Andriy Lunin was for a long time in the shadow of the first number of the “creamy” Thibaut Courtois. Only in the 2023/24 season did the Ukrainian get a full chance to demonstrate his skill, he writes 24 Channel.
Read also: There was no place for Lunin in the WC team: UEFA ignored the hero of the match with Man City for the second time
Star time of Lunin
The return match of the 1/4 finals of the Champions League once morest Manchester City was the best in Lunin’s career. The 25-year-old goalkeeper repeatedly saved his team in the main and extra time. And in the penalty shootout, he deflected the shots of Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovachych, thus securing the “creamy” team’s exit to the semi-finals.
After a bright match with Manchester City, Lunin became the most popular Ukrainian athlete on Instagram. As of the evening of Friday, April 19, Lunin already has 2.65 million followers.
In two days, he overtook Mykhailo Mudryk (1.92 million), Oleksandr Usyk (2.03 million) and even Oleksandr Zinchenko. It was the Arsenal defender who led the way, with 2.62 million followers.
Lunin in the 2023/24 season
- The Ukrainian goalkeeper has been playing for Real Madrid since the summer of 2018. However, Lunin received little game practice due to the first number of “cream” Thibaut Courtois.
- On the eve of the 2023/24 season, the Belgian goalkeeper suffered a serious injury and was sidelined for a long time. However, a place in the goal did not automatically go to Lunin. Real took Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan from Chelsea, in whom Carlo Ancelotti saw as a replacement for Courtois.
- However, the Ukrainian managed to win the competition. In the current season, Andriy played 27 matches for the “Royal Club”, in which he conceded 23 goals. In 12 matches, a native of Kharkiv Oblast kept a clean sheet.
- Lunin’s transfer fee has increased from 5 to 16 million euros since the beginning of the season.
- Experts predict that Lunin will be the main goalkeeper of the Ukrainian national team at Euro-2024.
- By the way, Real will play their next match once morest Barcelona. The Spanish El Clasico will take place on Sunday, April 21. The game will start at 22:00 Kyiv time.
