PONKRASHOW: Alexey Spiridonov

Transcript

Hello everyone, friends. We are on the First and Red channel. And today, Pancrashow's guest is the greatest, greatest athlete who has made and achieved a super transformation. Won the European Youth Championship. I won. And I won. Eh, he won the European Championship. I won. And I won. Alexey Sveridonov, please greet my friend. By the way, I am very proud that I can call you my friend, because today we will start our podcast on a pleasant note, because I can say that you are a very reliable person, to whom you can always turn, and at the very least you will receive advice, and at the most, help. Thank you, Anton. Well, you're not very reliable, because today you waited 40 minutes and you Sorry, sorry, unfortunately, navigation doesn't work in Moscow . I confess, I am guilty. Listen, today , actually, for a long time now, we have had a podcast topic together for a long time, it’s been floating around. That's it, either you have a season, or I'm not in Moscow. I am very glad that you came to visit us. Ah, [snorts] you know, like today, when I was preparing for the podcast, in general, over the last few days, uh, I collected quite a lot of information about you and in general I understand that, mm, you do n’t need to get carried away and just get on topic in the conversation about quarrels, about your messages, conflicts and so on, and that’s it. And these are sort of views. But in general, when I write a podcast, I want to reveal the person, and, and reveal you as an athlete. And I came here today with the conviction that you don’t just win the World League and the European Championship. Well, you know, I read a lot of negative comments about you there, like you're such a bad guy. I understand that a person who wins the European Championship and the World League, well, lanterns don’t win. Well, you understand, right? This means that only people who are truly worth something go to these competitions. Here's the point. And I want to, you know, like, well, of course, we'll touch on the topic of conflict, but I want to present you as a person who has achieved serious results in volleyball, and with the help of your media activity, has created more interest in volleyball. Do you understand what I'm talking about? Well, of course, [snorts] in fact, when I played in Russia, I was the only one who did this in media league, because our federation and, for example, there was no other such player in my time, when I played in the Russian league. OK. Do you even remember how it all started? That is, your desire, let's say, to prick, yes, people and often, if they react to this, then they, well, immediately bury themselves, accordingly, you immediately Well, well, of course, it all started, probably, you know, it turns out, in 2000, that's when Twitter came out. So I signed up for Twitter, and that's where it all started, of course. people. You can't feed me bread. I loved doing this. Well, I still love it, why not? And so it all started spinning and starting. And because of this, because of this Twitter, of course, there were big scandals. And there I am, in fact, the management of the clubs, I scooped up the regulars for my own there, but you are the crackers and everything else. But you understood that you, uh, by writing something, you could, uh , well, specifically hurt a person. And, uh, I think that you too, over the years, understand that not everyone is ready, uh, not to compete, you understand, in a dialogue, but in general, well, just to filter information, to somehow distinguish this joke from real things. No, there were many such cases, of course, even we can mention a very interesting case that made it to the news, there on Russia 24, when a girl asked where she could eat delicious chebureks. And I offered her to suck this cheburek. So, well, it turned out she was some kind of blogger. And all this resulted in a huge, huge scandal, which even reached the leaders of my club. I studied it. And there, and even a huge number of people who tried to stand up for this girl. Many people wrote there that come on, we'll sort it out there, we'll find a partner there, we'll teach him some sense. Hey, when you offered to suck her off, what were you even thinking? Well, this is a normal phenomenon, I suppose. [laughter] Well, that is, the person asks about the cheburek, and then suddenly, well, like in the other direction. Well, of course, well, such jokes were going on at that time. Well, that is, you went hard, ah, and there it is not, there it is just re, which means, I think that we can collect this, because I found it on the Internet, there is a huge number of answers there. It's not like, where, where to eat cheburek, eh, come on, well, like, suck it, and then there's more dialogue. That is, in addition to this, there are another 25-30 messages and other people write, there is Speedonokaz. How is this possible? This man doesn't understand what he's doing at all. And you, like, you add, you continue there in Of course, I added fuel to the fire. Of course, [laughter] you explain to me why. Well, I don't know, but I kind of liked it . And that's why, at the very beginning of the dialogue, I started saying that I've had a lot of [ __ ] to drink because of this Twitter and because of these scandals. So if it were possible, if there wasn’t this Twitter, I might still be playing in the Russian championship now, and not in Qatar for the last 5 years. Well, well , well, although I don’t regret anything. I lived peacefully in flip-flops and shorts for 5 years and never saw snow. We will definitely come back to this. This is very interesting. Or shall we go back or get to that point? We'll get to that. Ah, let's get back to what you said about the club's management coming out to talk to you. I'm just curious what kind of dialogue there was. I don't remember anymore. It was the year 2017, like, apologize. No, don't apologize. I don't know, it wasn't even the management, some deputy from the Krasnoyarsk region wrote, you know, why are we paying him money, let's just give him a kiosk with chebureks and let him sell them there . So, something, something, something like this, I wrote this. Well, I still played this year in Krasnoyarsk and then