Arsenal star Zinchenko invests into Ukrainian esports

Current Arsenal and former Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko has joined the Passion UA project to help build a 'revolution in the world of competitive gaming'.

Zinchenko prides himself on a genuine love for esports, especially Counter-Strike, which is where he will begin his journey. Partnering with former NAVI coach and famously Zeus' sidekick, Kane, the midfielder-turned-full-back released a statement with plenty of promises and, frankly, plenty of PR talk.

Ukraine has long been at the forefront of Counter-Strike - not least being home to the widely-accepted greatest player of all time, s1mple - and it's no surprise that that influence reaches far beyond the esports world, though it's still cool when a world-famous footballer shows some genuine love for the game.

The GOAT. Photo: Michal Konkol

Zinchenko joined Manchester City in 2016 with a reputation as a creative midfielder, but as Pep Guardiola often does, he saw differently. Zinchenko was often deployed on the left side of a four at the back where he showed a different side to his game, but retained his composure on the ball and ability to create chances.

His move to Arsenal has reignited his career that seemed to stall a little; while he's still often being used at left-back, the role is not exactly the same one that a traditional left-back might be used to.

The Ukrainian mentions his footballing career as though it was any old job, before throwing in a 'but there's a unique thrill that esports brings', as if really, all he wanted to do was play video games instead of being a professional footballer.

Passion UA is supposed to be not just a team, but a 'Ukrainian gaming community', whatever that means. His love for the game seems authentic, even if the promises in the statement might come off as a bit over-the-top.

We look forward to seeing what Passion UA brings to the region, and wish Zinchenko and Kane good luck.