Roman Vantukh says Dynamo Kyiv academy 'shaped my game'

Roman Vantukh says Dynamo Kyiv academy 'shaped my game' AI

Roman Vantukh, left-back and current leader of Karpaty Lviv, told Champion that Kyiv’s Dynamo academy gave him “almost everything” he knows. The 28-year-old recalled training with Dynamo’s first team, missed chances to stay under Mircea Lucescu, and noted Karpaty’s upcoming charity match in Belgium on October 3. A Dynamo academy graduate, Vantukh’s remarks underline the club’s continuing influence on Ukrainian football and precede Karpaty’s charity trip to Mechelen on October 3.

Roman Vantukh, a product of Dynamo Kyiv’s academy and now a key defender for Karpaty Lviv, told Champion that the Kyiv club “played a huge role” in his development and gave him “almost everything” he knows. He credited early work with Spanish coaches Unai Melgosa and Vicente Gomez, and recalled later training under Yuri Moroz and Serhiy Shmatovalenko.

Vantukh said he spent time in Dynamo’s first-team training while Oleksandr Khatskevich was in charge and had two opportunities to join Mircea Lucescu’s camps, but injuries prevented him from securing a place. He left Dynamo’s structure in September 2022 after several loan spells at clubs including Oleksandriya, Olimpik, Chornomorets, Dnipro-1 and Zorya, where he recorded seven goals and nine assists in 102 matches.

Since joining Karpaty in July 2026 Vantukh has played nine games, scoring twice and adding two assists. Karpaty travel to Belgium for a charity friendly against Mechelen on 3 October at 18:00 Kyiv time. He also commented on being named to Ukraine’s reserve list for the upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Know what Kyiv knows.