No, and you played it decently. Well, he played normally. I was called up to the national team after this year in Krasnoyarsk, but [snorts] they changed the coach there, whom I didn’t really like, and he didn’t really like me. In the national team. Well, they called me to the national team. But this year a new coach arrived. So, why did you call? Just some notes. I think he called me to punish him. Do you know how it happens? You'll be at training camp all summer. Yes. Yes. And then on the last day before the championship in the World League or the European Championships you say: "Alexey, thank you for your work. That's it, you're free. Listen, did you feel this negativity when you were, that is, he called you to the training camp? Did you feel it or not? I didn't go to the training camp, but it turned out that I had to go to the federation to see the president of volleyball and [snorts] say that I'm not going to the training camp. If I hadn't come, the federation would automatically disqualify me. There have been such cases. That's all. Look, let's summarize. That is, it turns out the rules will still remain in place . If you get, uh, a call-up to the national team and you don't come, that's automatic qualification. Disqualification. Two years, or a year and a half and half, or two. I don't remember exactly. Well, it's not that important. And accordingly, you understood that if you don't come, then, accordingly, you, well, that's it, I'll go for two years. On 2 years. Well, ban it all. That means you can't take part in any competitions . No, not in any. Cool, of course. That's why it's tough. So, ah, but at the same time you can come to the national team and say: "Okay, my back hurts." They tell you: "Everything is great." I didn't even make it to the national team. So I went to the federation. I called the national team manager and said: "Like, I need to meet there, when can I come?" He said: "Well, come then, then." I arrive, and the president, the manager, and the coach are sitting there, the three of them, yeah. And my second child was about to be born. This was exactly in 2017. I say: "Well, I played the fool there, I say: "You understand, my child is about to be born, I live outside the city, there in a private house, there is no water, you have to at least draw water from the well with buckets ." Well, I get it, I'm playing the complete idiot . Well, of course, they are completely negative there, you only want to play for the club, get money, but in the national team they don’t pay money in volleyball. I don’t know about basketball and other sports, but in volleyball, for probably 15 years now, there have been no official salaries, nothing, only the bonuses you win. some kind of tournament. Well, basically, well, I didn’t want to go to this coach. And I arrive and say: "You know, I'm refusing and I got such a dose of negativity from them. From them, yes. Well, the coach didn't say anything, but from the manager, from the president, yes, there were raised voices, raised voices are necessary, yes, like, well, like, you only want to get money there for the club, you don't want to play for the national team and all the rest." I say, "I arrived, that's it, I refused. Why am I speaking normally, like a human being, that is, I do n't get emotional, like, so that a situation doesn't happen, because there was a situation recently before me, there was a guy who didn't show up, he was given a disqualification. So I say, so that this situation doesn't happen, and that's it, I refuse to play for the national team. Well, and after that moment, I was never called up again. Listen, well, uh, knowing you, I actually have this feeling that it's important for you to play for your country. It's important, well, and no less important is who the coach is. Believe me, that's clear. That's not true, I mean, after all, we're talking about an educational podcast, and we also talk about patriotism. And so I have this feeling that it's important for you to play for the national team. It's clear that there has to be a coach who sees you there, who has a normal relationship with you, who sees, who believes in you, who treats you normally, you know? Uh, in that situation I felt, so I wasn't I was I was I was confident. I was confident, What will happen is, this coach, he doesn't watch his language, he finds one or two victims, yes, yes, yes, lightning rods, and starts to beat them not just physically, but mentally. Got it? He may not call you by name, he says: "Hey, man." Well, imagine, if this one, whoever you are, says, "Hey, man, are you even that stupid ?" And basically, it will all be over, it turns out, yes, 100%. You were right when you said that we are all people and you have a name, and I have a name. And it doesn't matter how it should be done correctly, you are the head coach, the manager, the president of the federation, you can turn to them and say , Alexey, you are not performing well enough on the block, or I would like you to behave like this here 100%. Respect. There should be banal respect. Whoever you are, no matter how much you love it. Understood. You are the coach, you are me. You are the coach, I am the player. You give the task, you are the boss here, and We have to do it. But excuse me, we're all in the same boat, and you have the same employment contract as me. In fact, in fact, yes. You're an employee, just like me. I've never had a coach in my career, not even in my club career or in the national team. It's cool, yeah. I was lucky. And when I was leaving [snorts] for Kater, my agent calls me and says: "There's a good offer to go to Orenburg." And the coach there, well, so you understand, well, he's great, he's a schizophrenic. My friend, I'm his son's godfather, volleyball player Lyokha Somolenko, went to see him. You know, the kind of person who, if a mosquito bites him, won't kill it, he'll brush it off. The kindest soul , just a real person. I know. And he calls me, he says: "Lyokha, I'm on the verge of breaking him." He's such a monster, such a scum. I say: " You just made such a choice that you did n’t go there. It's simple." And he broke the contract and went to Greece to play. So I had such an offer. Then my agent calls me: "He's good, we have to