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Andriy Shevchenko is the most famous Ukrainian footballer of all time. He achieved success in his home country and then built an incredible career abroad.
On Tuesday, 29 September, the outstanding forward celebrates his 50-year anniversary. Read Andriy Shevchenko’s biography on the 24 Channel.
What is known about Shevchenko’s childhood
Andriy Shevchenko was born in the village of Dvirkivshchyna in the Kyiv region. His family moved to the capital when he was about three years old.
There he started first grade at 216 secondary school. At the age of 9 the boy joined a football section, where his first coach was Oleksandr Shpakov.
At first his parents were skeptical about their son’s passion. But later the coach managed to convince them, and Shevchenko himself proved on the field that the adults were not wrong about his potential.
In 1990 he and Dynamo’s U-14 team won the Ian Rush Cup in Wales, with him becoming the tournament’s top scorer. Shevchenko received a pair of boots from the legendary forward as a prize.
Later the Kyiv side won the USSR championship among boys born in 1976 and the team traveled to several international tournaments in Europe.
In particular, they played at Milan’s San Siro, which immediately captured Shevchenko’s heart. Later he said that he fell in love with the city right away and desperately wanted to return.
The first time I was in Milan as a youth, I simply fell in love with the city. I remember secretly leaving a coin on the San Siro pitch so that one day I could come back,
– Shevchenko recalled.
Shevchenko’s first steps in senior football
Andriy Shevchenko made his senior debut in the 1992/1993 season for Dynamo-2. In the next campaign he became Dynamo’s top scorer with 12 goals, after which he was invited to Ukraine’s youth national team.
On 8 November 1994, under the management of Yozhef Szabo, the young forward debuted for the first team of the “white-blues.” He came on as a substitute in a match against Shakhtar, which Kyiv won 3:1.
Later Andriy became a regular starter for Dynamo, forming a lethal partnership with Serhiy Rebrov. They dazzled in Valeriy Lobanovskyi’s team, and in the 1998/1999 season they reached the Champions League semifinal.
At the end of that campaign Shevchenko was the competition’s top scorer with 10 goals. It was clear he was ready for the next step in his career.
It should be noted that Andriy Shevchenko could have become an army officer instead of pursuing a football career. He failed his first attempt to enter Dynamo’s academy, and his father wanted to send him to a military school.
Instead Shevchenko begged his parents for one more year to prove he could become a footballer. The future legend then entered Dynamo’s academy on his second attempt.
Shevchenko and Rebrov were one of the best striker duos / Photo FC Dynamo
How Shevchenko conquered European football
After such success Andriy became a target for many European giants. AC Milan won the competition for his signature, completing the transfer in the summer of 1999 for 25 million dollars.
That same year the Ukrainian striker finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting, behind Rivaldo and David Beckham. From the start he secured a place in the Italian giant’s lineup and became Serie A’s top scorer, netting 24 goals in 32 matches.
Interesting fact. When negotiations were underway for Andriy Shevchenko’s move from Kyiv Dynamo to Milan, the SBU intercepted telephone conversations. There was a plot to kidnap the footballer – he was then provided with security.
That scoring form again put the forward among the top three contenders for the most prestigious individual football award. However, he was again beaten by two players, this time Luís Figo and Zinedine Zidane.
The Ukrainian continued to score in bunches and won the Champions League in 2002/2003. After that he won the UEFA Super Cup and the Italian championship with Milan the following season and finally reached the pinnacle – he became the Ballon d’Or winner in 2004.
Shevchenko with the Ballon d’Or / Photo Getty Images
Then on 31 December 2004, by decree of President Leonid Kuchma, Andriy Shevchenko was awarded the title “Hero of Ukraine” “for exceptional sporting achievements, an outstanding personal contribution to the development of Ukrainian football, and raising Ukraine’s prestige in the world.”
Did Shevchenko use banned substances
Yozhef Szabo saved Andriy Shevchenko’s career, because the future legend at that time had fallen in with the wrong crowd.
Yozhef Yozhefovych told of the episode when Shevchenko’s path could have gone in another direction.
