Russian troops have bombed Kharkiv since the start of the war. Missiles alarm the second most populated city in Ukraine, a strategic area, every day. The drama does not stop in its ruined streets, but perhaps some of its inhabitants disconnected from the war for a moment with the performance at the Etihad by Andriy Lunin, born in that region.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper had his first big night as a professional against Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Eight saves and two saved penalties made him the unexpected hero of the whites. “I’m tired. I had not played a game like this in my career,” the goalkeeper acknowledged after the match without breaking a smile, faithful to the seriousness and secrecy that have accompanied him since his arrival in Madrid in 2018.
In Ukraine, no one had any doubts about Lunin. At the age of 13, the goalkeeper joined the youth ranks of Kharkiv’s Metalist, an hour’s drive from his native Krasnograd, a town of 20,000 inhabitants. He made his debut in the First Division with Dnipro at the age of 17 and with Zorya he played in the Europa League in the 2017-18 season. That year, the then coach Andriy Shevchenko made him debut with the Ukrainian senior team, shortly before Madrid paid 8.5 million for his signing.
The 25-year-old Ukrainian has not had it easy since landing in the Spanish capital. He went from being a young promise with potential to colliding with the reality of the elite. Without a place in the first team, he chained assignments without finding his place. In his year and a half on loan between Leganés and Valladolid he played 9 games and only in Oviedo, in the Second Division, did he have continuity, with 20 games between the sticks. Back in Chamartín, his debut and only game in the 2020-21 season was fatal: the whites lost in the Cup against Alcoyano.
Lunin keeps everything inside. In Valdebebas he is known for his dedication, always focused on training and not so much on socializing. Few know that he has promoted food and clothing drives for those affected by the war or that he has participated in demonstrations against the Russian invasion. “My family and friends are in Ukraine. They are suffering,” he explained in 2022.
In 2019, on the grass of the Zorrilla stadium, Lunin proposed to the influencer Anastasia Tamazova, with whom he had a son in 2022, a key event in his future. Despite being in the shadow of Courtois, he prioritized family stability before leaving Madrid. He kept working and now he has reaped the rewards. The Belgian’s serious injury gave him an opportunity that he has not missed, not even with the arrival of Kepa, whom he has won the fight for the title. It remains to be seen what will happen when Courtois returns, although no one can take away his day of glory. “A great experience,” he concluded about his emergence in Manchester.
