Ukrainian international defender Oleksandr Zinchenko gave away the English Premier League title he won on Sunday with his Manchester City side to his country mired in war by the Russian invasion.
City retained the Premier League title on Sunday after a dramatic 3-2 home win over Aston Villa after they trailed with two clean sheets to finish the season just one point ahead of Liverpool, who had beaten Wolverhampton 3-1 after they too were behind.
Zinchenko played a part in bringing City back into the game after coming out early in the second half, in which Spanish coach Josep Guardiola’s team scored three goals in five minutes between the 76th and 81st minutes, including a brace by German substitute Ilkay Gundogan. The Ukrainian cornerback began to make a strong impression after winning the title, and during the coronation celebrations, he wrapped the League Cup in the Ukrainian flag.
Commenting on what he did, the 25-year-old said: “I am very proud to be Ukrainian and I would like to one day be able to bring this title to Ukraine for all Ukrainian people because they deserve it.”
Ukrainian football player Oleksandr Zinchenko for the 4th time deserved the championship of England.
The main trophy has become even more beautiful against the background of the flag of Ukraine. Zinchenko could not even hold back a tear when he saw this picture.
Respect to fellow countryman rice.twitter.com/JEs3e2TdFw
— Sputnik ATO News (@SputnikATO) May 22, 2022
Like all of his compatriots, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine left its mark on Zinchenko, who took part in peaceful anti-war pickets in Manchester and was highly critical of Russia’s invasion of his country. Zinchenko felt that helping City win the Premier League title for the fourth time in five seasons was the perfect way to thank his manager Guardiola, his teammates and the club’s fans who supported him during these very difficult times.
“At some point, especially at the beginning (the beginning of the invasion), I didn’t think much about football, because it was impossible to live in time with what was happening in my country. But with all the support I had in the past and during this period, we succeeded,” he said. What can I say? Support means everything to me, honestly.”
He continued: “I want to die (by sacrificing my life) for all this support, because what people have given me and what they have done for me during this most difficult period of my life is very valuable and I will never forget. , never.”
