Shevchenko gave Lewandowski the captain armband to wear it at the World Cup in Qatar

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Legendary Ukrainian football player Andriy Shevchenko (45) presented Robert Lewandowski with a captain's armband in the colors of Ukraine and asked him to wear it at the World Cup in Qatar, which will be played from November 20 to December 18 this year.

The former Dynamo Kyiv, Milan and Chelsea forward expressed to the Polish captain the gratitude of his compatriots for supporting his country after the Russian invasion. “I believe that as athletes we should use the power of sport for good.

I’m going to take Andriy’s armband with me to the World Cup in November as a reminder that Ukrainian people are not alone and are not forgotten. It means a lot to me to stand here with Andriy, a footballer and a man who has used his voice and platform to influence positive change,” he said.

“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, voice and platform in supporting my country and calling for peace,” said Shevchenko.

“When I captained Ukraine, the armband meant everything to me – whether I was playing my club football in Italy or England, it always connected me to Ukraine,” he added. “Since the war began, I have once again been able to represent my country and I have seen athletes all over the world use their platform to support the victims of the invasion of Ukraine.

I want to thank Robert Lewandowski for this act of solidarity and for all of his work on behalf of my country - and I also thank the entire sporting world for their response to this crisis. What I have seen is proof that sport has the power to change the world,” Shevchenko said.

Robert Lewandowski, the captain of Poland, increased his support for Ukraine

“I will carry the colours of Ukraine to the World Cup. As a player and a man, I support peace and I believe such symbolic gestures matter,” he said.

Let's remind you, the Barcelona striker already wore the Ukrainian strip last season as captain of Bayern, and that photo went around the world. Lewandowski openly sided with Ukraine from the beginning of the aggression, and the Poles refused to play a match against Russia before FIFA threw them out of the playoffs for the World Cup in Qatar.