Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard revealed that he requested Oleksandr Zinchenko be made captain for the day in their game against Leicester City on Saturday, to show support for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country a year ago.
Martin Odegaard revealed that spoke to Mikel Arteta on Friday and that Oleksandr Zinchenko should be made captain for the match on Saturday.
Zinchenko, who is Ukrainian, wore the armband for the day, which marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Odegaard said that he wanted to show Zinchenko support during a difficult time and that he had asked the defender if he was comfortable with the idea before the match.
“I spoke to some people in the club yesterday and then I went to Mikel and suggested it for him,” Odegaard said after Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Leicester.
“It was a nice thing to do to show him the support. It’s been a year now, too long, it’s a very difficult situation for him I know and very emotional.
“It was a good thing to do to show our support. I spoke to him this morning, asked if he was comfortable doing it.
“When he’s on the pitch he’s always 100 percent focused and always there. He doesn’t let him affect him but of course it’s not an easy thing for him, his family and everyone there. We just wanted to show him the support.
Arsenal went on to win the game 1-0, maintaining their two-point lead at the top of the Premier League over Manchester City.