"It's a good thing we didn't join the Asian Confederation."
Konstantin Tyukavin, one of Russia's strongest footballers in recent years, has been unable to play for several months due to a serious injury. In March, the Dynamo Moscow striker and the Russian national team injured his cruciate ligaments and was out for six months. His return to the field is expected next fall.
In an interview with Izvestia, the 23-year—old striker described how his recovery is going, shared his impressions of the work of the new Dynamo head coach Valery Karpin, told about meeting Alexander Ovechkin, a recent trip to China, and how he went to his father's eight-time world hockey champion matches as a child. Alexander Tyukavin's ball.
— What would you say about the changes in Dynamo's game and preparation during Karpin's two months of work, adjusted for the fact that you are still training separately from the team?
— The most important thing is that the game is just beginning to be built. Everyone is getting used to Valery Georgievich's demands. And it can't happen that fast. There are many factors that influence the first results, but I think that everything will be fine over time. We will better understand and fulfill the requirements of Valery Georgievich. To act coherently and aggressively, to play beautifully in attack, as we did before.
— It is clear that you have already worked with Karpin in the national team, but in the context of Dynamo, have you discussed with him how he will use you in his schemes?
— Not yet. I hope that he is waiting for my return to the ranks. And then he'll explain. But Valery Georgievich's involvement in my recovery is already visible. Apart from my trip to China, from the first day after Karpin joined Dynamo, I went to every team event, every theoretical lesson, and was everywhere with the guys and the coaching staff. It wasn't like my individual classes were scheduled for one time and the team's training for another. At the base, we all gather together in the morning for breakfast, then for a theoretical lesson. Then, of course, we split up — I'm in the gym, and the team is on the field. But then there's lunch and theory again. And there is no such thing that I am separate from the rest of the team. And that's great.
— Denis Makarov said that under Karpin, Dynamo is returning to the game that it showed under Sandro Schwartz...
— Yes, Valery Georgievich also told us that there would be a lot of pressure. The structure of the game is similar to what it was under Sandro. It is clear that there are some nuances — it cannot be that the style of play is the same under different coaches. But we see similarities with that football. And we like it. Yes, there are difficulties now, because the team is just being built. And we have a lot of injured people. But I think everything will be fine. Including the game. There will be more scoring chances at other people's gates, and the results will improve. Of course, we are determined to solve the most serious problems. And our fans expect it from us. I can say for sure that, as always, we will try to take the highest possible place in the table.
— How is recovery going after injury?
— It seems to be according to plan. We are working in a serious mode. I have already started preparing to go on the field with the team. Yes, it so happened that during Dynamo's long trip to the match with Krasnodar, I was released to China for three days. But even there he kept in shape. And, according to the plan, I will soon have to start training in a group with all the guys.
— Already in August?
— Yes, we plan to do so. If everything goes well, nothing will bother me in terms of health, and everyone will understand that I am ready to take the field in official games, then this will happen soon. Approximately in September.
— How did you survive this trauma?
— I've already forgotten about her, since it's been five months. I'm just doing all the necessary rehabilitation measures to get back on the field faster. The first month was the most difficult. And by the way, right now, the last month of recovery is also difficult, but for another reason: I can't wait to get back on the field. The final stage of rehabilitation is underway. And in order to prepare as well as possible for the return to the field, you have to sacrifice yourself, stay at the base for some days, because you have to do two individual training sessions a day.
— Did you gain extra pounds in the first months after the injury?
— No, because I went on a diet. More precisely, not on a diet, but on proper nutrition. I talked to a nutritionist, who gave me tips on how to avoid weight gain so that there would not be a lot of stress on the injured knee. I have been monitoring and monitoring the nutrition so that there is no swelling.
— What was abandoned?
— I can't say that I've given up on anything. I just started eating less overall. And it's right to eat what the body needs. Greens, vegetables, chicken breasts, fish. Less carbs of all kinds.
— How do you like Chinese Chongqing, where you stayed for three days with your wife and Dynamo employees?
"It's a great place. My wife is delighted. And me too. If it hadn't been for this trip from Dynamo's automotive sponsor, Changan, I might never have visited China. It's great that, thanks to our club's partner, we managed to do this — and I looked at their excellent cars and tested them, and walked around the city.
— Where do you like to fly on vacation?
— There is not much time to visit any places abroad, because we have a short summer vacation. But in winter we try to fly to warmer countries. The last trip was to Milan.
— In 2022-2023, when our clubs were suspended from European competitions, there were constant discussions about whether our football should switch from UEFA to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and participate in local club tournaments. Now that, using the example of a trip to China, you are faced with a local heat of 40 degrees and a 17-hour one-way route with all flights and transfers, is there any special joy in the fact that the RFU did not develop the story of the transition from Europe to Asia?
— It is clear that you get used to everything over time, even to such harsh weather conditions, to the heat and humidity that we encountered in Chongqing. When you go outside and into the sun, it is impossible to walk without a cap and glasses. It was very hard. You can even get used to it, but it's probably a good thing that we didn't participate in the Asian Champions League and other local tournaments. And that we continue to wait for the decision of UEFA on our return to European competitions.
— A little less than a year ago, you and the Russian national team already traveled to Vietnam with similar weather conditions. Would it be even more difficult to play constantly in such an environment?
