Dmitry Bulykin

Not long ago I met my friends and there was no way one of them could understand how it’d happened that I’d moved to Europe and still liked it.

When you come to Europe for two weeks - it’s one thing. When you come for a month - it’s another. The one who stays there for more then a month starts liking it. It's the third year I’ve been in Europe: first it was Germany, then Belgium, now again Germany. If you have the work you love, some friends, and you live in good cities, Europe is really great.

I speak fluently English , a little bit of German and understand some words in French. Somebody may think it’s too cool for a football player. But having played in Europe I’ve realized that I know very little. In Europe a football player who speaks two or three languages is a common occurrence. For example in Belgium all the players know at least three languages: Flemish, French and English. In this way Europe amazed me.

In Germany having a party after match whether in a restaurant or in a club is a common thing. And nobody scolds you. Rather, our coach tells us: “I know you guys are gonna drink tonight. So, if you do just don’t drive”. Can you imagine someone in Moscow saying something like this?

I’ve never in my life killed the bottle. But I don’t think that drinking several glasses of wine is a disaster for a man even if he’s a football player. On the contrary, it’s healthy. Once in Germany I was amazed seeing famous football players at the party with beer and being taken photos. "You’re welcome",- they said and didn’t hide their bottles. No paranoia. Everyone understands. We all are people.

The only thing I miss in Europe is my family. My wife and the daughter spend most of time in Russia.

I miss a little winter sports. It’s the second winter I’ve not been skating: it’s a football season in Europe in this time. I used to ski down the hill but then I tried snowboarding. The board gives me more emotions. I dream of going in for heli-boarding, parachuting down to the virgin soil. Some of my friends tried it, and they say the feelings you get can’t be compared with anything.

I still wouldn’t parachute. It’s a long time I’ve been dreaming of it but never managed. Even Vika Lopireva did it but I still wouldn’t.