In emotional scenes at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, a tearful Oleksandr Zinchenko placed the Ukraine flag on the Premier League trophy.
Manchester City came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at home to win the Premier League for the fourth time in five years, scoring three goals in a dramatic five-minute period.
In his final game, Zinchenko came on at halftime in place of club captain Fernandinho and helped change the game with a superb second-half performance, assisting Rodri’s equalizer.
While there were wild scenes following City’s title win, there was a touching moment involving Zinchenko.
He emerged from the tunnel carrying his Ukraine flag, which he draped over the blue ribboned trophy.
The gesture was particularly poignant given Vladimir Putin’s and Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and Zinchenko sobbed.
His teammates consoled the former Shakhtar Donetsk player.
Following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Zinchenko has been outspoken about the conflict and expressed gratitude for the support he has received during this difficult time.
He also intends to return the trophy to his homeland in the future.
“Unforgettable emotions for me – for all Ukrainians who are at the moment starving, and surviving in my country because of Russian aggression,” he told Sky Sports.
“I am so proud to be Ukrainian and I would love one day to bring this title to Ukraine, for all Ukrainian people because they deserve it.
“It means everything for me – I would die for these people and their support. What people gave me and what they have done for me during this period, the toughest period of my life, I am so appreciative and I will never forget this, never in my life.
“At some point, in the beginning of the war I didn’t think about football because it’s impossible to live and know what is happening in my country. But with all the support I have had, we did it.”
Zinchenko signed for City for just £1.7 million from Russian side FC Ufa and after being converted into a left-back, has won a total of ten trophies with the club.
