West Ham Ukrainian striker Andriy Yarmolenko has reportedly made a massive £75,000 donation to his country’s armed forces in the wake of the Russian invasion.
Yarmolenko is his country’s third all-time player and appears to have dug deep into his pocket to support the military as they fight to maintain control of their homeland as Russian troops crossed the border last week.
The 32-year-old was given sympathetic leave from West Ham on Sunday and missed the win over Wolves, but all his team-mates wore shirts with his name on the back during their warm-up.
During the match itself, Ukraine’s flags were held high in the stands – as was the case with many other matches in the Premier League and beyond over the weekend.
Yarmolenko’s selfless donation was posted on Twitter by @ZoryaLondonsk, an account that posts Ukrainian football news in English. The donation was for 3 million Ukrainian hryvnia, equivalent to £74,540.
Until 2017, Yarmolenko – who reportedly earns £115,000 a week at West Ham – practiced his profession in Ukraine, most recently in Dynamo Kiev.
He then moved to Borussia Dortmund for a season before joining the Hammers in 2018.
Yarmolenko was born in Russia to Ukrainian parents, who returned to his homeland when he was a child.
West Ham boss David Moyes said before the game against Wolves on Sunday: “He’s not in a very good position at the moment – we’ve given him a few days off.
