‘We have lost our home but we haven’t found our identity’ – Shakhtar Donetsk Eye of European success

Running a successful football club in a country at war is no easy task, never mind the history and glory of Shakhtar.

Over the past 20 years, the club’s model has been to buy and develop young Brazilian talents and then sell them to Europe’s biggest clubs to make a profit.

Fernandinho, Douglas Costa, Willian and Fred are just a few who have used Shakhtar as a stepping stone to Europe’s elite.

Shakhtar have always combined South American flair with academy-grown talent – the £89m sale of Mikael Mudric to Chelsea in 2023 showed this could be a lucrative route.

However, FIFA’s decision to allow both foreign and domestic players to leave Ukrainian clubs for free in 2022 has left Shakhtar in a difficult position.

“It was a big problem because we lost top talent. We lost 14 players and a coaching staff,” Palkin said. “So we started building a new Ukrainian team.”

Shakhtar have gradually returned to form, thanks to their relationships with clubs and players in Brazil.

Turan has 12 Brazilians in his squad, with more expected to arrive in the summer. Despite the uncertainty of war, the Brazilians jumped at the chance to join them.

“We’re not selling them comfort, because everyone understands the war, it’s not comfort. We’re selling their way of working,” Palkin said.

“We have lost our home, but we have not lost our identity. We follow our procedures, we follow our model, what we are building.”