Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has asserted his willingness to forgo football and fight for his country Ukraine in the ongoing war with Russia if he is called upon.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, the former Manchester City left-back also revealed that he has donated about £1m to help people in his home country since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
During the interview, the footballer was asked if he would answer a call-up to fight, or stay to play football in the Premier League.
The Arsenal defender was quick to point out that he valued his country over playing in the Premier League because he has school mates fighting for the country.
“I think it’s a clear answer. I would go to fight, It’s tough to understand that just recently we’ve been in the same school, we were playing in the playground or on the football pitch, and now they have to defend our country,”
“And, honestly, it’s so hard to accept this, but it is what it is. We cannot give up,” he said.
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The Arsenal defender however has hope that the war will soon end.
“I have a dream that this war will end very, very soon, and we can rebuild our Ukraine like we really want to,” he added.
Zinchenko will now channel his energy into Arsenal’s quest to win the Premier League title this season whereas also battling for a spot in the semifinals of the Champions League.