's Bayer Leverkusen, as well as Premier League clubs Newcastle United, Brentford and Everton, but the result left him in contention between Arsenal and Chelsea.
At the time, Shakhtar's head of football, Dario Srna, said: The Athletic: “If someone wants to buy Madrik, they have to pay huge, huge, huge money. Otherwise the club president (Rinat Akhmetov) will not sell him. All clubs You have to respect the president, you have to respect Shakhtar and ultimately you have to respect Mykhailo Mudryk, who is one of the best players I have ever seen. The price is very high.”
Srna rates Mudryk as second only to Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior in the wide forward position, with Manchester United signing Anthony from Ajax for £86m and Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund for £73m. He claimed that considering he was acquired for £10,000, he would need a huge amount of money. City sign Jack Grealish for £100m.
Shakhtar recognizes the power of sport to shape the narrative surrounding a war, with owner Rinat Akhmetov committing $25 million to the war effort upon completion of the transfer, specifically to support Mariupol and Akhmetov's defense. He announced that he would donate. Families of those who have lost a loved one. The agreement with Chelsea also included a clause under which Shakhtar would play a future friendly against Chelsea in Donetsk if that part of Ukraine was no longer occupied by Russian forces.
“It's written in the contract,” Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin said. The Athletic “But in reality, Behdad Egbari (Chelsea's co-owner) discussed it with the president, so we didn't even have to read the contract. Behdad is an American and is a Ukrainian club, so he supports Ukraine a lot. Therefore, this is a positive triangle. When it comes to Britain and Ukraine, war support is important.
“It was Mr. Behdad who suggested[the friendly match]because he said he wanted to help Ukraine, help Ukrainian refugees and support the Ukrainian people.” This match (in Donetsk) was a miracle. (hasn't played in his home city since 2014). If possible, I would like to play this game every weekend. ”
When Mudryk was unveiled at Stamford Bridge, he was unveiled wrapped in the Ukrainian flag. The athlete was born and raised in the city of Krasnohrad, near Kharkiv, one of the worst-hit areas in the country. “Since the beginning of a full-scale war, my city has been attacked by missiles day and night,” Mudryk said in a powerful video in which 13 Ukrainian athletes talk about the impact of the war on their homeland. Ta. Ukrainian Football Association before the European Championship in the summer of 2024.
Mudryk (left) plays against Arsenal's Martin Odegaard last month (Ryan Pearce/Getty Images)
He is a more modest figure than fellow Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has spearheaded a media campaign promoting solidarity with Ukraine. He appears to be a devout religious man, a follower of the orthodox Christian faith, and carries religious icons with him to games. He has a tattoo on his chest that reads, “Dear God, if I lose hope today, please remember that your plans are better than my dreams.”
For his national team, speeches often took place on the field, most notably when he scored the winning goal against Iceland and qualified his country for Euro 2024. Ukraine was eliminated from that competition in the group stage, and Mudryk failed to score. However, his country was eliminated on goal difference, and the four teams in Group E were tied with four points after three games.
He has yet to reach his potential for both club and country. He made 53 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, scoring just five goals and providing four assists. This week's sample revelations called into question his very ability to play, as meldonium is the drug that previously banned tennis star Maria Sharapova from competing.
even deeper
Mudryk's drug ban explained: What is meldonium – possible punishments
A Chelsea statement said the adverse test was reported during a routine urine test. The club added that Mudryk “affirmed that he had never knowingly used any prohibited substance.”
“This result came as a complete shock to me as I had never intentionally used any banned substance or broken any rules,” Mudryk said on Instagram.
He added: “I am working closely with my team to investigate how this happened.
“I know I have done nothing wrong and I remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. Due to the confidentiality of the process, I cannot say any more at this time, but I will do my best to I'll talk to you soon.”
The English Football Association's (FA) anti-doping regulations state that any breach will be treated as a strict liability offence. For example, if a prohibited substance is detected in a player's body, the player will be guilty of an offence. No need to indicate intent. A player's lack of intent or knowledge is not a valid defense to the charges.
Breaching the FA's anti-doping regulations carries a ban of up to four years, but mitigating measures could reduce that from two years to just one month. The B sample is the key.
Shakhtar's Georgy Sudakov expressed support for his friend Mudryk (Kristoph Koepsel/Getty Images)
With Mudryk's career in jeopardy, the Ukrainian football world appears to be rallying behind him. Sources in Ukraine, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak, said: The Athletic The player is suspected of sabotage while not playing for his national team this season, a claim that has been taken seriously in his home country, although no evidence has been found to support it.
Shakhtar midfielder Sudakov posted a message of support on Instagram, urging his friend to “stay strong”.
Meanwhile, Shakhtar CEO Palkin wrote that Mudryk is a “high-profile professional athlete” and expressed full confidence that the player “does not use any prohibited substances.” He added that
“I'm confident he will prove his innocence,” Palkin said. Only time will tell if their beliefs are valid.
(Top photo: Etsuo Hara/Getty Images, Design: Dan Goldfarb)
