Shevchenko and Zinchenko were surprised by the realities of Ukraine: for the first time returned home from the beginning of the war (photo)

The captain of the national football team and the defender/Arsenal midfielder Alexander Zinchenko said that it was difficult for him to return to Ukraine for the first time after the start of a large -scale Russian invasion. About it reports CNN. The 26-year-old Mavbek was forced to watch the war on the side, but at the same time participated in the campaign to attract attention to what was happening in Ukraine.

Due to the tight schedule of the English Premier League and the international matches of blue-yellow Zinchenko could not come to Ukraine during the last year. "Everything is completely different when compared to the frames you see on the phone, being far away," Zinchenko said in an interview with journalists. He used the possibility that in almost every interview to remind the war so that Ukraine would remain in the world headings.

According to Zinchenko, who recently became the ambassador of the fundraising platform United 24, he was glad to return to his native land. Together with Andriy Shevchenko at London, Stamford Bridge, on August 5, they planned to hold an exhibition match to raise funds for a project to restore school in the Chernihiv region, which was destroyed by the Russian missile. No one was injured during the attack, but the students had to look for another place where they could continue the class.

"We were told a lot of stories. The children who were there when a full -scale invasion began. These are the stories of children, true, about how Russian soldiers occupied the city. When they came in, the children were obviously scared. We can rebuild everything, but most important "To protect children from war," Shevchenko said. He came to Ukraine with Zinchenko and his eldest son Jordan.

Last month, Zinchenko announced the expected replenishment in the family, the captain of the national team will become a father for the second time. "These children do not understand. They just see facts," he said, explaining that it is difficult for children to understand why schools are destroyed, for them it is a trauma for life.

Zinchenko waved the question of how, against the background of war in his homeland, he manages to perform at a high level and fight for the highest places in the APL with Arsenal, in which he is one of the leaders. He said that it was truly difficult for soldiers on the forefront, those who risk every minute. Recall that Jose Mourinho lost the best team in the history of the Europa League. Seville has won this trophy.