Back then Oleksandr Zinchenko played for the Russian Premier League’s little-known Ufa and was an inexperienced young man who became known as a rebel in his homeland. Therefore, his call-up to the national team for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Spain surprised fans. In little more than five years he became the youngest captain in the history of the national team. Previously we called Zinchenko a rebel for good reason, as his escape from Shakhtar still irritates executives at the Donetsk club. Zinchenko never played for the first team of the 13-times champions of Ukraine but was the captain of their under-19s.

Source: The Guardian June 05, 2021 10:52 UTC