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Inter Miami coach Phil Neville just met Serhiy (Sergii) Kryvtsov a few days ago, but already he can tell that the 31-year-old Ukrainian center back is exactly what the team needed heading into the 2023 season.
The club announced on Tuesday that it signed Kryvtsov from Ukrainian club FC Shakhtar Donetsk to a contract until 2024, with an option for 2025.
The 6-1 defender has made more than 300 professional appearances at club level and abroad, winning 17 titles in his thirteen years with Shakhtar and participating in the Champions League, UEFA Euro and UEFA Nations League. He has become the only Ukrainian player in Major League Soccer and replaced Jamaican defender Damion Lowe, who had been traded to the Philadelphia Union.
“He’s played at a very high level, when you look at the games he’s played in, you compare him to Celtic, Real Madrid and the Champions League games,” Neville said. “You compare him to the most productive players on aggregate and when you see his calmness, his quality, his composure and his experience, you see that there is a player there who can help this young group. “
Kryvtsov said ahead of the education Tuesday morning that he was looking for a replacement after spending his entire career in Ukraine and was looking for a safer environment for his wife and three young children, who left Kyiv for Poland after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A nine-year-old son, a seven-year-old daughter and a four-year-old daughter.
“Everyone knows the situation about the war in Ukraine,” he said. “I heard the sounds of explosions, my children heard it, and it should not be like this. As a father, I need to give my family safety. I am proud of my brave Ukrainian people, of course of our soldiers and I am confident of victory. I would like to say a huge thanks to the USA for helping and supporting Ukraine.”
He also welcomes the change in weather, he said, going from harsh winter to the sunny, warm climate in South Florida.
“I’ve played almost my entire career at one club, we’ve won championships, won a lot of trophies and now it’s time to win trophies with Inter Miami,” Kryvtsov said. “I’ve been following David Beckham’s Instagram account for a while and I’ve been posting videos and news from Inter Miami and I really like the way this task is being constructed. “
He believes that the asset he brings to the team is experience.
“I’ve played a lot of other ways and I know a lot about football,” he said. “I can give this team a little bit of confidence. “
Neville said Kryvtsov’s experience and focus are immediately evident.
“When you communicate with experienced players, they have a different feel than younger players,” Neville said. “They know exactly what they want, how to work out and how to play. “
Neville said the games of chance against the Ukrainian national team and Shakhtar taught him that his years of playing taught him that Ukrainian players were “incredibly, incredibly focused” and that Kryvtsov was up to the task.
“When we’ve had conversations with Sergii, it’s like conversations we’ve never had before,” Neville said. “I didn’t need nonsense or nonsense. I was just looking to talk about football, to know his role, what the team is. what it was like and how to win. Since he arrived, the boys have looked at someone who is very serious about football and has a lot of experience.
Chris Henderson, director of Inter Miami, agrees.
“Sergii is a calm defender who will bring valuable enjoyment to our defensive line after many years of playing at the highest level, whether at club level or at international level; He is a defender forged in the aerial game and has great leadership skills having been vice-champion. captain of his former club,” Henderson said.
He won 17 titles with Shakhtar, 8 in the Ukrainian Premier League and made a total of 268 club appearances in all competitions, 20 in the UEFA Champions League. He scored 15 goals and provided five assists.
Kryvtsov has also played a role as a foreigner for Ukraine, registering 31 appearances for the senior national team, adding appearances at UEFA Euro 2020 and the UEFA Nations League.
He represented Ukraine’s U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-21 youth sides before making his debut for the nation’s senior side in 2011. He was a key member of Ukraine’s U-19 side that clinched the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2009.
Inter Miami departed for Sarasota on Tuesday, will remain there all week and play a preseason scrum against the New England Revolution on Thursday.
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