Ukrainian left-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko captained Manchester City to beat Championship side Peterborough on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.
Fortunately for Oleksandr Zinchenko, Manchester City were able to beat the resilient Championship side in the 5th round of the FA Cup. The 2-0 away win was enough to qualify the Premier League side to the next round of the tournament.
The FA Cup 5th round game was the first time Zinchenko had the opportunity to captain Manchester City in a competitive game.
Before the FA Cup game, the substantive captain of the reigning Premier League champions, Fernandinho, decided to hand over the captaincy armband to Zinchenko as a form of support to the Ukrainian footballer whose country is currently being invaded by Russia.
Ahead of the game, coach Pep Guardiola told ITV Sport: “Our captain decided to give the armband to him, to show how important the situation is. We are all at the club behind this gesture and behind my captain, who represents his country.”
Before kick-off, Oleksandr Zinchenko and the captain of Peterborough Frankie Kent carried a Ukrainian flag in solidarity with Ukraine.
After that, the two players stood on the pitch and snapped with the match officials holding the Ukrainian flag.
At the end of the game, coach Pep Guardiola noted that football is best for Zinchenko amid the ongoing war in his country.
The Spanish tactician admitted that it has not been an easy period for the 25-year-old Ukrainian footballer, noting that Manchester City is solidly behind him.
“Yes of course it is not an easy period for Alex”, coach Guardiola said.
“He got not just [support from our fans], but all around the world, the UK, about this insane situation we are living in right now.
“Playing football is the best way for him. We are through to the next round and it was a good night knowing the difficulty of the FA Cup away.
“They started much better than us in the second half but the rest, we controlled difficult conditions on the pitch, we adapted well and at the end, the quality of the players made the difference.”
What is the personal life of Oleksandr Zinchenko?
Oleksandr Zinchenko was born on December 15, 1996, in Radomyshl, Ukraine. He started pursuing his football career in Ukraine between 2011 and 2012. He joined Manchester City on July 4, 2016.
Zinchenko has been playing for Ukraine national team Since October 12, 2015. Since then, the 25-year-old left-back has made 48 international appearances in which he scored 8 goals.
Oleksandr Zinchenko is married to a stunning Ukrainian female TV presenter Vlada Sedan. They have been married since August 2020.
They both tied the knot a year after the footballer proposed marriage to the TV presenter inside the 70,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Kyiv.
Zinchenko and his 26-year-old wife welcomed their first child together in 2021. But it is not clear whether they both live together in Manchester due to the nature of Vlada Sedan’s job.
Reports claim that Zinchenko earns £1,040,000 per year. His weekly take-home is said to be £20,000 -per-week. His contract with Manchester City will expire on June 30, 2024.