take him." Yes. The agent calls and says: "Lyokha, you know, this guy has changed a lot , he's starting to, you know, whine to me." I say: "Dim, he may have changed, but for the worse. People don't change. He's schizophrenic, he's an idiot." And I went on a boat, proved myself on a boat, and lived and played there for the last five years , won six titles, and I don't regret anything. Listen, this is a whole other story, because I'll get caught up in my trip to Iran. I'll explain it to you now. You know, when I was signing in Iran, I had the feeling that, well, that's it, I don't like basketball anymore. That is, I was so mired in the Russian basketball system, where there are a huge number of foreign players, they are required to play. You have to bring some pianos, even if you look better, and you're yelling at them, something like, you've already won everything, they're telling you something , it would be fine if they told you: "Okay, Anton, this, this, this." That is, they're yelling at you, they want something from you, they're raising you. There, at 38 years old, I They raised me, you know? And I went, I went, I signed up for Iran simply because, well, there weren't any other options. The agent says, "Iran." What Iran? What Iran? I arrive there, and I'm a foreigner there, and they tell me, "Andon, what would you like?" "Is this the attack or this?" And the league, and the league isn't a gift. Now you'll tell me about the Qatar League, and I'll just tell you how I feel. And I arrived, and I realized, damn, this is cool. This is what I've been doing my whole life. That, well, this is me, my destiny, basketball. And I started to enjoy it. I started to enjoy it. I started to, uh, get some numbers, get into symbolic fives. Uh, people on the street started coming up to me and saying: "Anton, this is really cool. You, we thought, you'd come here, take the money, go, yeah, but you're a professional." And I sighed. I'm thinking, damn, I've been playing basketball my whole life. Well, like, this is love, this is the game that I love, it's mine. Well, I've dedicated my whole life to it . And at 38, a man says to me: "You know what, well, I... Well, seriously?" Well, seriously. And did you know that it's the same in Russian volleyball ? Foreign players in all foreign clubs get kissed on the ass. No matter what kind of foreign player he is, maybe he's good, and sometimes he's crap. But they get kissed on the ass. And the Russians are always to blame. This is only in Russia. Only in Russia. I'm sure it's the same nonsense in football , that all Russians are crap, and all foreign players are good. I'm absolutely sure of it. And that's why it's the same thing. I arrived on the boat for some quiet, light training. I say: "You, Alexey, we know, you had a six-month vacation there, I arrived in my first year, you had a six-month vacation there, I arrived with a big belly, you know, I was n't doing pure iron back then, I wasn't pushing myself. And he's like, "Lyokha, I know you, don't resist, take it easy, you've arrived step by step. You don't know any English , you don't know anything." It's clear that I did n't study properly at school, right? But this didn't help. I studied normally, but I also didn’t say anything, only thanks to communication with people. Thanks to communication, everything is right. I also learned Arabic there in 5 years, not to mention English. Cool. So, what about you and Puzik? Yes, I'm coming with Puzik to a club that has never won anything. I became there, well, fourth, third, then I was spinning around like that, you know, we start [snorts] there, uh, playing there more or less gaining form, I become the best outside hitter in the league in my position. There are 10 teams there and basically all the foreign players take my position. Here. So, it turns out that you are always confronted with the very best. Well, yes, diagonal. Well, I mean, you're playing and there are really serious players against you, because everyone is taking, I don't know who, Americans, Cubans, Brazilians. There are a lot of people now who are all in volleyball, how can you say that they have improved there and the French are playing well. That is, it was not in vain that they won the last two Olympics. The Poles are still my favorites. And [sighs heavily] and so, in short, I become the best. And we get to the final of the boat cup. And we win this cup final. I score 36 points. These are phenomenal numbers. So, it turns out, so you know, my closest team scored 12. There was also a Russian diagonal barrier. So, you were dragging it, then? I made the final in one, it turns out I made it in one. There, of course, it was a holiday for the whole of Qatar, they partied there for a week, but for me, you know, I had a plane to Moscow in 2 hours. That is, I'm calm. It was just a year after the corona, this 2020. I flew home, walked around with my family for 10 days , hung out there, and am returning. I'm going into quarantine for another week in a hotel. It turns out that I haven't done anything there for more than half a month. Well, we played out the season peacefully. We finished second this season. This is also a big result there. Well, here we go, off we go. And it turns out that I played in this club for 3 years. [snorts] Then I went to the cup there, played in Dubai and the last two years I played, it turns out, in Kater’s first and second clubs. What surprised you most about Qatar? Relations after Russia. Attitude towards both a person and a player. Well, I was a legionnaire there too, right? You felt it, right? I felt it, yes. And now tell me, after all this, how can I return to Russia? No way. I don't even have any thoughts. I was offered some contracts in Russia, but I immediately rejected them. I don't even have the thought of going back. Although if I'm sitting without a contract now, and they offer me a contract in Russia, I won't sign it. I don’t know, maybe I’ll finish, I’m still 37 and not young anymore, that’s why. But I'm waiting for some kind of offer, there, I don't know, I don't care, there somewhere in Indonesia, in Dubai, I don't know, somewhere. Well, to Europe, of course, in Europe now they don’t like Russians. There is a chance, yes. Well, as for going