Alexander Petrenko is a young goalkeeper of Ukrainian origin who plays for the German club Bayer. He was recently called up to the Ukraine U17 national team. Currently, the team is competing in the European Championship, which is being held in Cyprus.
Petrenko has long been distinguished by his talent and hard work, which led him to the national team. From a young age, Alexander demonstrated outstanding abilities — first in Dynamo and Shakhtar, then in one of the Hungarian clubs, and he tirelessly worked on his skills. We are confident that great success and a bright career in European football await him in the future.
The 17-year-old Alexander Petrenko is heading towards new victories with Brave GK. In the photo, he is playing in gloves from the new collection — Brave GK Diamond Purple. This model combines stylish design and the latest technology, providing unparalleled comfort and reliability. Every element is designed with the needs of professional goalkeepers in mind.
The secret to the popularity of Brave GK lies in the fact that the gloves are designed by professional goalkeepers with extensive experience. This makes Brave GK a unique brand: we understand better than anyone what players need because we have gone through all the trials ourselves. In addition, our gloves combine innovative design and advanced technology, offering unparalleled comfort and reliability.
In addition to Petrenko, other goalkeepers also received call-ups for the training camp in May 2024: Ilya Voloshin, born on January 15, 2007, playing for "Real" (Spain), and Nazar Makarenko, born on June 21, 2007, playing for "Dnipro-1".
Recently, in an interview, Alexander Petrenko shared the story of his journey to Leverkusen's "Bayer":
When the full-scale war began, the "Dynamo" team, in which Alexander played, moved to Hungary. Staying in Ukraine was unsafe, so the club decided to take the players abroad to continue training. Conditions were created for training in Hungary, but Petrenko and his teammates rarely took the field.
Many players were loaned to "Kisvárda", a local team, and Alexander began training with their U-19 team. He played several matches, but the league was not of the highest level. Despite this, his team won by a huge margin, sometimes even with double-digit scores.
Alexander's father volunteered to go to the front, and his mother wanted to provide a more stable future for her son. Therefore, it was decided to move to Germany. There, Petrenko began looking for a team where he could train. His first trial was with "Fortuna" Düsseldorf, but there were housing issues. Then he trained with "Fortuna" Cologne, changing teams every week.
The next stop was "Bayer". Petrenko stayed there for two or three weeks, initially training only with the goalkeeper coach. After a few days, he was invited to train with the U-17 team, and then sent to the U-19. However, "Bayer" already had enough goalkeepers, and Alexander had to look for other options.
He went to "Mönchengladbach", where he trained for less than a week. He showed his best side there, but the club preferred to keep the German goalkeeper. Returning to "Fortuna" Cologne, Petrenko decided to stay there, hoping to be noticed by major clubs.
Suddenly, the head goalkeeper coach of "Bayer" called him, offering to return. Alexander joined the U-19 team, where he faced tough competition but was able to show his abilities.
The beginning of the season was successful, he played in every match until he got injured. A fracture in his left wrist put him out of action for three months. Now he is fully recovered and actively playing again.
At his first training session at "Bayer", Petrenko met, in his words, the team's most senior players, who are considered "bosses". These were Karim Bellarabi, who has already retired, and Kerem Demirbay. When they found out that Alexander was only 15 years old, they were a bit shocked and joked that he was still very young. There was no official invitation to train with the first team, the U-19 coach just told him: "Tomorrow you train with the first team".
When he first saw Xabi Alonso, Petrenko heard from him: "Sasha, welcome to the team". He was shocked and did not know what to say, as he was standing in front of a man who had won everything in football, whom he had only seen on TV before. This moment was incredible for Alexander. Xabi Alonso supports the young goalkeeper, often approaching him during training to give advice and discuss the training process.
Sometimes Alonso says: "Sasha, you trained well today" or "You could have done better here". These words provide significant support to Petrenko, helping him grow and improve.
Brave GK Diamond Purple gloves are designed for both training and games. They are made of 4 mm Supreme Contact latex with a 4 mm foam backing, produced in Germany. The gloves feature an advanced Rollfinger cut with ventilation and no seams between the fingers. The Fix Fit system with internal silicone elements provides improved ball control. The upper part of the glove is made of 4 mm latex with a 4 mm thermoregulatory backing.
There are no protective elements on the fingers, which allows for flexibility and comfort. The gloves are suitable for all types of weather, including rain, wind, and low temperatures. The closure is a flexible latex velcro, and the anatomical design ensures a secure fit on the hand. The palm latex wraps around the thumb, creating a more ergonomic grip and a snug fit. The cuff is made of highly elastic material, providing additional wrist support. The color of the gloves is white with a purple logo.