Once at a Dynamo training session a doctor came up to me and said that Shevchenko’s blood pressure was high again. It turned out Shevchenko had gotten into a bad crowd and was smoking all this crap,
– Szabo recounted.
In addition, the then-head coach saw Shevchenko speeding in a brand-new Mercedes in Koncha-Zaspa. Szabo then turned to the Surkis family to save the footballer – after that Andriy no longer associated with that crowd.
How Shevchenko scored the most memorable goal for Ukraine
Almost 27 years ago Andriy Shevchenko scored one of the most memorable goals of his career. The Ukraine national team played Russia in the decisive qualifier for Euro-2000.
Shevchenko’s quirky goal against Filimonov is forever remembered by fans. The national team leader made a cross into the penalty area, and the Russian goalkeeper deflected it into his own net.
The match ended in a 1:1 draw, and Ukraine advanced to the Euro-2000 playoff. Unfortunately, the Blue-and-Yellows then lost to Slovenia by an aggregate score of 2:3.
Andriy Shevchenko’s goal against Russia: watch the video
What is known about the final stage of Shevchenko’s playing career
The Ukrainian forward continued to shine in Milan, and in the summer of 2006 he reached the historic World Cup quarterfinals with the Ukraine national team. After that tournament he left the Italian club and moved to Chelsea, which bought the striker for 45 million euros.
Shevchenko’s career in England declined. He faced harsh criticism and scored only nine goals in the Premier League over two seasons.
In an attempt to revive his career the forward decided to return to Milan on loan. There the 32-year-old Ukrainian could not regain his former level, and in the summer of 2009 he signed a contract with his native Dynamo.
By the way, Andriy Shevchenko had hobbies besides football. The former footballer took up golf and in 2011 even won a silver medal in the Ukrainian championship.
Andriy became a regular starter, wore the captain’s armband and played three more seasons for the “white-blues.” Shevchenko finished his career in style—at the home Euro-2012, where he even scored a brace against Sweden.
What he did after ending his playing career
After hanging up his boots, Andriy Shevchenko decided to go into politics. He joined the party “Ukraine — Forward!” led by Natalia Korolevska.
In the end it failed to gain the necessary votes and did not enter parliament. After that the Ukrainian football legend returned to his beloved sport and tried his hand as a coach.
From 2016 to 2021 Andriy Shevchenko headed the Ukraine national team. Under his leadership the team showed perhaps the best football in its history and reached the Euro-2020 quarterfinals.
He later tried being a club manager, but things did not go so well there. He took charge of Genoa in the autumn of 2021, but after a win in his debut match the team went on a terrible 10-match winless run and the Ukrainian was dismissed.
After a long break he returned to football, but no longer to the coaching bench. Since 25 January 2024 Shevchenko has served as president of the Ukrainian Association of Football.
Shevchenko is currently the head of the UAF / Photo from the organization’s social media
What is known about Shevchenko’s personal life
Andriy Shevchenko is a one-love man and an exemplary family man. He has been in a relationship since 2000 with American model Kristen Pazik.
It should be noted that Shevchenko was friends with Giorgio Armani; the Italian designer introduced him to Pazik. Four years later they became husband and wife. Since then the couple has had four sons.
By the way, Andriy Shevchenko is the godfather of Silvio Berlusconi. The late former Italian prime minister baptized the footballer’s eldest son, Jordan.
One of his sons decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and also connect his life with football. Kristian plays for Watford’s youth team and has chosen to represent the Ukraine national team, although he was born in London.
Andriy Shevchenko with his son Kristian / Photo from the UAF head’s social media
It should be noted that Andriy Shevchenko can also be seen in films. The Ukrainian football legend took part in the filming of Italian movies—“The Last Ultras” and “The Football Coach 2.”
The film “The Last Ultras” with Shevchenko: watch the video
Andriy Shevchenko’s football legacy
The top scorer in the history of the Ukraine national team — 48 goals in 111 matches.
Ballon d’Or winner of 2004.
In total he won 16 trophies, including the Champions League in 2002/2003.
According to Transfermarkt, at club level he played 704 matches, in which he scored 342 goals and provided 99 assists.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Був кумом Берлусконі, а СБУ врятувала від викрадення: невідома сторона життя Андрія Шевченка". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
