Rebrov played padel with the former captain of the Russian national team
Serhiy Rebrov, former head coach of the Ukrainian national team and current vice president of the Ukrainian Football Association, played padel in Spain with Vasyl Berezutskyi, former captain of the Russian national team. A video of their match appeared online and sparked debate because Berezutskiy has had a long career in Russian soccer and served as head coach of the Ural club until June 2026.
Serhiy Rebrov found himself in the spotlight after playing a game of padel with Russian soccer player and coach Vasyl Berezutskyi. They played together in Spain. A video of the match was posted online. Berezutsky is a former player for the Russian national team. He played more than 100 matches for the national team. Berezutsky captained the Russian national team at the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 European Championship. He also played in Euro 2008.
After retiring as a player, Berezutsky transitioned to coaching. Until June 2026, he led the Russian soccer club Ural. It is precisely for this reason that Rebrov and Berezutsky’s joint appearance sparked a reaction within the Ukrainian soccer community. Rebrov led the Ukrainian national team until the summer of 2025. After stepping down as head coach, he remained with the Ukrainian Football Association and is currently its vice president.
A video showing Rebrov playing with Berezutsky has gone viral on social media. It shows them spending time on a padel court in Spain. Padel is a racket sport that is particularly popular in Spain. It is typically played in pairs on a court surrounded by glass or metal walls. The rules of padel are largely similar to those of tennis, but the court is smaller, the rackets are different, and players are allowed to use the ball’s bounce off the walls. There is currently no public information about the purpose of Rebrov and Berezutsky’s meeting in Spain or whether their game was a private match.
At the same time, the joint appearance of the Ukrainian soccer official and the former captain of the Russian national team has sparked discussion in the Ukrainian sports media and on social media.
Earlier, it was reported that Kyiv’s Dynamo had ended its run in the 2026/27 European club competitions. In the third qualifying round of the Conference League, the Kyiv team lost 2–0 to Azerbaijan’s “Qarabağ.” “Dynamo” conceded the first goal early in the match. Zubir crossed the ball from the left side of the penalty area to Silva. Silva’s volley was off target, but Muaddib picked up the ball and sent it under the crossbar.
In the second half, “Qarabağ” scored again. Jafarkuliev broke down the left flank and sent a cross into the penalty area. Ukrainian soccer player Oleksiy Kashchuk, who plays for the Azerbaijani club, scored from close range. Dynamo was unable to mount a comeback. The Kyiv team lost 2–0 and ended their run in the 2026–27 European Cup season. This was reported by “Football of Ukraine.”
As a reminder, on August 11, Elina Svitolina defeated Russia’s Katerina Aleksandrova in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Toronto and advanced to the semifinals. The Ukrainian lost the first set but staged a comeback to win the match in three sets—3–6, 6–0, 6–3.
Prior to that, Ukraine’s top-ranked player, Elina Svitolina, secured a victory in the round of 16 at the prestigious WTA 1000 tournament being held in Toronto.
