The atmosphere at Teplice Stínadly | Video: Diary/František Bílek
He came to the Czech Republic for the first time in 2021. Through Rakovník and Horky, he got to Teplice, where over time he worked his way into the first league squad. He has 19 matches under his belt in the top competition, recently he even scored his first goal among the elite when he beautifully hit the net of Baník Ostrava.
“I didn’t officially have a manager then. A friend said that there is a chance to go and try football in the Czech Republic. I am a pupil of Dynamo Kyiv, I have played for Kolos Kovalinka since I was a teenager. The competition was of a good level, all the club’s players were A players, so I gained some experience. When the chance arose to go to the Czech Republic, I decided to go for it,” Cykalo describes.
But the horrors of February 2022, when Ukraine was attacked by Russia, are much worse for him. “The 24th. In February, my father called me at 6:30 in the morning. He said that the war had started, that the Russians were bombing Kiev.” At that time, he was 20 years old, he was far from home and he was very afraid for his family. He says that the war had already started for him and for all the residents of the city of Donetsk in 2014. “I am from Bakhmut, which is in the Donetsk region. There were many of my relatives there, we talked about everything,” he recalls the beginning of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict known as the Donbass War.
Did you know that according to the correct Czech alphabetic transliteration, the Ukrainian footballer’s name is written as Jehor Cykalo? However, at the request of the player, we write it as Yehor Cykalo. And another interesting thing: as is customary in the countries east of Slovakia, sons inherit their second name from their father, Cykalo inherited the name Oleksandrovyč.
Cykalo has been in constant contact with the family since that fateful phone call in February. During this, of course, he had to attend training sessions in Teplice, but he often had them as if in a fog, his thoughts were elsewhere. “It was definitely one of the worst periods in my life for me, as well as for other Ukrainians. “I didn’t understand what was happening. My new teammates and people in the Czech Republic offered me help, even though they had only known me for a few days.”
The club itself also helped by being involved in helping Ukraine. “I am proud to play for such a club that supported Ukraine. I’m also proud of the Czech Republic,” he thanks for the help and mentions that he respects people who consistently stand behind the attacked country, such as Dominik Hašek, a former excellent goalkeeper.
Yehor Cykalo was safe, and eventually his parents, but now he doesn’t want to talk about the fate of his loved ones, the war and everything around it is a very sensitive topic for him. “The whole world sees that Ukraine is suffering. Destroyed cities, many dead, injured. But I know that justice is on our side, that good will triumph over evil.”
In terms of football, the Ukrainian youth flourished in the north of Bohemia. After a loan spell in second division Opava, he received more and more chances from coach Zdenek Frťala. True, he did not succeed in all matches, which was also due to the fact that Teplice did not have a good start to the new season. “I try to stick to the mindset that tells me that if something doesn’t work out, I need to start working even harder; work hard and believe that things will turn around and good times will come,” he gives an insight into his philosophy.
He had a beautiful moment, albeit with a bitter aftertaste, in the Teplice jersey in the September match with Baník Ostrava. In the end, he managed to score a great goal from a distance, but it was not enough to earn at least one point. “It was definitely one of my most beautiful goals. Everyone congratulated me and I was understandably happy for my first league goal,” Cykalo has sparkles in his eyes when thinking about his incredible feat.
The admirer of Lionel Messi and Andriy Shevchenko will be watching Monday’s Ukraine-Czech Republic Nations League match, which will be played in Wroclaw, Poland due to the ongoing war, with great interest. “Ukraine did not progress from the group at the recent European Championship, but it was not a disappointment, although we could have played better football. Now there are some injuries, someone is new, but the squad is almost the same. Recently, I like Sudakov’s game the most, he could be very dangerous for the Czech Republic.”
At some point in the future, Yehor Cykalo would also like to play for the Ukrainian national football team. “Now I’m in Teplice, where I have something to prove to myself, the coaches and the fans, but I dream of representing Ukraine,” he admits.
