Srna also shares his views on Arda Turan's promising managerial career, the secret behind Croatia's seemingly endless stream of world-class players, and why, despite his family being in London and the journey taking up to 20 hours, he wouldn't have it any other way.
After giving so much to Shakhtar as a player and captain, how hard was it to transition into the sporting director role?
"I didn't have too many problems making that change, because I just continued working at my club. For me, it's more than a club. It's my football family. Of course, you sometimes miss the adrenaline of the pitch and the fans, but you must understand when it's time to stop, and it's very important to choose the right moment. I think I found the perfect one.
"After retiring, I became an assistant coach under Luis Castro, and after one year, I became sporting director. I went through the necessary steps. I'm still young and still learning. But I should mention: I became sporting director during the war, and believe me, it's not easy. You're not just a sporting director. At times, you're a father, mother, sister, brother, uncle, everything. During the war, it's difficult just to keep your focus on the job."
Did you find it difficult to recruit players and convince them to come to Shakhtar?
"In the beginning, yes. We signed Castilho from Venezuela, and Gio (Giorgi Gocholeishvili) from Georgia. We didn't focus on Brazilian players immediately, because it was a really tough time. But step by step, as we adjusted to the reality of the war, we started signing Brazilians again: Pedrinho, Kevin, Marlon, Alisson, Isaque and others. In the meantime, we also sold a lot of players."
Is winning trophies and competing in Europe still the main challenge for Shakhtar?
"Even after losing 14 players, we played in the Champions League and performed very well. We drew against Real Madrid in the final seconds. We beat RB Leipzig, and under (Marino) Pusic, we beat Barcelona. We represent Ukrainian football in European competition, and that is very important to us."
What changed when Arda Turan came in, and was it difficult to bring him on board as head coach?
"I knew of Arda Turan from my playing days, but we didn't have a personal connection. Like with players, we always maintain a list of potential coaches, and we look for young, ambitious, hungry ones. It's difficult to bring a 'finished' coach to Shakhtar.
"If you look at our coaching history - (Paulo) Fonseca didn't have much experience when he arrived, (Roberto) De Zerbi had some, and Pusic and (Igor) Jovicevic had experience but weren't finished products either. They all grew enormously with us. Arda is the same.
"We started following his work in the Turkish top division, and he did an amazing job. He won promotion from the second division and came within three or four points of qualifying for Europe. That was a historic result. We are not afraid of young, ambitious coaches."
And what did he change in the dressing room?
"First of all, he agreed to come immediately. During wartime, that's a big deal. The same goes for Jovicevic and Pusic before him; they both said yes straight away. They understood the situation - yes, there's a war, but they also understood what kind of club they were joining.
"Arda said yes immediately. Then we went into deep discussions about football, had two meetings before signing the contract, and our CEO Sergey and I flew to Istanbul and signed the deal in one day. After that, he called me every day asking about the players - where they were, how they were connecting with each other. He wanted to get started right away. He's young, but he has the qualities to have a very bright future as a coach."
You've worked with many top coaches. Where do you see Arda Turan in the next few years? Can he reach one of the top five leagues?
"If you look at every coach who has come through Shakhtar, they all moved upward. Luiz Castro went to Botafogo, Pusic is now at Al Jazira with great results, Jovicevic went to Qatar, then Arabia, then Ludogorets. De Zerbi went to Brighton, Fonseca went to Roma. We don't just develop players, we develop coaches too.
"With Arda, I'm certain he will have an amazing future. But first, we have a lot of work to do together at Shakhtar, and we take it step by step."
In the 2009 UEFA Cup final, you were named 'Man of the Match'. How do you remember that moment?
"Winning a European trophy with Shakhtar... I arrived in 2003, and we won in 2009. It was something unbelievable for Ukrainian football and for the whole country. After that, we built an incredible team at the Donbas Arena. But then, because of Russia, we lost everything, starting in 2014. Our stadium, our training ground, our home, our fans.
"But we are still alive, because of our president, Rinat Akhmetov. For him, football is not a business - it's love, emotion, adrenaline. This year will be 30 years since he became the president of Shakhtar. There are not many presidents like him in the world. He is truly unique."
Let's talk about the Brazilian players - how did they first come to Shakhtar, and do you have a special scouting operation there?
"That process began in 2003 and 2004. The first was Brandao, then Matusalem from Brescia. We quickly realised we were doing very well with Brazilian players. The strategy was clear: A Ukrainian and European defensive structure, a mixed midfield, and Brazilian flair in attack. We've maintained that from 2004 right up to today.
"All our Brazilian players went on to play at top clubs. Fernandinho, Fred, Willian, Douglas Costa. Some of them are still playing at the highest level."
