Ligue 1: “He gave the kids a very good moment”, Malinovsky, rookie OM, meets with Ukrainian families

This moment will remain in their memory for a long time. Refugees with their families in Marseille after the invasion of their country by Russia, Ukrainian children and teenagers met this Monday, at the training center of the club, international Ruslan Malinovsky. Another recruit Olympique de Marseille arrived in Marseille from Atalanta Bergamo (Italy).

Accompanied by their parents, these young people “shared a unique and unforgettable moment of joy with Ruslan Malinovsky,” the Marseille club states on its website. After a short visit to the site, they chatted, exchanged a few balls and got the Ukrainian star jersey. “Thank you very much,” the Ukrainian International commented in French in the text (51 choices).

This meeting became possible thanks to the cooperation of the club and the Marseille-Odessa association. “We are very happy to see our children happy as they were today, to have the opportunity to meet Ruslan Malinovsky,” says Natalia Dobryanskaya, Ambassador of the city of Odessa in France and president of the association, on the OM website. Thanks to him for his kindness and his optimism. He gave the children and their parents a very beautiful moment. »

In photos released by the club, we see, among other things, Malinovsky handing out boxes of jerseys flocking to his name and posing with a smile among his young compatriots with the flag of Ukraine. At the end of that exchange, the 29-year-old, who is due to make his debut on Wednesday night in Troyes during the 18th day of Ligue 1, also invited families to come and watch his first match at the Orange Velodrome. Probably on Saturday for the arrival of Lorient.

The attacking midfielder, a native of Zhytomyr, is not the first time supporting his country and his compatriots. On 24 February 2022, after the Russian invasion, he celebrated his first goal for Atalanta against Olympiacos in the Europa League (he scored twice) by posting a message of support on his jersey: “There is no war in Ukraine” (“No war in Ukraine” (“No to war in Ukraine”). There is no war in Ukraine”). “The news from Russia does not tell the truth: they say they are protecting the East from us Ukrainians, but in fact we are being attacked! This is a crime against all mankind, this horror must be stopped,” he said then.