— Yes, I didn't play that match with Vietnam (3-0), but I was sitting on the podium. Then I was supposed to be released on the field in the next game against Thailand, which was canceled due to the typhoon. But it was hard for me to watch the guys play in such humidity from the stands. After all, before that, when we left the hotel for a walk, we were all wet in two minutes. In Russia, even somewhere in Krasnodar, you don't always encounter this in the summer.
— Would you recommend going to China to your family and friends?
— Of course! Not just to my family and friends, but to everyone. It's all interesting — it's a different world altogether. Huge buildings, lots of high-tech gadgets related to electronics, cars, and all sorts of fancy suitcases. It's fun to take the same subway station in Chongqing that we visited. It's built into an apartment building—I've never seen anything like it. I would like to go to China again myself. Maybe to another city, such as Guangzhou or Shanghai.
— Is it very different from Moscow?
— Everything is different here. I don't even know how to compare Moscow and Russia in general with China. There are too many differences. But, of course, I love Moscow more, I'm used to it. And in terms of everyday comfort, this is almost an ideal city.
— During the extremely successful season before last, there were a lot of insiders in the media about the interest in you from Europe. In your opinion, if not for a serious injury, could it have come to specific offers from top championships?
— It could have been if I continued to play well and score goals. Of course, there have already been conversations about this — there have been calls and various meetings. But it did not come to official requests from Dynamo — for this it was necessary to have at least one more season well. Play, play, play. And score goals. Then, perhaps, it would be possible to leave somewhere.
— At one of Dynamo's recent home matches, you were sitting in the same VIP box with Alexander Ovechkin. What is he like in communication?
— Sanya is generally an open, cheerful guy. I always saw him with a smile, kind and cheerful. I've never seen him sad. It wasn't the first time we'd crossed paths at that match you mentioned. We had already met before that, when he came to our base, gave me a jersey and handed the club to my dad. And anyway, no matter how much he sees Ovechkin in person, he always takes a picture with everyone who wants to, gives an autograph — he does not refuse anyone at all.
— His record for goals in the NHL has already been discussed by almost everyone. Interestingly, can you imagine that an event comparable in scale to what Ovechkin did in the spring will ever happen in our football?
— I admit that something like this will happen, but it's hard to say what exactly. I think such a record is an event that, in principle, does not happen every year in the world. Sanya is a value for the whole world of sports. And I don't even know who can be put on a par with him.
— Does one of our players need to become the leader of a top European club and consistently be its top scorer for many years in a row?
— Or win the Golden Ball. Probably, such an achievement will be comparable to what Ovechkin did.
— Do you often visit your native Kotlas in the Arkhangelsk region?
— It's been rare lately. I haven't been there for a long time. I plan to visit more often now, if everything goes well.
— What is the first thing you can do there?
— Fishing is the very first thing that comes to mind when I remember my native places. I don't know how to evaluate this in terms of tourism for people who come there for the first time, but you can safely go for three or four days. Rest your head, take a fishing rod, go to the river. For me personally, this is generally the perfect place to get away from everything — from football, from the Internet.
— You left there when you were five years old.
— Even earlier. At the age of five, I joined the Dynamo Academy in Moscow.
— If your father hadn't been called from Vodnik Arkhangelsk to Dynamo Moscow at that time, and the family hadn't moved with him, would you have had a chance to practice football in the northern region so that your current career would be a success?
— To be honest, I think it's unlikely. After all, the conditions at the Dynamo Moscow Academy are very different in terms of training football players. Especially when you've been there since you were a child. So it was lucky for me that my dad was invited to play in Moscow at that time.
— Have you been to his games often?
— I tried not to miss it at all. Once I went to Kirov for an away match of Dynamo in the playoffs. They played on March 25th, on his father's birthday. My mom and I arrived then without telling him. They won in the end.
— When my father was still playing in Vodnik, what was it like to watch from the stands in the bitter cold at an outdoor stadium? It seemed to me that this was the main feature of bandy, and it has now been lost when the indoor arenas were built.
— The clearings in Arkhangelsk are still open. This is one of the few cities in bandy where they have not yet built an indoor rink. I think that's a good thing. After all, the city is northern and frosty. And it should be associated with playing hockey with a ball in very subzero temperatures. You are right, this is the special indescribable atmosphere of this sport. Many indoor arenas have been built in Russia now, and it already feels different there.
— Did your father manage to play in such arenas for Dynamo?
— Yes, the current indoor arena in Krylatskoye was already there when Dad was playing. In principle, this is normal for Moscow. You can play outdoors at a temperature of minus -10 ... -12 degrees, which is usually in winter in the capital. But often in the middle of this time of year or in early spring, when the season is still in progress, it gets warmer and the temperature gets above zero. It is impossible to play it: the ice will not roll, it generally becomes watery. Although it is not very good in Arkhangelsk, when the other extreme is when it is very cold, -35... -40 degrees. -20 is the best weather. Especially if there is no wind. Hockey players really like it.
— If you and your father hadn't left Arkhangelsk for Moscow in 2005, would you be able to play bandy now?
— It is quite possible. I've been doing it for quite a long time in parallel with football. Even after moving to Moscow. Closer to the age of 13-14, I had to choose one thing when I had to sign my first professional contract. And I chose football. Then sometimes I went to training with my dad to ride and play for my own pleasure. But the choice was made.
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