Did you find it difficult to get them to adapt to Ukrainian and European football?
"For them, it's not easy to come to Shakhtar, but they know the history. I always tell them: speak to (Alex) Teixeira, speak to Fernandinho, speak to Willian, speak to our former players, and you'll get the best information. They'll tell you: 'You have to go there'.
"Shakhtar is that bridge between Brazil and the top European clubs, alongside Benfica, Ajax, and Porto. Unfortunately, now we don't have the luxury of time. Before, we could wait - Willian had almost a year to adapt, Fernandinho had eight months.
"Now we're buying players at 18 and putting them straight into the team. Isaque, for example, is 18 years old and has already scored five or six goals. On one hand, it's a risk, but given the circumstances - the war, limited funds, limited time - you have no choice."
How was it negotiating Georgiy Sudakov's transfer to Benfica?
"It wasn't difficult, because we have a strong relationship with Benfica. They bought (Anatolii) Trubin and Sudakov; they wanted Kevin as well, and we bought Pedrinho from them. We have an excellent relationship with their former president and with Rui Costa today. But they had to know they needed to pay a proper fee for Shakhtar's number 10."
Were there also clubs from the Premier League interested?
"Yes, we were very close with Italian and English clubs as well. Sudakov is a truly great talent."
Could Artem Bondarenko follow a similar path?
"Possibly. We're in a difficult balance right now - a lot of travel, many injured players. But we have a very deep, strong squad in midfield, and right now we're not feeling the absences. If you look at this season across Europe, it's reportedly one of the worst years for injuries in two decades. And you have to consider that we're travelling 15 to 16 hours for our home matches. That takes a physical and mental toll. Going from a stadium with 36,000 fans to one with 4,000 or 5,000 - that's a mentality challenge. But we're building that mentality."
Read our full interview with Bondarenko here!
Looking back, what's your impression of Mykhailo Mudryk's transfer to Chelsea?
"A lot of people said he wasn't worth the money. That's not true. Why would Chelsea pay that for him? Why did Arsenal want him? Why did the whole of Europe want Mudryk? The problem is that he arrived at Chelsea during one of their most difficult periods in 25 years.
"When someone pays €70 million for you, they expect miracles, but football doesn't work that way. You can find many examples: Isak at Newcastle, Grealish - I could list many. He's still a young player. Before Chelsea, he'd played maybe 10 or 12 Champions League matches."
How does Croatia keep producing so many top talents? What's the secret?
"We have something... I'm not sure what it is, but we have something. A population of 3.5 million, yet we're strong in almost every sport. People ask me and (Ivan) Rakitic the same question all the time. There's no secret formula. We're hungry. We're from the street. We don't have a national training centre or top-level stadiums, but we have character and mentality."
Do you see similarities between Croatian football and Ukrainian football?
"There are comparisons. When I played for Hajduk Split, I played for almost nothing. I had a salary, but my dream was simply to play for Hajduk. I didn't care about money. Today, players are receiving serious money in Croatia that they often couldn't get in Europe at that stage. To me, that's not a good thing. Croatian clubs must live off their academies, like Porto. Of course, you need foreign players too, but the focus must be on Croatian talent first."
What's been the toughest negotiation of your career so far as sporting director?
"Our CEO Sergey handles most of the contractual side. My role is more about the person. I want to get a feel for the player before we sign. I speak to him directly, sometimes to his parents, to his agent. I do a deep analysis to minimise the risk. But you will still make mistakes.
"Sometimes a player doesn't adapt mentally or personally to a new country. That's part of football, part of life. People say Shakhtar are a big club because we spend €50 or €60 million - but we also sell players for €140 million. We buy 18-year-olds and develop them. That's the model."
How do you view the role of agents in professional football today?
"I'll be honest, I don't like most of them. I have some I respect, and I tell them directly: 'You're fighting for yourself, not for the player'. That's wrong. You should fight for the player. Today, football is pure business; agents are sometimes asking for more in commission than the player earns in salary. It's no secret. I don't like that kind of relationship. And in my experience, when an agent pushes too hard and keeps changing the numbers, the transfer rarely works out well."
Finally, where do you see Darijo Srna in five or 10 years?
"If you ask my wife and children, they'd say at home by the sea. But my wife knew from the very first day that I cannot live without football. For the moment, I'm here, and I'm happy. My family has been living in London for six years, and whenever I have three days free, I go to them. When negotiations and travel allow, we're always together.
"That support is everything, especially now, when the journey from London to here can take 17, 18, or even 20 hours, depending on the border situation. It's nothing like before, when there were three daily flights, and I could be at Heathrow in under three hours. But they understand what this club means to me. I will be with this club until the end. And I will be with Ukraine until the end."