---
title: "Toughest Opponents: Valeriy Bondar Names Lukaku and Djekereš as the Main Challenges of His Career"
description: "Shakhtar defender Valeriy Bondar named the toughest opponents in his career: Romelu Lukaku and Viktor Djekereš. In the interview, he also recalled his youthful rivalry with Phil Foden. ⚽🇺🇦"
date: 2026-07-08T20:14:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/valeriy-bondar-names-toughest-opponents-lukaku-and-djekeres
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Toughest Opponents: Valeriy Bondar Names Lukaku and Djekereš as the Main Challenges of His Career

![Romelu Lukaku in Champions League match against Sheriff: a tough opponent for Valeriy Bondar](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/09/valeriy-bondar-nazval-samyh-slozhnyh-oppontov-lukaku-i-dyekeresh/valeriy-bondar-nazval-samyh-slozhnyh-oppontov-lukaku-i-dyekeresh-1.webp)

In an exclusive interview with RBK-Ukraine, defender of Donetsk's "Shakhtar" Valeriy Bondar shared his thoughts on the most difficult opponents he has faced on the football field. The 27-year-old player, who has progressed from the academy to wearing the captain's armband for the national team, named the players against whom it was particularly hard for him to perform.

### Lukaku and Djekereš: Two Poles of Difficulty

Bondar admitted that the Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku has always been his toughest opponent. However, after the match against the Swedish national team in March 2026, he placed the Swedish striker Viktor Djekereš on the same level as Lukaku. In that decisive World Cup 2026 qualifier, Djekereš scored a hat-trick, and the Ukrainian national team lost.

"I have always said that playing against Lukaku was the hardest for me. Throughout my entire career. But now I will put them on the same level with Djekereš. In my opinion, this player possesses all the qualities that a modern high-class forward should have," Bondar noted.

### Meeting Future Stars

The defender paid special attention to his encounter with Phil Foden, who is now a star of "Manchester City." In 2017, Bondar faced the Englishman in a youth tournament. According to the Ukrainian, it was already obvious back then that Foden had serious potential.

"If we take the U-19 category, playing against Manchester City in general was difficult. Regarding Foden: even then, it was clear that the player had serious potential. And, finally, he has grown into a quality player who now represents one of the best clubs in the world," Valeriy recalls.

### Key Matches of His Career

One of the brightest episodes in Bondar's career was the Champions League group stage match on December 9, 2020, where "Shakhtar" drew with Milan's "Inter." In that game, the central defender of the "miners," partnering with Vitao and Davit Khocholava, managed to stop the dangerous duo of Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.

Bondar made his debut for "Shakhtar" in 2019. The academy graduate quickly earned a place in the starting lineup, gaining special trust under Luis Castro. A year later, he debuted for the Ukrainian national team, and in 2019, under the guidance of Oleksandr Petriv, he became the world champion in the U-20 category.