13 fun facts about Oleksandr Zinchenko

Zinchenko has revealed in numerous interviews that Ronaldinho was his idol growing up. The 26-year-old looked up to the Barcelona legend during his formative years, and aspired to emulate him as he started out as a forward.

The Ukraine international, though, was unable to replicate the Brazil maestro's magic on the pitch, not due to a lack of ability, but because he quickly switched position and now plays as either an inverted left-back or midfielder.

Zinchenko told Arsenal.com: “I was a striker myself when I started.

“Then I was a left winger, then midfielder, now a left-back. Maybe I will finish as a centre-back or a goalkeeper!

"But it was the forwards I enjoyed watching, it was Ronaldinho when he was at Barcelona. He was just unbelievable.

"Everyone had their idols, and mine was Ronaldinho. For me I’d say he’s the greatest player ever.

"There is no doubt how good Lionel Messi is, and everyone has their own tastes and their favourites, but for me the best was Ronaldinho.”

Zinchenko has spoken openly about the importance of family in his life, but he shares a close relationship with his mother, Irina, who has been a driving force in his football career.

You see, Zinchenko began playing football at an early age but not without some setbacks. As a six-year-old, he went to a trial for his local team Carpathia but he got rejected because he was quote unquote "too small". He came back a year later but this time none of his teammates wanted to pass the ball to him.

Thus, a young Zinchenko came home after practice frustrated and told his mom the story. Then she responded to him: “If they won’t pass to you, go and win the ball!”

That spurred him on as he was accepted shortly afterwards.

He credits his mother with instilling in him the values of hard work, determination, and resilience that have helped him achieve success on and off the field.

He has also expressed his gratitude to his mother for the sacrifices she has made to support his football career, including travelling long distances to watch him play, working housekeeping jobs to earn survival money when they moved countries, and providing him with emotional and moral support during challenging times.

Zinchenko joined the youth ranks of Ukrainian giants, Shakhtar Donetsk, in 2010 with the intention of breaking into the first team, but things did not go as planned.

“I had two years left on my contract and they told me I had to continue with them but not to play in the first team. My dream was to play in the first team,” he said years later in an interview.

Despite captaining the club's youth sides, Shakhtar didn’t want to hand him his breakthrough, and blocked his pathway to the first-team.

“They said if I don’t sign, then I won’t play for them, even for their youth team which I managed. So far about four months, I was depressed. I just attended every training session but didn’t play. I was on my own exile,” he said about the treatment.

To make matters worse, war broke out and the club went into crisis mode, shifting their base out of the affected region. Still, they were not ready to let the youngster go for the betterment of his career.

By contrast, FC Ufa provided Zinchenko with a chance to establish himself as a regular starter in the Russian Premier League, which could help him to develop his career and showcase his talent to potential suitors.

After excelling at the Shakhtar Donetsk academy, Zinchenko was in line to be rewarded with a longer, more lucrative contract by the Ukrainian giants. However, he had no idea that in a few weeks he will leave everything he knows behind, afraid for his life and his dream of becoming a professional footballer appeared to be over.

In April 2014, tensions between government forces and separatists with ties to Russia in the Donbas region escalated. Afraid for their lives Zinchenko's family decided to flee the country and move to Moscow. The youngster unilaterally terminated his contract with Shakhtar by sending them a letter but to no response.

While they were safe, they lost their jobs, and were in desperate need of money. His father began looking for work as a coach again, while his mother took on housekeeping jobs to help the family cover basic expenses.

A glimpse of hope came for Zinchenko when Russian outfit Ruben Kazan showed some interest after several trials, however Shakhtar warned them they still held his registration and did not want to sell him. He was a refugee footballer, with no club and a once promising career now seemed to be over.

At this tough time, Zlatan Ibrahimovic's awesomely outrageous autobiography provided the youngster unexpected comfort as well as motivation to not give up on his dream. Zinchenko is a big fan of Ibrahimovic's aggression on the pitch, as well as his unwavering attitude to life and determination to create his own path.

Zinchenko joined up with local amateur teams in the area to keep himself in shape. Fortunately, the turning point came seven months later when Russian Premier League outfit FC Ufa signed him, albeit Zinchenko had to pay a compensation of €8,000 to Shakhtar when the case went to court down the line.

Zinchenko once planted a kiss directly on the cheek of female reporter Vlada Sedan live on television in post-match interview after Ukraine's comfortable 5-0 win over Serbia in their Euro 2020 qualifier.

There was initial outrage on social media at the kiss, with many presuming it was without the lady's consent, but it soon became clear that Zinchenko and Sedan were close friends and that rumours had been rife about whether they were dating.

The on-screen smooch confirmed the speculation, and the show of affection caused Sedan to blush on camera as well. The relationship got stronger over time, and he even proposed to her four months later after Ukraine secured their place in Euro 2020.

Zinchenko’s proposal to his wife Vlada was certainly not his proudest moment. Speaking to www.FootballersLives.tv, he said: “The way I proposed is the worst proposal ever, ever – it’s impossible, it’s so shameful.

“Instead of this [the original plan], I did it that night around 4am, or 3am in her apartment, being in just boxers, almost naked.

“I would like to give advice to everyone who is planning to do the proposal, please don’t do it my way. I became crazy at the time. I went outside walking for a while, bought a lot of flowers for her that morning. Why I did it in the apartment instead of anywhere else? It’s not the most important, but it’s important for the memory.”

