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 against 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 Kovacich, thus securing the “creamy” team’s exit to the semi-finals.
After a bright match with Manchester City, Lunin became one of the most popular Ukrainian athletes on Instagram. As of Thursday, April 18, Lunin already has 2.22 million followers. In one day, he overtook Mykhailo Mudryk (1.92 million) and even Oleksandr Usyk (2.03 million).
The lead is currently held by London Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has 2.62 million followers. However, it is possible that soon Lunin will overtake his partner in the Ukrainian national team.
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 the “creamy” 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, the 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 against Barcelona. The Spanish El Clasico will take place on Sunday, April 21. The game will start at 22:00 Kyiv time.