somewhere, again, to Arab countries, somewhere you can, listen, to the same Qatar, you can return, but in Russia, Russia’s attitude is, because essentially the coaches, uh, the management, well, the administrators, okay, somewhere there, out of grief, there are some normal guys, but everywhere the presidents, [laughter] who come there, say: “You have to, we pay you money, you have to.” Why do I owe you? Who do I owe nothing to? I played in Kazan, yes, for 3 years. The best club in the world. No meetings from the president, nothing. Maybe, you know, the most important president should go into the locker room, in general, the main guy there at Gazprom should go into the locker room after winning a tournament. Guys, what's there, I promised you there, there are bonuses, there are double ones. I satisfy you with everything. They applauded me and that was it . For the 11 titles I won in Kazan , I never received a single prize. There have always been doubles or triples. This is the attitude towards players, you know? Understand. I understand perfectly. Well, come on, let's also say that Kazan is, in principle, one of the top-level clubs they've been at for a while. Well, Kazan, in my opinion, is currently and has been for the last 10 years the best club in the world, yes. Well, 10, yes, it turns out that you and I met in 1915. Fifteenth. Well, no, well, we met earlier, but we were in Kazan at one time in the fifteenth, yes, even if you are on the spot of the sixteenth four. And it turns out that from 1914 to the present day, this is truly an organization, a top-level management organization, everything for this top-level selection, and again, top-level selection. Well, that is, as if people were holding a plank, it turns out that means it can be done. Here's what I'm getting at. That is, in fact, this can actually be done. I just have to structure it so people understand what they're doing. For what? Of course, there must be a system that still works. Listen, let's discuss it. I'm even interested in your transition, when you received the first offer, uh, to Kazan, do you remember how it all happened? I remember [snorts] this offer, when it came from Vladimir Romanovich Olekt. Well, I remember this situation when he kicked me out of the national team before the Olympics. Wait, let's talk about the proposal first, then about that. About the proposal. So you see, I had a contract with Novyi Ringoy for 2 years. Yes. The first year passed, and I didn’t want to stay there, but I had... Well, well, there was that president again, who was kicked out the very next year with a huge scandal, because he was laundering some money and everything else. Well, it doesn't matter, but he was also an unpleasant person, I tell you. And my agent just called me and said: “Lyokha, Kazan wants you.” And you know, I still have some jitters with Oleg. I didn't have such a good relationship. Yes. Wait, they were because he sent you? Yes, yes, yes. That he kicked me out and I didn’t have a very good relationship when I played against him, I always got into fights with him over the net, I even got straight to him there. But wait, stop. And he entered into a squabble with you. Yes, into a squabble. There was a real fire there. Yes. Oh, this is turning out really cool. You triggered him too, right? Yes. Yes. And he you you him. Class. Okay, wait. Then it turns out that it is necessary, no, then the story will not be complete. Come on, then tell me how it happened that he sent you. Well, [snorts] I sent it, I was young, I was passionate about discipline, and that’s how it turned out. And, well, essentially, discipline, what, alcoholic or what? Well, there was alcohol there too. I was late there, I was late for the training camp there, and that's it. Everything was there in its entirety. Understood? Well, in essence, three players from the national team came up and dumped me. It's already in the bag. passports that went somewhere, flew to Poland for some tournament. Well, he says: "That's it, you're free." There was no dialogue. No, listen, let's do it this way. Ah, well, you understand that you really did violate discipline and overall that’s okay. I don't even have any questions. Yes, I used to be a wild child, so... So if I were to send you back to that moment now, would you change this whole situation? I would 100% change my current thinking, but again, nothing can be brought back. And after reading me, what do you call this? I forgot that word. Do you regret it? I'm sorry, yes. Do you regret it? Probably not. This was a lesson for me. Those people who will be watching us, and perhaps some young volleyball or basketball players, they [snorts] should understand. That is, I’m looking at the younger generation now, they’re all so soft, yes, yes, they’re like that, well, you know what I’m talking about , yes, yes, yes, zoomers, yes, and those kind of people, and I understand what, in principle, you had to go through, because I was also sent away from the Olympics. Can you imagine, we won Europe in 2007. I remember this moment. In 2008, I was the last one to be expelled from the Olympics. That is, the Olympics were in the eighth grade, [snorts] I don’t remember where. In China. In China, yes. It was there that the Americans won in volleyball. Russia became third then. Yes. And here we have, attention, my first dream to play. In general, the most important thing in basketball for us is to play against the Americans. Yeah. Because the Americans, the Dream Team, LeBron James, Oy, those, well, it’s just important for you to understand where you are. Well, it seems to me that every basketball player dreams of playing there against the Americans. This is the best league in the world. This is the eighth year, I am the last one, the thirteenth. Our game with the Americans is our last one before the Olympic Games. And they say to me: "Anton, goodbye." Thank you, goodbye. Thank you. Yes, you helped win the European Championship last year. Thank you, goodbye . And what am I getting at? What I mean is that the moment you get that rejection, ah-ah, your world falls apart. Well, that is, well, not really, yes, in my heart. Well, to put it mildly, it’s not very good, yes. That is, here, first of all, uh, like we, of