Vlada looked beyond the style of the proposal, and said 'yes', but the answer was never in doubt for Zinchenko despite having done so at 4am wearing his boxer shorts.

“Of course she did," the 26-year-old continued. “First of all because I am the Ukrainian Brad Pitt and I’m in my boxers – amazing body as well.”

He concluded: “Honestly I am going to regret all my life my proposal – the worst thing ever – it’s incredible."

Following the first proposal, Zinchenko did pull off a better one as he went down on one knee in the 70,000-seater Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, where the couple wore the national team shirt and were surrounded by thousands of red and white roses arranged in the shape of a heart.

Despite his proposal seriously lacking in romantic spark, it did a fine job. The wedding took place in August 2020, but it was not without any late drama. Sedan criticised City boss Guardiola following City's Champions League exit at the hands of Lyon in the 2019-20 season, questioning the Spaniard's tactics as Guardiola opted to start three central defenders against the Ligue 1 outfit.

Because of her criticism online, Zinchenko had to speak out and clear a few things about it on their wedding day, where he admitted his wife produced an emotional reaction, and that she was wrong to slam Guardiola. He decided to apologise to Guardiola over the phone straightaway. Of course, his apology was accepted and no offence was taken.

Fortunately, everything went well after that, and the couple tied knot without any distress. They welcomed their first child into the world, a daughter born in August 2021. He also has two identical dogs, whom he loves as well.

After a tough start to life at Manchester City, it was reported that Zinchenko was very close to signing for fellow Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2018. Wolves had agreed on a fee with Manchester City for the player, and Zinchenko had reportedly agreed personal terms with the club.

However, at the last minute, Zinchenko had a change of heart and decided to stay at Manchester City instead. He later said that he felt he had unfinished business at the club and wanted to fight for his place in the team.

This decision proved to be a wise one for Zinchenko, as he since became an important player for Manchester City, and won every domestic trophy available before leaving for Arsenal last summer.

Having won the Premier League four times previously with Manchester City and captaining the Ukrainian national team, Zinchenko has an incredible winning mentality, and leadership on the pitch, but apparently the 26-year-old is also a comedian off the pitch while also being a fighter on it.

Zinchenko is known for his odd sense of humor, playful personality, and weirdo styling among his teammates. He was often described as a "class clown" for his ability to lighten the mood and make his teammates laugh. He is not afraid to make fun of himself or others, and his quick wit and infectious energy have endeared him to his teammates and fans alike.

Zinchenko's jokes are often on display during team training sessions, post-match, team huddles, and fan engagement interviews. Whether he is cracking jokes in the locker room or pulling off daring takes on all sorts of things, he brings a positive attitude and a sense of fun to everything. The compilation below says it all. Sit back, relax, and have fun watching.

And he's brought these histrionics from the Etihad to the Emirates with his latest transfer move. Speaking to Stadium Astro, Zinchenko's Arsenal teammate William Saliba said: “[Rob] Holding is very funny, Ben White is funny as well.

“[But] Zinchenko is the best for me, the most funny. So funny, he’s crazy. We have a lot of different types of guys in the dressing room, it’s always good.”

When a player joins a new club, singing an initiation song is something that many dislike. But not Zinchenko, who seemed to relish the opportunity to take the stage after signing for Arsenal from Manchester City. He sang the disco hit 'It's Friday then' as his initiation song.

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale shared footage of Zinchenko's initiation song on social media, showing the team laughing and clapping along as he sang while standing on a chair.

In addition to posting the video on Instagram, Ramsdale appeared to have given Zinchenko a new nickname, captioning it "Zinky Winky," presumably in reference to Teletubbies character Tinky Winky.

This wasn’t the only time he has had the audience cracking up since joining Arseal. Speaking to the club’s media team after joining, Zinchenko wanted to double-check that the Gunners fans weren't confusing him with former Man City teammate and lookalike Kevin De Bruyne. The Arsenal man even said that there should be no confusion between the two because he is much better looking. Simple as that.

It's good that Zinchenko is a talented footballer, because he might not have made it as a professional rapper.

He became a popular member of the dressing room for his consistently off-beat singing and his far superior rapping skills. The public service sports channel Match TV in Russia discovered his hidden potential and had him appear in a music video, which blew up on Russian social media platforms that has followed him around ever since. Here's his former boss Guardiola reacting to the same:

Zinchenko is Ukraine's youngest-ever captain, having been handed the armband at the age of 21 years and 85 days in a friendly match against Nigeria on September 10, 2019.

His appointment as captain was a significant milestone in his career and a testament to his leadership qualities and growing influence within the Ukrainian national team setup ever since a young age.

A mature and composed player on the pitch, he had all the core values required to lead a team by example, notably work ethic, dedication, and commitment to the team's cause to name a few, all of which helped him earn the respect and admiration of his teammates and coaches despite his age.

As well as being Ukraine’s youngest ever captain, Zinchenko broke Andriy Shevchenko's long-standing record for being the youngest player to score for the Ukrainian national team. He achieved this feat on November 17, 2015, at the age of 19 years and 165 days, when he scored his first goal for Ukraine in a friendly match against Slovenia.

Shevchenko had previously held the record, having scored his first international goal for Ukraine at the age of 19 years and 214 days in a friendly match against Turkey in 1996.

Zinchenko's goal-scoring debut for Ukraine was a significant moment in his career and helped to establish him as one of the country's most promising footballers at the time.