Arsenal's Zinchenko opens 'dream' restaurant in Kyiv

Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has refused to let the war in Ukraine spoil his dream of owning a restaurant in Kyiv.

Zinchenko and his wife Vlada opened the restaurant in Kyiv last month.

“It was our dream to make something special in our home and the place we feel most comfortable, in Kiev, in Ukraine,” he said. “We have been working, especially my wife, super hard to get it done.

“I know it is the toughest time of our independent time as a country and maybe it is not the ideal timing to start a new business but still we believe the war will finish very soon and this will be there.”

“A football career is too short,” he said. “You don’t realise it until it is done.

“I am 27 and I can feel how time flies. While you are working so hard, you are earning money that you need to invest in the right way. While you are a football player, you have a lot of different things you can do to waste your money, to put it into the bin and buy a lot of different stuff.

“In this case, my wife has helped me to do the right thing."

Zinchenko is part of an Arsenal squad that opens its three-match tour of the United States against fellow Premier League club Bournemouth at LA Galaxy’s Dignity Health Sports Park on Thursday (03:00 BST)