Barcelona star and Polish icon Robert Lewandowski expressed his increased support for Ukraine by pledging to wear an armband with the nation's blue-and-yellow flag colours to the Qatar World Cup in November 2022.
In a gesture that has won the hearts of several Ukrainians, iconic Polish footballer and Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski has showcased increased support toward the war-torn nation and pledged to wear an armband in the country's blue-yellow flag colours for the Qatar World Cup 2022.
Andriy Shevchenko has gifted Poland captain Robert Lewandowski a Ukraine armband which he'll wear during the Qatar World Cup 2022 🇺🇦pic.twitter.com/AyEk3UOIJ6
— Sky Sports (@SkySports)Following Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine in February, Lewandowski expressed his opposition and urged Poland to abstain from taking on Russia in a World Cup qualifying match.
Also read: Lewandowski quotes Mandela in plea for Ukrainians after winning Laureus Award
The two-time FIFA world player of the year received the Ukrainian armband as a gift from the country's legend, Andriy Shevchenko, at Poland's national stadium in Warsaw on Tuesday.
"Thank you Andriy. It was a pleasure to meet you!" the Poland talisman wrote on his Instagram account.
"It will be an honor for me to carry this captain's armband in the colors of Ukraine to the World Cup," Lewandowski added.
Thank you . It was a pleasure to meet you! It will be an honour for me to carry this captains armband in the colors of Ukraine to the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/y9lyQyyGDR
— Robert Lewandowski (@lewy_official)Meanwhile, Shevchenko, who is currently an ambassador for Laureus thanked Lewandowski for his support. "For me, the captain's armband is a symbol of leadership, strength and passion for your country. I want to pass this armband to Robert to thank him for his support, his voice and his platform to support my country and call for peace," the Ukrainian legend said.
Ukraine fell to Wales in a postponed playoff final until June to enable the team to prepare while the war that shut down domestic football was going on. Poland had gone through the playoffs to the World Cup in Qatar.
At the competition from November 20 to December 18, Poland will compete in Group C alongside Argentina, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine's national and club teams have played "home" matches in international competitions at Polish stadiums this season, thanks to the strong football ties between the two countries that co-hosted the 2012 European Championship.
Ukraine will complete their UEFA Nations League program in Poland next week, hosting Scotland at Krakow.
Shevchenko, the 2004 Ballon d'Or winner and a standout striker with AC Milan, coached the Ukraine team when they reached the Euro 2020 quarterfinals last year.
On Tuesday, UEFA also said that Russia will not be permitted to participate in the 2024 European Championship.
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Meanwhile, Lewandowski's pledge to wear the Ukrainian armband for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar has received immense appreciation from several supporters of Ukraine and football enthusiasts.
"Great friend of Ukraine," noted on user on Twitter. Another user added, "Thank you, @lewy_official, thank you, @pzpn_pl, thank you, Poland, for being true friends of Ukraine!"
Here's a look at some of the reactions on the micro-blogging site:
2 Legendary Striker! 🇺🇦🇵🇱❤️ https://t.co/YiCzdyR00u
— Oleksandr Zhuchenko (@sasha97545)Great sign of respect! 👏 https://t.co/4cAHaBP9GF
— Vania 🦐🇺🇦 (@VaniaMorozov14)We all stand with Ukraine. 🇺🇦 https://t.co/JQwdJ6bqLf
— 爪 ㄖ 几 丂 ㄖ ㄩ 尺 ▫️ (@ibn_sirojudeen)Great friend of Ukraine https://t.co/uuJ68h1urf
— Sirko 🇺🇦 (@sirkosirchenko)Glory to Ukraine! https://t.co/7KN72zBtMy
— Qiang Bai (@qiangthesuper)Thank you, , thank you, , thank you, Poland, for being true friends of Ukraine! https://t.co/zJdfhUh5sg
— Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi 🇺🇦 (@kliuch)This is just amazing! Love this. 🇺🇦 https://t.co/pCxP6ROyTS
— Mike Minay (@MikeMinay)Strong connection here, and strong statement. But Lewandowski wearing Ukraine's colors at the World Cup is not just a stunt. https://t.co/TcdjH8YYuN
— Andrew Das (@AndrewDasNYT)Poland's Robert Lewandowski says he will wear captain's armband in Ukraine's blue-yellow colours in the upcoming World Cup 2022.
"It will be an honor for me to carry this captain's armband in the colors of Ukraine to the World Cup," he said.
Great player, great man, great patriot pic.twitter.com/fw1PA5VhUt
Andriy Shevchenko presented Robert Lewandowski with a yellow and blue captain's armband and asked the captain to go with her to the matches in Qatar 🇵🇱🤝 🇺🇦
She will remind the world about Ukraine🇺🇦⚽️ Once again, we thank the Poles for their support🤍❤️ pic.twitter.com/LQWjKKZj5K