Oleksandr Zinchenko explained in an emotional interview that if it were not for his daughter he would have returned to his home country of Ukraine to fight.
Defendant Manchester City, with family and friends in Ukraine, spoke of its pride in the way its country does not want to commit to Russia.
“To be honest, if it were not for my daughter and my family, I would be here,” he said in an interview with the BBC.
“I am proud to be a Ukrainian and I will be forever my whole life.
“If you look at how people are fighting for their lives, I know my people, the minds of our people. They prefer death and they will die, they will not give up.”
Zinchenko went on to say that it was his duty to shed light on the events taking place in his country around the world.
“I have spoken to many people on our side who say it is funny how Russian TV shows us,” he said.
“My goal is to show the world what is happening at the moment.”
Zinchenko thanks the British public
The 25-year-old also expressed his gratitude for the support he received from the English community for his and his country.
“Thank you so much to all these people for the support I receive here,” he said.
“I did not know it would be so. So I would like to thank you very much. Thank you.
“I get a lot of messages from a lot of Ukrainian guys and they ask me for support videos [from the UK].
“So people watch TV, people still watch football and they see all these things and I think it helps them a lot.
“It’s like, the people who support Ukraine, try to oppress them – not give up. And I know my people will not.”
