Oleksandr Zinchenko and former teammates met in an awkward reunion as Manchester City beat Arsenal in FA Cup match-up.
Following his £30 million summer transfer to the Emirates, the Arsenal player made his first-ever trip back to the Etihad on Friday night.
The 26-year-old Zinchenko came off the bench for the final 24 minutes as his team lost the FA Cup by a score of 1-0.
During his six years at the Etihad, Zinchenko won four Premier League championships, four EFL Cups, and an FA Cup. When he entered the game at Etihad Stadium, City supporters gave him a standing ovation.
Following the final horn, Pep Guardiola’s team approached him and got personal with him.
Kyle Walker pulled on Zinchenko’s ear and slapped his arm as they surrounded the Ukrainian.
Walker also threw Zinchenko to the ground after hoisting him up in a bear grip, appearing to inflict some harm on the defender.
Then Ilkay Gundogan seemed to give him a playful slap on the face.
After chatting with Riyad Mahrez, Zinchenko became agitated, and Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo were observed laughing in his face.
When Zinchenko handed Walker his shirt and they hugged and headed down the tunnel, it seemed like everything had ended amicably.
However, several social media users claimed Zinchenko was being “bullied” by members of his former squad.
One user posted: “City bullied Zinchenko like their little brother.”
Zinchenko getting bullied like the youngest brother 🤣pic.twitter.com/Wi5Bq03hmU
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) January 27, 2023
After initially appearing to lose his cool, Zinchenko himself seemed to take it all in stride.
After initially appearing to lose his cool, Zinchenko himself seemed to take it all in stride.
He downplayed the situation in an Instagram post on Saturday, saying he “will always be pleased to see” his old teammates.
Zinchenko wrote further: “Not the result what we came for but we will bounce back!”
“There are no old friends – there are friends with whom there are many good memories and you will always be glad to see each of them.”
“There is no past home – there is a place where you were very happy, and now you are happy to return.”
“Thank you Etihad for the warm welcome! See you soon at Emirates, I hope you will have fun!”
Jack Grealish reacted on Zinchenko’s Instagram post describing the football star as his “guy”.
The England and City Star commented: “My brother no matter what! U deserve everything my guy.”
With league matches left to play against their title rivals, Manchester City, Zinchenko and Arsenal are now five points ahead of them at the top of the Premier League table.
Before the follow-up match at the Etihad in late April, the two teams square off once again on February 15 at the Emirates.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Zinchenko, a professional football player from Ukraine who plays as a defender or midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and the national team of Ukraine, was born on December 15, 1996.
Zinchenko started his professional career at Ufa of the Russian Premier League before moving on to Manchester City in 2016 for a reported £1.7 million.
He began his career as an attacking midfielder, but under Pep Guardiola he finally switched to left back or wing back.
Since then, he has helped the team win an FA Cup, four League Cups, and four Premier League championships.
Zinchenko signed a long-term contract with Premier League team Arsenal on July 22, 2022, for a reported sum of £30 million, which may increase to £32 million in add-ons.
He joined the team on August 5 and contributed his first club assist in a 2-0 Premier League victory away at Crystal Palace.
Zinchenko, a full member of the Ukrainian national team since 2015, represented his nation at UEFA Euro 2020.
