EVERY day at Arsenal training Oleksandr Zinchenko gets a reminder of the worst day of his career.
It is the painful moment he feels a Champions League trophy slipped out of his hands — and the Ukrainian still blames himself for it.
His Manchester City side lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the Covid-hit 2021 final in Porto and Zinchenko said: “No two ways about it. I was s**t.”
The full-back claimed he was at fault for allowing “my man” Kai Havertz a critical run on goal as the forward scored the 42nd-minute winner at the Estadio do Dragao.
He describes it as “probably the worst day in my football life” and says it left an “emotional scar” that has yet to heal.
And his former City team-mate Fernandinho often joked he was denied the chance to get an arm tattoo of the big-eared pot because of Zinchenko.
The problem is, he cannot be allowed to move on and forget about it — because he and Havertz are now pals at the Gunners.
Zinchenko, 27, said: “If I tell you now what I’m saying to him every day, you would laugh!
“It’s better that I will be quiet. Because as soon as I see him . . . my scar. I feel him.
“Jokes aside, I mean definitely, one of the most painful moments in my career so far. My wife Vlada, she remembers that day.
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“The way that she is watching my games is something only the closest circle knows, how she is living these kinds of moments.
“That night, when we came back to the hotel, our families were already in our rooms.
“When I opened my door she was waiting for me, she hugged me, we were just crying for a while.
“For the next two days probably, I didn’t really eat. It was a super-tough moment.
“But thank God I had this experience which made me, for sure, much stronger.
“Also thank God that the week later we had training with the national team before the Euros. Football again saved my life. That is how it was.”
One way Zinchenko got over his ordeal was a heart-to-heart chat with Andriy Shevchenko, the Ukraine boss at the time.
He, of course, was part of AC Milan’s side that lost the 2005 Istanbul final to Liverpool on penalties despite being 3-0 up at half-time.
Pep Guardiola’s City went on to become European champions in 2023, beating Inter Milan — also in Turkey’s Ataturk Stadium — to seal an incredible Treble- winning campaign.
For the next two days probably, I didn’t really eat. It was a super-tough moment.
Oleksandr Zinchenko on Champions League final defeat
But Zinchenko, a four-time Premier League champion with City, had moved to North London at the start of that season for an initial transfer fee of £30million.
It was an attempt by boss Mikel Arteta to add experience and a winning mentality to his dressing room.
And one way for Zinchenko to erase his memory of missing out would be to win the tournament with Arsenal — who have won two of their opening three games this campaign.
Zinchenko, who hopes to play at Inter Milan in the Champions League tonight, reckons City’s dominance of English football must end soon.
He said: “It’s not just in football, you cannot carry on like this forever.
“For sure, there will be changes. Of course, the players will get old, the manager might look for another job. Something will happen.
“The dominance which they have had during the last years is incredible.
“The stats and also trophies talk for themselves. Being there, you straight away think of this winning mentality.”
- l Believe: The Autobiography by Oleksandr Zinchenko is published by Bloomsbury. RRP £22
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