'When they are dropping missiles and bombs at night, you never know. Hopefully one day it will stop

VITALII MYKOLENKO EXCLUSIVE

- CHRIS MCKENNA

VITALII MYKOLENKO still wakes up every day needing to make a nervous phone call to his parents.

The Everton defender gets in touch with mum Olesia and dad Sergei to check if they've made it through the night unscathed at their home near Kyiv.

As Russian bombs continue to land on Ukraine soil, Mykolenko is never sure what news he will hear when he makes that call every morning before training.

"I ask, 'Are you ok?," said the 25-yearold left-back, who joined Everton in 2022.

"Sometimes it is bad news, they couldn't sleep, sometimes it is OK. It is hard for me to be here but harder for them because they are there.

"They don't know what can happen this night or the next night when they are dropping missiles and bombs at night. You never know. Hopefully one day it will stop." Mykolenko, along with other prominent Ukraine sports stars, continue to be inspirations for those risking their lives on the front line.