Darijo Srna, sporting director of Shakhtar and former captain of the Croatian national team, found himself in the spotlight of Italian media ahead of his club's match against Inter at San Siro in the third round of the Champions League. On that occasion, Srna gave an interview to Calciomercato in which he spoke about footballing topics, as well as the difficult situation in Ukraine.
Asked which player from Italy he would bring in, Srna unequivocally highlighted Luka Modrić, whom he called his brother. After Modrić, he said, Barella or Calhanoglu would be in the game. He added that there are many excellent players in Italy.
Srna also praised the young forces at Shakhtar. He emphasised that the club has many great talents, naming Alisson, Bruninha, Kaua, Vinicius, Azevedo, Isaque and Marlon among them. He believes that these talents will one day play for big clubs, perhaps Inter, perhaps Juventus, perhaps Chelsea.
However, alongside the sporting topics, Srna also reminded of the harsh reality with which the club is faced. He stated that they lost their home in 2014, losing the Donbas Arena, their city and their training centre. He said that they have been homeless for 12 years.
"For us, the war started in 2014 in Donetsk," said Srna, adding that they have been living in difficult conditions day by day for almost five years. He mentioned bombs, rockets, innocent people dying and children dying.
Srna thanked Italy for its support of Ukraine. He emphasised that Ukraine is an incredible country and that its people are incredible. "We need support and we hope that the war will come to an end," he said.
Shakhtar is currently the only Ukrainian club in European competitions. Srna stated that they are proud to represent Ukrainian football, but added that there should be more Ukrainian clubs.
