Oleksandr Zinchenko claims Pep Guardiola called him after Man City won the Treble and thanked him for his contributions at the club – despite defender playing the season at Arsenal

Oleksandr Zinchenko has claimed Pep Guardiola thanked him after Man City won the Treble – despite the defender spending the entire season at Arsenal.

Man City made history in 2022-23 as they claimed the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League – becoming just the second English side to win the Treble.

It was a historic moment and one that nearly didn’t come to fruition after City were chased by title rivals Arsenal throughout the top-flight season.

Zinchenko made the switch from City to Arsenal prior to the season starting and spent the entire season battling it out with his former side for the league title.

However, despite this, the Ukrainian has revealed that after City clinched the Treble, Guardiola phoned him up to thank him for his contributions at the club. 

Guardiola thanked the Ukrainian for his contributions at the club – despite joining Arsenal

Speaking to the Guardian, Zinchenko revealed:  ‘And I guess no one was sleeping that night, but to get a call from Pep? I couldn’t believe it. 

‘He said: ‘Alex, you are a big part of this.’ I was fully surprised in a good way.

‘I said to him, again, a massive thanks for everything he did for me. It shows how good-humoured he could be.’

Arsenal have won just the 2023 FA Community Shield since Zinchenko joined them, missing out on the Premier League titles to City in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Zinchenko has played 70 games across all competitions since joining the North London club, and he will be desperate to help them land major silverware going forward.

The Ukrainian also recently revealed City kept him on an ‘academy contract’ during his first three seasons at the Etihad, despite being part of a side that won back-to-back league championships.

The player, who joined City in 2016, said he did not earn ‘full professional money’ until he had played 43 games in the Premier League, having been advised by City’s legal team it would happen as soon as he broke into the first team.

Zinchenko made 128 appearances for City before eventually leaving to join rivals Arsenal

In fact, he was on the same kind of contract budding academy talent would be on, and paid a fraction of the wages team-mates at the time, such as Kyle Walker, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, would’ve earned.

The Independent reports it wasn’t until after City had won the 2018-19 domestic treble did the then-22-year-old receive a full professional contract.

Recounting his initial experiences when signing for the Manchester club in new book ‘Believe’, Zinchenko writes: ‘The City lawyers said: ‘Look, this is an academy player contract, right? As soon as you make your first official game for City, we’re going to extend your contract with the real money that we pay full professionals. Not this academy player deal. So trust us.’ Of course I said yes. Follow the dream. 

‘But do you know when my next contract came? The one that put me on full professional money? After I had played 43 games in the Premier League! I won two Premier League titles playing on an academy contract.’