---
title: "Alexandr Dovhyi: “I decided to take the risk”"
date: 2026-01-10T18:30:53Z
lang: en
author: "Mantas Aliukonis"
canonical: https://balticfootballnews.com/alexandr-dovhyi-i-decided-to-take-the-risk/
categories: ["Interviews", "Pirma Lyga"]
---

# Alexandr Dovhyi: “I decided to take the risk”
_by Mantas Aliukonis_

![](https://i0.wp.com/balticfootballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/img_4759.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1)Photo: FK Tauras

Alexandr Dovhyi.

**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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