May 13 is a special date in the history of Dynamo Kyiv. On this day, the memory of the legendary coach Valerii Lobanovskyi, who passed away on May 13 2002 at the age of 63, is commemorated.
At first, Lobanovskyi glorified the white and blue colors of the Kyiv club on the football field as a bright and gifted player, and later, as a coach, he set the direction of the team’s development for many years to come. The most significant triumphs in the history of Dynamo are inextricably linked with the name of Valerii Lobanovskyi, who in different years and decades won outstanding victories and trophies with Kyiv side.
Every year on May 13 in Kyiv the memory of the outstanding Kyivan is commemorated and 2024 was no exception. In the morning, the closest people come to Maestro’s grave at the Baikove cemetery including his relatives, in particular his daughter Svitlana, and his trainees – legendary players Volodymyr Muntian, Leonid Buriak, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, who is currently continuing the work of Lobanovskyi, trying to lead Dynamo to new heights and triumphs. Club employees also honored the memory of the outstanding gaffer at the Baikove cemetery.
The traditional meeting in memory of Valerii Lobanovskyi was also held in the city center, near the colonnade of the Dynamo Stadium, which bears his name and where the monument was erected in his honor. Near the colonnade gathered both those close to Maestro and those who did not know him personally – fans, journalists, as well as trainees of Dynamo football school, which also bears the name of Valerii Lobanovskyi.
The famous journalist Oleksandr Lypenko told the young players and everyone present important facts from the biography of the legendary coach. For contemporaries and future generations, Valerii Lobanovskyi will remain a symbol of love and dedication to a great cause – football, a cause to which he devoted himself until the last days of his life.
The guests honored the legendary coach by laying flowers at the memorial and bowing their heads as a sign of deep respect for the man whose name is forever inscribed in golden letters in the history of FC Dynamo Kyiv.
