by Mantas Aliukonis
Alexandr Dovhyi’s football career has unfolded through youth academies, reserve teams, promotions, injuries, contracts, and intermediaries. Across Ukraine and Lithuania, his path has been shaped by timing, structure, and the environments he entered at different stages.
He grew up in Semenivka, a small Ukrainian town where football was the most accessible activity. “When I was about five or six years old, I was just kicking a ball around on the street with my friend,” Dovhyi recalls. A local sports school coach noticed them and invited them to training. “We didn’t really have many alternatives back then – apart from football, there was volleyball, but that never interested me at all.”
That early exposure defined his relationship with the game. “That period made me fall deeply in love with football,” he recalls. “The ball, the atmosphere, the feeling of being part of a team — it truly infected me.” Because Semenivka had few children, age groups often overlapped. Dovhyi travelled to tournaments playing against boys several years older. “Sometimes even three or four years older than me. I loved it.” The travel, physical contact, and shared routines with older teammates became part of his development.
A central figure in those years was his first coach, Oleksandr Vitaliiovych Datsiuk. “He taught me a great deal and showed me many things by his own example,” Dovhyi says. Training included collective match viewing and observation. “We watched football together, observed how players behaved on the pitch, how they moved with the ball.” Those patterns were then repeated in training sessions. The relationship continues. “We still talk regularly. Sometimes he watches my games and gives me advice. He is more than just a coach to me – he is a friend.” Datsiuk also positioned him as a central midfielder, “because I enjoyed attacking and also liked to defend and work hard without the ball.”
Regional competitions brought an invitation to the football school in Chernihiv. The football environment suited him. “We had a strong team, talented players, and I quickly became one of the leaders,” he says. Life outside football was more demanding. After finishing sixth grade, he moved alone to a larger city. “I honestly don’t know how, but I managed to convince my mother to let me go.” He returned home once every two or three weeks.
Living conditions were difficult. Players were housed in a boarding school for children without parents. “We had our own room, but we had to follow strict rules and daily routines. To put it mildly, it wasn’t easy.” He stayed because of competition level. “We played in the same championship as Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk, and other top academies.”
After the first half of the U-13 season, Dovhyi was invited to Dynamo Kyiv and also received an offer from Dynamo’s affiliated academy, RVUFK. Dynamo asked him to remain for friendly matches against Shakhtar. The academy set a deadline. “If I didn’t arrive within two days, they would withdraw their offer.” He chose the academy. “If Dynamo didn’t sign me, I would have had to return to Chernihiv – something I didn’t want.” He remained there until finishing school.
At senior level, opportunities came with limits. At Inhulets, competing near the top of the Ukrainian First League, the environment was demanding. “There was a strong, mature atmosphere and a very professional coaching staff,” he says. Match involvement was limited. “The club was pushing hard for promotion, and the cost of mistakes was very high.” A similar situation followed at Desna Chernihiv. “I knew the city and many of the players, which helped me adapt quickly,” he says, while most minutes came with the reserve team.
His assessment of his own trajectory remains unchanged. “I truly believe it is still ahead of me. My best football is yet to come.”
Lithuania entered his career by chance. “I ended up in Lithuania completely by chance,” he says. An agent from Chernihiv was taking two players to a trial in Kėdainiai. A friend suggested he join them. “Just to see what it was like.” The outcome was unexpected. “In the end, it turned out that I was the one who got signed, while the other two players did not.”
The decision required consideration. “My first impression wasn’t the best – it felt like many things were not very professionally organized.” At the time, remaining in Ukraine felt more predictable. “Still, I decided to take the risk.”
Kėdainiai became a stable period in his career. “We had truly great players, a very family-like atmosphere, and a good coach,” he says. The team won the Pirma Lyga, earned promotion, and celebrated with the city. “I felt really comfortable and confident there.” He maintains close relationships with former teammates from Kėdainiai. “They are not only great footballers, but also genuinely great people.”
Interest from Telšiai Džiugas emerged on several occasions. “Last year Džiugas contacted me, but we didn’t reach an agreement because of financial details,” Dovhyi says. He also recalls earlier contact during the tenure of João Prates. “The first offer happened in the year when Neptūnas played Džiugas in the playoffs.” His objective is clear. “I want to play in the A Lyga.”
The A Lyga season was affected by injuries. “Many key players suffered injuries,” he says. “We were capable of achieving much more.” His own preseason injury delayed his return to form. “The injury kept bothering me, and I couldn’t play at the level I knew I was capable of.” With the club director’s agreement, he travelled to Ukraine for medical examinations. “The club supported me and was waiting for my return.”
A coaching change shifted the situation. “The club informed me that they no longer counted on me.” Although fit and under contract, he trained alone. “I was running around the pitch by myself.” The contract was later terminated. “I returned to Ukraine to finish the season with FC Chaika.” He adds: “Even though the name sounds very maritime, there was absolutely nothing related to the sea there.”
Dovhyi also speaks directly about contractual dynamics. “If clubs don’t like something, they immediately start looking for excuses to terminate a contract or force a player to leave.” He stresses the importance of formal agreements. “Everything has to be clearly written in the contract.”
Agents play a central role in player movement. “People think you can get to the Baltics only through one agent – that’s not true.” He describes a concentrated structure. “The Baltic countries are divided among agents. In Lithuania there are one or two top-level agencies that gather the best young players. The same is true in Latvia and Estonia.” Below them operate intermediaries. “Lower-level agents work with these agencies, bring players, and then split the money.” Clubs cooperate with several agents and select from the options presented.
Mobility beyond the Baltics exists. “I know a Polish agent who works with players in Lithuania,” he says. “If someone performs well, he can help them move to Poland.” He points to Said Hamulić as an example.
From his perspective, Lithuanian football has changed. “The championship looks much stronger than it did a few years ago.” Competition for European places has intensified.
“The Lithuanian top division is currently stronger than Latvia or Estonia.” Ukraine remains defined by physical intensity and speed. “Ukraine still attracts more qualified foreign players.”
Away from football, his reference points in life are clear. “My favorite dish is my mom’s meatball soup – nothing can beat it.” He also enjoys cold beetroot soup. The Curonian Spit remains his preferred place to reset. He reads, swims, plays table tennis, listens to instrumental music, and limits his car maintenance to “changing a headlight bulb – and even then, only with YouTube!”
His career, as he presents it, has been shaped by decisions taken under uncertainty. “I decided to take the risk.”
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