Editor’s Note: This Kyiv Post feature introduces readers to interesting expatriates who have chosen to make Ukraine their home. We welcome readers' suggestions about expats to profile. Please send ideas to [email protected].
A familiar sight flying up and down the right side of the pitch, Croatian soccer star Dario Srna has in his eight years in Ukraine become the captain and talisman of Shakhtar Donetsk, the country’s most successful soccer club in recent times.
He has lifted several Ukrainian Premier League titles and the UEFA Cup, Europe’s second most prestigious club trophy, as well as leading Shakhtar to the quarterfinals of the continent’s top competition, the Champions League.
Every year, he is linked with another European giant, from Juventus to Real Madrid. But after eight years in Ukraine, the 29-year-old right back said he has no plans to swap Donetsk for a glitzy European club.
“I’ve got a lot from this country, from Shakhtar. I’ve made almost my whole career here,” Srna told Kyiv Post in a recent interview.
Speaking in fluent Russian with only a slight accent, he explained of his pride in captaining the team and his own personal journey after arriving in Donetsk in 2003 as a 21-year-old.
“If I hadn’t progressed here as a player, I would probably have left. But where should I go, if I play in a team that two years ago won the UEFA Cup and every year plays in the Champions League?” Srna says.
When Srna joined Shakhtar in 2003, he was just one of a bunch of foreign players signed up as the club was establishing itself as a major force in Ukrainian football. At the time, he was a young footballer – talented, but not seen as exceptional.
Over the years, however, he has established himself as a consistent and frequently outstanding performer. He’s also been embraced by fans of the Miners as one of their own for his no-nonsense style and fighting spirit.
Srna names two more big influences during his time at Shakhtar – coach Mircea Lucescu and president Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man.
Akhmetov’s millions have brought Shakhtar a world-class new stadium and excellent players in recent years; Lucescu has harnessed the talents into a team that is exciting to watch and produces impressive results.
Srna is the heart of that team, best known for his lung-busting drives up the right flank and powerful free kicks.
Just as Srna is loved by his own fans, he is resented by those of other clubs, who call him a diver and are irritated by his confrontational, combative manner on the pitch. This image is at odds with the player away from the sports field – softspoken, eloquent, and always ready to give an interview.
Despite all of Shakhtar’s successes, there is still plenty to achieve: Akhmetov has said he wants the team to win the Champions League.
And if the club does reach those heights, there is little doubt that Srna will be the one to drive it there and the first to put his hands on the trophy.
“We have a great stadium, great ambitions. Shakhtar is one of the best teams in Europe at the moment, so there’s no point in leaving. Shakhtar has given me a lot in life, and I’m sure I’ll finish my career here,” he says.
Kyiv Post news editor Kostya Dovgan can be reached at [email protected].