course, understandably, not for drinking alcohol, but in such moments, except with the help of alcohol, you cannot save yourself, forget all this, yes, yes, because, uh, first of all, in your head, well, like, for any athlete, the Olympic Games are, well, the peak, it’s, well, there, of course, you can win the World League, the Champions League, the Euroleague, but the Olympics, in my understanding, are something generally special, because it is an opportunity to touch the best athletes. when they don’t send you, and you [snort] are like: “It’s like now, I think, they tell me there, like Anton, they’re sending you there.” So I sat down and they told me: "So, well, there's a training camp in two weeks. I played in Khimki. There's a training camp in Khimki in two weeks." I say: "What am I going to do there? Well, I've already let you down, that's what you're doing, you're a top-notch guy." Well, yes, yes, yes, you're in shape. It's clear. Yes. She says, "Well, there's nothing we can do." I say: "Send me somewhere to training camp and squeal, let them destroy me somewhere for a month." Well, just forget about this basketball and don’t bother me. They are forcing me to come to the training camp. I come to the training camp, everyone comes with bubbles. I'm running around, and they tell me: "Can you run there? Well, in basketball we have this beep test." In short, when the signal comes, you must touch the line. And they say, “You can run there, for such and such a distance, for such and such a distance .” I say: "As much as you want." Understood? There, everyone died, I ran there, well, twice as far as everyone else. What's the point? They are starting to get into shape during this pre-season. The season starts right away. It's clear. You're in a hole. You're in a hole. What? Why? For what? Well, what I mean is that I understand your feelings perfectly. Eh, well that was unpleasant. Tell me, how did you manage to fight and grind through all this? I don't know how to survive, just sleep with it. Well, not only did they send me away from the national team, I also got a disqualification from the federation. That's exactly what I understand, that's what I'm leading you to. Yes. Yes. I was given a suspended sentence of six months plus one and a half years. Understood. Yes. Wait, so it's for breaking the rules, right? So, well, I had a manager in Odintsovo. Well, of course, there was, well, the president manager. Of course, as a person, he was a piece of [ __ ], not very good, but as a lawyer, you know, these guys. He didn’t let go, I said: “How are you, my player?” We went to the federation to sort it out, yes, we were supposedly there for six months, there was some kind of meeting, we arrived there and they sat us down on a chair . Based on what? Well, well, on what basis did we come to speak, they didn’t explain on what basis. They simply gave me six months of discrimination, which began, let's say, in August and would have ended there, it turns out, a little after the New Year I would have started playing. But we didn’t think long, we filed documents in court and it all happened quickly, as if in a Russian court or an International Court, I’m not singing, it seems in Russian ones. And then I received some strange calls , you know, with threats. Ah, yes, yes. It was there in 2000, so it was 2011. What calls, and then we are summoned to the federation again, like, you filed a lawsuit there, yes, yes. You know, they are like that, you know, and they expect it from us. You know how a traffic cop stops you and waits for you to say yes, whether you'll hit it or not. Will you start [laughter] throwing money around or not? Okay, wait, and you, well, I went with these guys, connect with the president, he went, he says: "Yes, we're all done, the federation, we'll see each other in court." Well, the second time we leave from there, they contact us themselves and say: “Okay, let’s make a settlement, you take the documents from the courts, we’ll remove the electrification.” Do you understand how it happened? And it turned out that I missed maybe two or three games at the beginning of the championship. Well, nonsense, yes, and he started playing all nonsense. Well, that is, half Well, that's strong. So it turns out you were given another six months' disqualification both with the national team and for the club . Yes. Well, so that he doesn't relax. [snorts] Well, yeah, well that's the lesson. Well, on the contrary, so that I can probably relax more, since I’m not playing anymore. Listen, but did all this give you additional motivation? You know, at that time I didn’t need to be motivated, I went out and that is to say, I didn’t care . I could come there, you know, from a nightclub and so, that’s why those years were there, you know, 20 years, and you yourself understand perfectly well that you went, peed in the toilet and recovered. That is, essentially, as one coach said, uh, there was no need to motivate at that moment, I really was, well, one of the best outside hitters in the Russian league, although our Russian league has been considered the best in the world for decades. Now, I probably won’t say that our Super League is the best in the world, since top foreign players have stopped coming to us, yes. So now I will say that probably some Poland or Italy looks much more interesting now than Tak. And now we return to the confrontations of Solehna. So, now the first match with him. You've got it all figured out , haven't you? You charged, right? It was just that this match, this match, that I moved to Ufa in 2012. And we play Ufazai, and I just score something like that and say something to him through the net. I even have some photos somewhere, I can send them to you later. I'm telling him something through the internet, and he comes at me and points his finger like this. And something also tells me in response that is not very good either. And it was. And these squabbles of ours continued until the moment when he called me to his place. Wait, but the question is, I understand that this is during the game, after the game, or if you meet somewhere after the game, first of all, we didn’t meet for a day, because coaches and players don’t shake hands. Only the players shake