Oleksandr Zinchenko invited a 10-year-old aspiring footballer to train at Manchester City after being forced to flee Ukraine.
The defender shared photos of the uplifting session with 'Andriy' on his Instagram page on Monday. The youngster is one of millions of children to have fled his homeland amidst the Russian invasion.
Zinchenko said he is dreaming of becoming a professional one day, just like the City defender. The 25-year-old, along with countrymen Andriy Yarmolenko of West Ham and Vitalii Mykolenko of Everton, have frequently reiterated their desire for peace in their native nation.
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All three received emotionally rousing receptions at football grounds in the weeks that followed the start of the invasion on February 24. More than 19,500 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK since, including Andriy.
Writing on his Instagram post, Zinchenko said: “This is Andriy. He is 10 years old. Today he is already safe.
“Like most Ukrainians, he and his family were forced to flee their homes because of the war. Another 75 days ago, this boy dreamed of becoming a footballer and trained carefree with his team.
“Today he dreams of only one thing - peace in our country. About peace. About normal life at home.”
He continued: “It hurts me a lot that because of the war in Russia, there are a lot of children like Andriy in Ukraine today. Deprived of childhood, and even worse - life.
“I believe that the day of our Ukrainian victory will come soon. And all children will be able to relive their carefree childhood, full of children's dreams and positive emotions, which today for a few minutes could feel Andriy at the training session.”
Zinchenko has 48 caps for Ukraine and is expected to play in his country’s World Cup play-off against Scotland next month. If successful, they will face Wales in the final for a place at Qatar 2022.
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