GIRONAYes, Viktor Tsygankov celebrated a brace in Vallecas that allowed Girona to save a point. Yes, Tsygankov has accumulated three goals and three assists in seven games and five starts. Yes, Tsygankov is making a difference in Míchel’s attack, being decisive since his arrival during the winter market. But no, Tsygankov’s most important goals are not on the pitch. They are outside, in Ukraine.
“To me, personally, Girona has helped me a lot by giving me the possibility to play in Europe and now from here I have the need to help my compatriots and my country”, confesses the striker, involved in the aid campaign that the club and its main sponsor, Gosbi, a pet food and care brand that is firmly committed to quality, honesty and respect for animals, have carried out since the beginning of war conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“In Gosbi, since the beginning of the war, we have been involved in solidarity. Living here we didn’t expect it, but we immediately wanted to do something. The first thing that crossed our minds was to go there, but of course, we didn’t do anything about it either,” explains Lyuba Kavatsyuk, from Gosbi’s export department: “So, we ordered vans from work, plus the ones we had, and went to the border, taking all the help that we could. We also brought people who had no way to get there so they could settle here with their families.”
The animals were also given a side. “Later on, as we received many requests, especially from the protectors, for feed for the animals that had stayed there, or had been lost or abandoned, we decided, together with our distributor, to send all the feed there and he took care of getting it to where it really belonged,” added Kavatsyuk, who couldn’t help but smile when she received the news of Tsygankov’s signing for the red-and-white outfit. “I was working and a colleague came over to warn me. I felt a lot of emotion, I really want there to be a Ukrainian player in Girona who shares all these values and wants to bring help to Ukraine even being here. We are very proud.”
“Helping is very important for the country”
Born in Israel because his father, Vitali Tsygankov, had a career as a goalkeeper there, the striker, arm in arm with the club, has sent entire vans of sports equipment (the club was already doing this before his arrival), aside from ·work with Gosbi’s task. “It’s very nice to see how Girona cares about Ukraine and Ukrainians, as both the country and the people who live there and even the animals that are left without a home require this help. Really, these are difficult times for the country and it’s very nice to see that people here care about us. I trust that Girona will continue to bring aid to Ukraine and I am eternally grateful for everything that is being done, because it is very important for all Ukrainians and for our country in general”, says a footballer who has caused an immediate impact under Míchel’s orders.
His goalscoring awakening came against Almeria and was confirmed this weekend with two decisive goals against Rayo Vallecano. Led by Serhí Rebrov and Andrí Shevchenko, two football legends, the boy who as a child scored goals for his father in the dining room at home, an expert in stopping them, has also distributed assists against Almeria itself, the Athletic Club and Getafe Nothing, however, matches his determination to contribute to the recovery of a country he loves with all his heart.