Arsenal and City have been fierce competitors in the Premier League title race for the past two seasons, leading to a growing rivalry between the teams…Continue Reading
However, despite the rising tension, Guardiola has maintained a strong relationship with his former player, Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The 27-year-old Ukrainian, who moved to Arsenal from City in 2022, has played 70 matches for the north London club so far.
Zinchenko recently shared that Guardiola called him the night City secured the Champions League title, completing their historic treble.
‘I guess no one was sleeping that night,’ Zinchenko explained in his new book Believe.
‘But to get a call from Pep? I couldn’t believe it. He said, ‘Alex, you are a big part of this’ – I was fully surprised, in a good way.
‘I said to him, again, a massive thanks for everything he did for me. It shows how good-humoured he could be.’
On Tuesday night, Zinchenko received praise from Shakhtar Donetsk’s manager following a touching moment with the club’s supporters amidst Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
The away section at the Emirates Stadium was filled with Ukrainian flags, and although Zinchenko did not play, he shared a heartfelt interaction with the Shakhtar fans after Arsenal’s 1-0 win.
A visibly emotional Zinchenko made a special effort to approach the away supporters – most of whom were fellow Ukrainians – and applauded them for their support, later giving his shirt to one of the fans.
Shakhtar manager Marino Pusic also mentioned that Zinchenko visited the away dressing room after the game to listen to his post-match speech.
‘Oleksandr [Zinchenko] was our guest in the changing room at the end of the game, he was listening to my speech to the players,’ Pusic said. ‘Great guy, we love him, and an amazing player of course.’