hands. Understood. Yes. Well, what I mean is, there were no intersections. It would be interesting to know how it happens, you know, to meet each other in a narrow corridor . Yes. But he is big. He could have, well, he could have drunk, of course, yes. Mo mo mo could and could screw you 100%. Well then [sighs heavily] and wait, have you ever, uh, emerged victorious in this confrontation? I mean, when this roll call started, did you win or not? Well, it was hard to beat Kazan at that time , but we beat them often , right? No, well, do you understand what I'm talking about? In short, I have a similar story. We, [snorts] uh, it turns out, this is my first year at CSKA, Messina is the head coach, papabapavapa. We lose in the Europa League final four. He calls me and says, "Anton, next year I need to win the Euroleague. I'm taking three foreigners for your position, and you're going on loan. And what's my point? I have this feeling." So, that's it, and for me every game with CSKA is A. I see, I see. This is super motivation, yes, in general. I say, and you say yes. All. And here's the same thing . Understood. This is a red rag, yes. We are playing the Russian Cup. We are playing the Russian Cup then. It was impossible for CSKA to play. And we are playing in the Russian Cup final in Kazan. I just play for Khimki, there's a green one there. He has these foreigners there that he recruited. And I'm all set, I'll show you a foreigner now. And there, somewhere around 16 or 18, we won the Russian Cup, one of the few times that CSKA lost the cup final. That's it, we won, yes. And that's all. Me too, the same thing. I score a three on him there. Then I started reading. That's it, I've already forgotten about basketball. It is important for me to understand him and punish him. Well, that is cool. And I'll tell you more, I periodically had these, I call them treshk, these snacks, but at the same time, when we met on the basketball court, it was always, well, kind of normal, right? Yes, it's always fine. That is, what happens, well, we have this concept, what happens on the court, uh, never comes to life. And there are people who are directly dirty, understand? You don't have such a contact sport there anyway. No, no, well, of course, yes, it’s possible somewhere, but not like that . Well, no, not in volleyball. It's clear that basketball, football, contact hockey, you can do something like table tennis there, right? Yes, well, definitely, I have there in general [clears throat] I think that to this day, probably the most expensive fine in the European Cup belongs to me. That is, we played in Greece, then I played for Uni, we played in Greece. And just then this Greek guy provokes me, you know, there he is, like, once, once, well, several times, in short, he caught me dirty . And during the break we go into the locker room. Poshutin says that they are like, yes, yes, you can answer there. And I think, that’s it, I go out, I think, and I’m like: “Well, I’m more or less like you, but if I get a whistle, I immediately hit.” That is, I immediately, well, put it down. And here he is, I think, if you catch me now, you and here he is, he catches me on the screen. I think: "Well, come here." I run up as if I were hitting him with my elbow. I see, on the ass, I realized, it gets to the center on the ass. And we are playing, we are playing in Greece, in Aris, with a full stand. He falls in a convulsion, in short, he beats. Our opinion is that this shows a deletion, and this shows an unsportsmanlike foul. That is, they show an unsportsmanlike foul. That's it, you've hit two free throws and you continue playing. He lies down, they pull out a stretcher. They hang this collar around his neck on the stretcher . They take him out on a stretcher. We continue playing. I just got given an unsportsmanlike foul. But looking ahead, that is, he was simulating, there was not such a hard blow, he was simulating. He spent the entire end of the game rooting for his team without a collar, but they beat us. After the game, they ask me in interviews, like, Anton, well, how did you do that? I'm telling you the situation. The person doesn't post this interview right away. Yes. Then it turns out that I'm getting a five-match disqualification and a 30,000 euro fine or a 40,000 euro fine. And the disqualification is only for the Euroleague, right? Yes. At the European Cup. And the journalist also followed up with my interview, which I gave him on purpose. Understood? And like, cut it out, yeah, there's something there, right? I didn’t cut it out, but simply, well, the president calls me, Bogachev calls me. Anton, what the [ __ ] are you doing? [laughter] I understand, and here you have to do everything all over again. Well, you’re already in a losing situation. I'm pyk-myk. He says: “That’s it, if we don’t make it out of the group and into the European Cups, I’m gone.” Yeah. And that's all. And then four games without me. I'm going to court there. And then everything, lawyers sort it all out. They give me a 30,000 euro fine for three matches there . Well, a little bit, yes. I squinted a little - Yes, I'm sitting here, you can't imagine. I sat like this during every match of this European Cup. This is how I sat. I think we also won there, I understand, by a miracle there, by a miracle there. That's it , we've moved on, and I've already broken through the next stage. That is, they let me go , we just walked a long way there. But the funniest thing about all this is that a year or two later the Greek coach says: “Anton, here’s the situation. Listen, what do you think, should I hire the person you [laughter] imagine as your assistant?” Yes. Can you imagine, I look at him and I say: "Yeah, I don't care." Well, I arrived, he arrived, I, of course, came up to him, apologized, uh, because I kind of think that in a fit of emotion I made many, many mistakes that I shouldn’t have made. And this, uh, with this assault, well, you won’t achieve anything. But at that moment, you know, when you're going crazy , when you're completely blown away, right? Well, that is, everyone is like: "Yes, we condemn it." Well, it’s clear that we condemn, I condemn you too, but at the moment when all this is happening, you don’t control yourself. Well, yes . You don't think about the consequences, you do n't think about them at all. And, in short, in general, he and I then worked as my assistant, can you imagine? Well, that is to say, this is just like that; if you tell anyone, they won’t believe you. Well, it just happens like in the movies. Yes, yes . But it's funny and cool that you had this situation with the Selecton and then, because he's not a tyrant. That is, if you hadn’t taken him out, he [snorts] would never have invited you. 100%. This is a fact. Niko Kazan never carried passengers there. No. But he is still a passenger. Once. And secondly, when you are also in conflict with a person. Certainly. So, well, tell me, an offer comes from there, what does it all look like. We're playing the World Championship, and somewhere in the middle of the World Championship I make a decision. Okay, screw it, I'll go. Whatever, we have the balls, let's go. What? Let's go. Well, in general, I'm playing the World Championship. My knee hurts. Oleg himself calls me: "Lyokha, here and there. I heard you're having problems with your knee ." In short, buy a ticket to Italy right away. Via StР. Yes. [snorts] I say, look at your knee, if you need surgery, do the surgery, we’ll wait until the league starts. We'll all be there anyway, and that means we'll wait for you. Well, I'm coming to Stuart with the doctor, with the team doctor, uh, [snorts] we'll fly there on Thursday, get examined. The doctor pulled my knee and said, "Yeah, he's talking nonsense, like, play, you don't need surgery yet ." Well, I'm spending this weekend there in Rome, I'm flying straight to Moscow, and give the driver the keys to the car with my things, and I'm getting on the plane and heading to Kazan. Understood? Flew. Well, I'll arrive there at night, understand? And there at 7:00 in the morning a driver pulls up and says: “Photo session.” Understood? And at 10 o'clock I'm still lying down, still recovering from Italy . [laughter] Do you know what I mean? Yes. Let 's go to a photo shoot. Okay, let's meet with Oleg. Lyokha there represents the covad here. Glad to see you, that's all. But I'll tell you one thing. [snorts] Oleg at everyone, that is, you see, Leon, the best volleyball player in the world, got it and that is, he needs a job. Well, I've been a fishmonger all my life . There have never been any complaints about the work . And for 3 years, for 3 years of working with him, we have not had a single situation of misunderstanding. He never did anything, not even looked at the scythe, not even once. That is, it turns out that it is not quite you. Well, no, maybe he also remembered this situation, which did not happen to us . Yes, I think that he simply clearly understood that you, well, the deeper I go now, the more you understand that you are either, such an expression, a coward, you are either real, or you are a bunch of phonies. No, well, you know me, I've never worn a masach, so no, I'll explain it to you. And I mean that I have no doubt in Olehan’s professionalism. And so for him to unpack the fake or the real one. No, it’s clear. This is a matter of half a training session. Do you understand what I'm talking about? So, what is the question here? So what I'm getting at is that you just have a different reputation, but in reality it's completely different. Do you understand what I'm talking about? Well, the reputation already existed, that is, it can no longer be erased, therefore, well, reputation, again, there are people who know who I am on the Internet and who I am in life, these are two different people. It's clear that Twitter was there too . Well, there was a constant fire there. Listen, I’m really interested, we have [clears throat] I just want you to tell me through the prism of volleyball. For example, in basketball, a coach is very important because he can open up new horizons for a player. And the first understanding of the game. That is, roughly speaking, you have some simple, simple schemes there in the lower leagues , [snorts] simple solutions. You end up with a coach who, roughly speaking, is how I ended up with Mesina, and he tells you that basketball is not like this, it’s like this. Yeah. And these are complex mathematical movements that are calculated. And I mean, who in your career, or Olekhn, for example, helped you take volleyball to a new level, or is it impossible to do, can you only reach a new level through self-analysis ? Well, first of all, uh, you have to initially get to this level. And to get there, you know, I went through my career there from Odintsovo, from the second team to the first. In the entire history of Odintsovo Spark, no one has ever made it from the second team to the first, because they had a coaching policy. We have a shitload of money. Gromov was also the governor of Odintsova. It was one of the richest clubs in Russia at one time. And he had a policy: "I'd rather buy than raise my own." Class. Here are the trainers. Cool, huh? Well, then the national team coach arrived, who was and is now Zoran Gajec. Serb [snorts] this coach was kicked out. Zoran Gajevic arrived. Now he is the Minister of Sports of Serbia, that is, and he looks at me and says, well, like this . And he called me boy. He didn't remember my name. Understood. I'm a young pump , he says: "You will be with us." So that you understand? Wait, I just saw you. Well, I was on the second team, and he was on the first. Well, yes. Well, somewhere, somewhere, you know, someone, someone there, uh, in the first team broke down, someone there could have gotten sick. And sometimes they would connect me there, I understood, to training, like, young man, go there, give us a fourth outside hitter, a fourth outside hitter in the corner. No, no, go ahead and help us process. No, I got it. Well, here we say: "Go stand in the corner, don't bother us, the guys will sort it out, and you do something else." Well, I basically trained, and he was like: “You’ll be riding with us as fourth .” And that's how I got into the first team. And, so you understand, at that time the entire Russian national team, absolutely the entire one, was playing in Odintsov . And the legionnaire was Zhiba. He's the best player in the world there, you know, in my position