Julius Aghahowa: life after Shakhtar

17-05-15 12:54:56

Text SizePrintSend

The Pitmen’s Nigerian ex-striker became one of the faces of the latest issue of the club magazine. An exclusive interview with Julius along with themed photo gallery and a video can be found in the digital format of the publication. We bring you extracts from this material. Its full version can be found in our online edition. Shakhtar magazine is available for free download!

- Do you keep in touch with anyone from the club?
- Many of those with whom I kept in touch have left the team, but, for example, I still communicate with Shevchuk. Sometimes we phone, write to each other. I kept in touch with Razvan Rat when he still played for Shakhtar... Sometimes I just do not have time because of work, constant trips. Also, I keep in touch with the fitness coach Carlo Nicolini and his colleagues.

- What language do you communicate with Shevchuk in?
- In Russian with elements of English, sometimes we just joke: he tries to speak English, and I attempt to speak Russian.

- Julius, you're one of the first foreign players of Shakhtar. Was it difficult to adapt here?
- Yes, very difficult. It was especially difficult to get used to the weather conditions. When I remember, I tremble. It was very cold. Minus 20-25 degrees, a lot of snow, there was not undersoil heating back then. That’s how we played. A tough pitch, ankle-deep snow. But it was even more difficult to gain a foothold and remain all those years in the first team.

- Did your move to Ukraine involve some risks for you? It's no secret that you received offers from several top clubs. However, you opted for Shakhtar.
- Sometimes life itself chooses. Yes, there were offers from Arsenal, Manchester United. But I chose the Donetsk team. In the end, perhaps it is fate. Maybe I could take a different decision. It is possible that something else could happen. But I do not have even slightest regrets about my move to Donetsk, because when I arrived, the president welcomed me like a son, and, despite all the difficulties in the beginning, he made sure that Shakhtar would be second home for foreign players. I am very proud to have been part of the team.

FC Shakhtar