MX23RW : Monday, May 20 08:38:13| >> :120:6215:6215:

Oleksandr Zinchenko: 'Andriy Shevchenko was my idol'

Zinchenko: 'Shevchenko was my idol'
© Offside
Manchester City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko reveals that former Chelsea and AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko was his idol growing up.

Manchester City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has revealed that former Chelsea and AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko was his idol growing up.

Zinchenko, who could be involved in Sunday's EFL Cup final against Arsenal, joined the club from Russian side Ufa in 2016 and has made his breakthrough in the City team under Pep Guardiola this season.

The 21-year-old told the Manchester Evening News that "living legend" Shevchenko inspired him to become a footballer.

"He was my idol as he was for everyone in Ukraine," Zinchenko said. "He has won the Ballon D'Or when he played for AC Milan. He is a living legend.

"First of all what he told me was that I had to be strong in my mind because here everyone is a superstar so you can not give up. You have to fight every single day, every single training session.

"This is the big difference between our football in the Ukraine or Russia. It's completely different. The English Premier League is the number one league in the world and don't forget Manchester City, in my opinion, are now the number one team in the world."

Shevchenko, who also spent time with Dynamo Kiev during his career, also appeared for the Ukraine national team in his time as a player.

ID:319510: cacheID:319510:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2594:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mike Jones stands between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte during the FA Cup quarter-final between Chelsea and Manchester United on March 13, 2017
Read Next:
This weekend's biggest games in world football
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!