Tymoshchuk Reaching His Zenith

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk – T44 to FC Zenit St. Petersburg – is an honorary freeman of Lutsk, the north-west Ukrainian town where he was born 29 years ago and his career began. He has changed clubs only twice on his way to becoming one of Europe's classiest midfielders. In 1997, he left FC Volyn Lutsk to join FC Shakhtar Donetsk, where he starred for ten seasons. He excelled as Ukraine reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and in February 2007 Zenit paid around €14m for him. There, Tymoshchuk was made skipper because, coach Dick Advocaat said: "He's a born leader who would die if he wasn't made captain." Within a season, he led Zenit to the league title, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Who did you admire and try to emulate as a kid?

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk: I didn't have any idols, but I admired the way Lothar Matthäus played. He was a real team leader, and I liked the way he behaved on the pitch – how he organised his teams, his midfield prowess and understanding of the game.

What's the strongest part of your game?

Pundits are paid to say where a player is strongest and not at his best. My job is to play football. I try to enjoy every minute of every game and be as efficient as I can. When I notice something is not right, I try my best in training to improve it.

Can you still improve?

You can always improve. The higher the level the faster you make progress. Guy Ritchie's movie Revolver starts with someone saying: "The only way to get smarter is by playing a smarter opponent." That quote comes from the book Fundamentals of Chess, which came out in 1883. If you want to be stronger you have to face opponents who are stronger than you. Always raise the qualification standard, and once you have cleared the bar you should set it on a higher level.

You protect Zenit's defence and usually leave the attacking to others. But do you prefer breaking up play or launching attacks?

My task is to organise the game in the middle of the pitch. As a defensive midfielder, I spend a lot of time defending. But when I get the chance to support the attack, I do. I scored my first hat-trick playing for Zenit, against Dinamo Moscow in the Russian Cup. Football attracts people with goals, that's true, but you can't expect to see tons of goals every game. If supporters are lucky, maybe they get to see three. You have to enjoy every aspect of football, not just goals but a good tackle or pass, too.

What have you learned from Dick Advocaat?

I try to learn everything my managers teach. Working with Advocaat is interesting because he is the first Dutch coach I have known. Advocaat favours an attacking game, which is what players and fans like. Dick is a world-class specialist.

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The English Premier League is about pace, Serie A defence. How would you sum up the Russian game?

The Premier League is also about drive, and in Serie A composure in front of the goal is key. The Russian game is about competitiveness. The league has a lot of good players and plenty of competitive clubs. A team from the bottom of the table can beat the leaders at any time. The level of football in Russia is rising. Three major European trophies in four years is proof of that.

Advocaat sometimes uses you as a central defender. Do you feel comfortable in this position?

I've played in almost every position except goalkeeper. I started as a forward. I'm comfortable in any position, but most of all I feel comfortable when my team benefits from the way I perform on the pitch.

Your lucky number is four. Why?

I just feel it brings me luck. I signed for Zenit at 4am, I wear No44. I was the fourth player to become team captain under Advocaat. The league title was the fourth trophy of my career, and with Zenit I've won four trophies in one-and-a-half years.

You've been known to quote Winston Churchill. What do you admire about him?

There are many great people in history – and plenty of wise quotes from very smart men. Winston Churchill is one of the key figures of the 20th Century. I think when I quoted him it was very appropriate.

How do you feel about being captain? And what qualities should a good captain have?

I've always been a captain: in the yard, at school, in Ukraine's Under-21 team. I became captain at Shakhtar at the age of 22, and within a few months our team won the league for the first time in the club's history. It's the same story with Zenit. Traditionally, the captain is the player recognised by his team-mates and supporters for their spirit and leadership. The captain is not necessarily the best player, but the kind of player who can improve those playing around him. These days, some consider the role of captain as just a nod to tradition. But remember that Herodotus described a game in ancient Greece, where soldiers played to develop their fighting capacities and used the head of the defeated team captain as a ball. It's a historical fact that extra responsibility for a team's result lies with the captain.

Will you still be at Zenit when UEFA EURO 2012™ kicks off?

Every player would like to try himself in Europe's top leagues, where the game and atmosphere are at the top level. I'm no exception and would definitely like to play in one of these leagues.

( Georgy Cherdantsev / UEFA )