Oleksandr Zinchenko’s journey to the English Premier League (EPL) was not an easier one. The Ukraine international endured a lot of difficulties before his eventual breakthrough.
His road to Arsenal is that of sacrifice, hard work and commitment. Many people would have given up if they were to go through what Oleksandr went through both in Ukraine and Russia.
Zinchenko’s remarkable professional career began eight years ago at Shakhtar Donetsk. He was part of Shakhtar Donetsk’s under 19 side that faced Arsenal back in 2014 in an European fixture at Meadow Park.
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The 25-year-old played against the likes of current Bayern Munich forward Serge Gnabry, Hector Bellerin, and Alex Iwobi.
However, Zinchenko was forced to terminate his contract at Shakhtar Donetsk and flee to Russia with his mother when war broke out in Donbas.
In order to stay fit, Zinchenko, who was 17-years-old then, had to play street football and try his luck at various armature clubs.
He kept trying until he found himself at Russian giants, Rubin Kazan. At Rubin Kazan, Zinchenko trained without earning a single cent, until Ufa FC acquired his services.
Former Rubin Kazan head coach, Rinat Bilyaletdinov, once revealed that Zinchenko’s teammates had to contribute some money to help him cater for his needs.
“He had no salary and thus players just collected money so that he would be able to buy himself something in the city. Eventually we were informed that signing him was impossible, and he left," Bilyaletdinov was quoted by Mirror Football.
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Mirror Football further reports that former controversial Arsenal player, Emmanuel Frimpong, once helped the former Ufa FC player to learn the English language ahead of his big move to the current EPL champions Manchester City FC but Zinchenko never paid him.
“He never paid me for my work. We agreed with him that he would pay me when he left. I usually charge Ksh232,000 (USD2,000) an hour but he is my friend, so there is only Ksh118,000 (USD1000) for him. I spent so much time on him! Tell him it's very important,” Frimpong was quoted.
Oleksandr’s breathtaking displays at both Ufa FC and in international competitions is what made Manchester City notice his talent. The Cityzens signed him and sent him on loan to PSV Eindhoven.
In 2016, Zinchenko scored a goal against Romania, becoming the youngest player to score for Ukraine in an international competition. Andriy Shevchenko was the previous holder of that record.
Although Oleksandr was playing at the midfield, Spanish tactician Pep Guardiola moved him to the left back position when he arrived at City. He went on to win numerous titles at Etihad including the 2021/2022 EPL title.
Zinchenko’s stint at City was not that smooth. He once got into problems with Guardiola when his wife, Vlada Sedan, criticized the gaffer for their champions league quarter final defeat in the hands of French side, Olympic Lyon.
Sedan later disclosed that Pep forgave Zinchenko and even joked about the issue during his 50th birthday celebration.
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