there. Well, there was a gang there. And I am grateful to Gaech. He even gave me a few games to play in the lineup from A to Z, that is, full games. And after that he left and the same coach who had politics returned. Me And you already You already And I already Yes, in the first team. Well, he again recruits three people for my position there , who in theory should play. One legionnaire and two Russians. Well, it turns out that the legionnaire was constantly disappearing into stripteases. Good job, huh? And one Russian got sick there, and the second one got injured. And essentially I've always played. Well, that's all. And off we go. And the last years there, which Odintsov played for , I was already number one in my position. Well, that is to say, it's luck. I think this is a chance that was probably given to you by fate. Every athlete is given a chance. This is my policy, I think. Fine. And what about you and this chance is given to you, you either take it, or you don’t take it, or you don’t. Absolutely right. Listen, tell me, [snorts] how do you think you got this chance? Super efforts. Talent. Well, I came to the first team. I think that such a thing as talent. Well, what talent? What is 215 tall? No, well, let's say, a vertical jump. Well, yes, I was young, I was sharp there, yes, fast, sharp, but I still think that, as one coach said, what is talent. Talent is 85% of the work. Yes. 10% luck, but the rest is talent. Talent still needs to be developed, right? Certainly. I think it's been a long time since I've been a plowman all my life. Only through this plowing can you get this tiny chance, and you have to grab it, right? You have to grab it with your teeth and not let go 100%, ah, yeah, because if you're there or there, like, like you and I are now, a generation, and a generation to smoke, a generation to throw up, a generation, well, there and so on, and then they're like: "Oh, [ __ ], well, have you seen how young people still work in the gym?" No, this is a completely separate and distinct form of art. Here. Yes. So I was working on a boat with a young guy, and I came to a young guy on a boat, and I knew that there was volleyball there. Volleyball [snorts] was light, that is, no one came to you, warmed up, threw the ball. 20 minutes, 6, that's it, you're free. Hour 20, 1:30. And I had to devote a lot of time to myself in the gym. I always arrived 40 minutes before the gym's main opening hours. I did my job. The team came, I did, I did the team’s work, the whole team left, I stayed and did, finished my work. And this has been going on for the last 4 years now. And the young people came, I’ll just tell you, there was a young guy [snorts] who said: “Lyokh, we went on Friday.” They have a Friday there, you played a vran, they have such a sacred day, there is a family day, everything else there, they go out to the sea, barbecue, everything else. He says: "Let's go there and work." So I arrive with these young people and say: "Well, let's go." Well, I start working, he's sitting there on Instagram, he knows some chicks there, he likes them, I don't know who else, he's been sitting in some kind of approach, rolling a roller. Well, you know, it's fashionable now to roll these rollers with such an ass, rolled the roller. Okay, Lyokha, I'm going. You understand, this policy, he didn’t even touch anything. He didn't touch the iron. I'm currently working out with a guy, he's 58 years old. Now we are working out together as a couple. It's clear? He, he sits, he, he, Yes, I understand what he means on the farm, he has such hands, but he is healthy. And I say, he says: "Le, let's work in pairs." I say, [snorts] "Go ahead." Eh, eh, he says, he says: “Let’s follow your program, he says, it’s hard.” And so you understand, we are now with him from Monday to Friday for 3 hours. This is a minimum of 16 exercises, the maximum was 22 exercises for individual muscle groups. And at one point I cut off my tekle and said: “I won’t come tomorrow.” Well, I got through it all to the end, all the same, through character, through everything. That's why it's only a matter of , I don't know, well, probably character. I'm just killing myself on hardware. I absolutely love it and I'm actually really proud of how you've transformed in general. Do you remember the starting point when you decided that I was ready? Yes, I remember that. It was it was , you know, when it was September 1, 2000, either twenty-first, or twenty-second year. base. Well, one person motivated me, and so I thought: "Why can't I?" And how did I motivate you? Did he provoke you or did he say something? Well, it motivated me, let's say. I was talking to one person and I looked at him and then looked at myself in the mirror. I think, [ __ ], why can't I? You know, if I did a challenge, first on September 1st I went to the gym and did a challenge of 50 days without a day off in the gym for myself . And so I completed this challenge, lost ten, you know, kilograms, [ __ ], without adjusting my diet. No, with correction, of course. With correction, of course, without alcohol and that's it. And I got into this instruction, which I liked, and after that I couldn’t stop. Yes. Have you started studying? I didn't start learning anything. I studied everything on myself. Well, this is what I call study. Yes, I tried everything on myself. Then some coaches told me something. Well, in nutrition, I get it. What did I do in terms of nutrition? I cut out carbs completely and it helped me a lot. Although it was hard. Yes. I wanted to, you know, no. What's hard? Well, it's hard because it's a calorie deficit. You and you understand perfectly well that you lie down before going to bed and you want and want and not only you, but the guys want it too. You want to eat before going to bed. Right, guys? This is, this is normal. And you said that you went 50 days without alcohol ? No, I trained in the gym for 50 days. There was alcohol. No, you said that you removed the alcohol before that. Listen, I want to say a huge thank you for coming to us. That was really cool. And a special thank you to you, our subscribers. Please be sure to like and comment, because this will help promote our video, which I think will get a fair number of views. [music]