Everything you need to know about Arsenal's defensive leader.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is a Ukrainian professional footballer who currently plays as a left-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the Ukraine national team. He was born on December 15, 1996, in Radomyshl, Ukraine.

He began playing football at a young age and joined the youth academy of Shakhtar Donetsk when he was just six years old. In 2014, Zinchenko moved to Russia to play for FC Ufa. He made his professional debut for the club in July of that year and went on to make 31 appearances for the team over two seasons.

In 2016, he signed for Manchester City for a reported fee of £1.7m, but was initially loaned out to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven for the 2016-17 season. He helped PSV win the Eredivisie title that season, making 20 appearances and scoring twice.

Zinchenko returned to Manchester City in 2017 and impressed Pep Guardiola with his versatility and ball-playing attributes. He racked up 128 appearances for the Manchester giants in all competitions, playing primarily as a left-back but also occasionally filling in as a midfielder.

Zinchenko won numerous trophies with Manchester City, including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and four League Cups. He also helped the team reach the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2021-22, although they were defeated by Chelsea. However, he was limited to a bit-part role towards the end of his City career.

The Ukrainian defender left the Sky Blues in search of regular playing time in the summer of 2022. Due to his wealth of experience, technical ability, and versatility, Arsenal didn't think twice about spending £35m to lure him away from the Etihad Stadium.

He has been nothing short of remarkable since reuniting with head coach Mikel Arteta at the Emirates, and has helped transform the way the Gunners play, leading their charge in an engrossing Premier League title-race against his former club, Manchester City.

The 26-year-old is also a mainstay leader at the Ukrainian national team. He made his debut for the team in 2015 and has since earned over 50 caps. He played a key role in helping Ukraine reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Euro 2020, scoring a crucial goal in the team's round of 16 win over Sweden.

However, defeat against Wales in the qualifying playoff meant Zinchenko and his international teammates fell short of making it to the Qatar World Cup.

Needless to say, Zinchenko has obviously enjoyed a trophy-laden football career so far, but what are some of the fun facts you absolutely have to know about the defender?

GettyIdolises Ronaldinho

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.”

AdvertisementMotivational Mom

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.

Shakhtar Donetsk 'Exile' ⛓️

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.

Getty A stuck refugee footballer inspired by Ibrahimovic's autobiography

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.