CLASSY Oleksandr Zinchenko brought a ten-year-old Ukrainian refugee to Manchester City training in a heartwarming gesture.
The left-back, 25, and his compatriot Andriy had a blast as they kicked a ball around together at the training ground.
The youngster, who dreams of becoming a professional when he is older, wore a yellow Ukraine national shirt with his hero Zinchenko’s name on the back as he enjoyed some moments of freedom and joy amid the terrible war in his homeland.
Zinchenko wrote on Instagram: “This is Andriy. He is ten years old. Today he is already safe.
“Like most Ukrainians, he and his family were forced to flee their homes because of the war.
“Seventy-five days ago, this boy dreamed of becoming a footballer and trained carefree with his team.
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Liverpool & City may be forced into incredible title play-off – here’s how “Today he dreams of only one thing – peace in our country. About peace. About normal life at home.
“It hurts me a lot that because of the war in Russia, there are a lot of children like Andriy in Ukraine today.
“Deprived of childhood, and even worse – life.
“I believe that the day of our Ukrainian victory will come soon.
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“And all children will be able to relive their carefree childhood, full of children’s dreams and positive emotions, which today for a few minutes Andriy could feel at the Manchester City training session.”
City team-mates Jack Grealish and Joao Cancelo both commented with love hearts below the touching post.
In March, Zinchenko invited another Ukrainian refugee, free agent and former Under-21 international midfielder Andrii Kravchuk, to the Etihad Campus.
The City star revealed his family had to stop him from returning to Ukraine to join the army and fight against Russian troops.
He and Everton pal Vitaly Mykolenko broke down in tears as the Premier League united in support of Ukraine.
And Pep Guardiola handed his versatile star the captain’s armband in the FA Cup against Peterborough in another brilliant move.
Zinchenko has understandably deeply affected by the war in his homeland Credit: Reuters Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
