Andriy Shevchenko

Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko (; commonly known as Andrei Shevchenko; born 29 September 1976 in Yahotyn, Kiev Oblast) is a Ukraine Association football striker who plays for Chelsea F.C and the Ukraine national football team. Andriy Shevchenko is the fourth-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 61 goals, behind Filippo Inzaghi, Raúl González and Gerd Müller.

Shevchenko's career has been highlighted by many awards, the most prestigious of which were the Ballon d'Or in 2004 and the UEFA Champions League in 2003 with A.C. Milan. Along with this, Andriy Shevchenko has won various league and cup titles in Ukrainian Premier League, Serie A, and Premier League. Besides the Golden Ball, Shevchenko was awarded other individual awards.

In Andriy Shevchenko international career, the striker led the Ukraine national football team as captain to the quarterfinals in their first ever FIFA World Cup appearance in FIFA World Cup 2006.

Early life

Shevchenko was nine when the Chernobyl disaster occurred in April 1986. Andriy Shevchenko village was affected by the disaster, and Andriy Shevchenko family was forced to abandon their home and relocate to the coast to escape the after-effects. At an early age, Andriy Shevchenko was a competitive Boxing in the LLWI Ukrainian junior league, but eventually Andriy Shevchenko elected to move on to football.

Club career

Dynamo Kyiv

In 1986, Shevchenko failed a dribbling test for entrance to a specialist sports school in Kiev, but happened to catch the eye of a FC Dynamo Kyiv scout while playing in a youth tournament, and was thus brought to the club. Four years later, Shevchenko was on the Dynamo Kyiv under-14 team for the Ian Rush Cup (now the Welsh Super Cup); Andriy Shevchenko finished as the tournament's top scorer and was awarded a pair of Rush's boots as a prize by the then-Liverpool F.C. player.

In 1992-93, Shevchenko was the top scorer for Dynamo-2 with twelve goals, and Andriy Shevchenko made Andriy Shevchenko first appearance in the starting eleven. Andriy Shevchenko won Andriy Shevchenko second league title next season, scoring 6 goals in 20 matches, and scored a hat trick in the first half of a UEFA Champions League 1997–98 road match against FC Barcelona, which Dynamo won 4-0. Andriy Shevchenko nineteen goals in 23 league matches and six goals in ten Champions League matches were followed by 28 total goals in all competitions in 1998-99. Andriy Shevchenko won the domestic league title with Dynamo in each of Andriy Shevchenko five seasons with the club.

A.C. Milan

In 1999, Shevchenko joined A.C. Milan for a then-record transfer fee of $25 million. Andriy Shevchenko made Andriy Shevchenko Serie A debut on 28 August 1999 in a 2-2 draw with U.S. Lecce. Andriy Shevchenko became the first foreign player to win the Serie A scoring title in Andriy Shevchenko debut season, finishing with 24 goals in 32 matches.

Despite netting only five times in 24 matches, Shevchenko became the first Ukrainian-born player to win the Champions League after Milan lifted their sixth trophy in 2002-03. Andriy Shevchenko scored the winning penalty in the Penalty shootout against arch-rivals Juventus F.C. in the final, which had ended goalless after extra time. Andriy Shevchenko finished top goalscorer in Serie A (2003-04) for the second time in Andriy Shevchenko career, scoring 24 goals in 32 matches as Milan won the Scudetto for the first time in four years. Shevchenko capped off the year by being named the 2004 Ballon d'Or, becoming the third Ukrainian player ever to win the award after Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov.

Andriy Shevchenko scored seventeen goals in the 2004–05 season after missing several games with a fractured cheekbone. Shevchenko made Champions League history the following season; on 23 November 2005, Andriy Shevchenko scored all four goals in Milan's 4-0 group-stage drubbing of Fenerbahçe S.K., becoming only the fifth player to accomplish this feat (his company includes Marco van Basten, Filippo Inzaghi, Dado Pršo and Ruud van Nistelrooy). Milan eventually lost the tournament when Shevchenko missed the crucial penalty in the final against Liverpool. Andriy Shevchenko scored Andriy Shevchenko last Milan goal in the second leg of the quarterfinals as they eliminated Olympique Lyonnais after a last-minute comeback, but then fell to eventual winners Barcelona in the semifinals, a match where Shevchenko controversially had a last minute equalizer denied by the referee.

On 8 February 2006, Andriy Shevchenko became Milan's second all-time goalscorer, behind Gunnar Nordahl, after netting against Treviso F.B.C. 1993.

Chelsea

During the summer of 2005, there were persistent reports that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich offered a record sum of €75.2 million and striker Hernán Crespo to Milan in exchange for Shevchenko. Milan refused the monetary offer but took Crespo on loan. Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon was quoted as saying, "I think Shevchenko is the type of player we would like. At the end of the day to improve what we have got, it has to be a great player and Shevchenko certainly comes into that class." Shevchenko cited that the persistence of Abramovich was a key factor in Andriy Shevchenko move.

On 28 May 2006, Shevchenko left Milan for Chelsea for £30.8 million, topping Michael Essien's transfer fee from the previous year and also breaking the record for a player signed by an English club. Andriy Shevchenko received the number seven shirt, as Chelsea coach José Mourinho said that Shevchenko could continue wearing it.

Shevchenko made Andriy Shevchenko debut for Chelsea on 13 August 2006 in the FA Community Shield, scoring Andriy Shevchenko side's goal in a 2–1 loss to Liverpool. On 23 August, Andriy Shevchenko scored Andriy Shevchenko first Premier League goal — and Andriy Shevchenko 300th in top-flight and international football — in a 2–1 loss to Middlesbrough F.C.. Andriy Shevchenko scored goals sporadically throughout the season, including equalisers against F.C. Porto and Valencia CF in the UEFA Champions League 2006–07 and another against Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to help take Andriy Shevchenko side into the FA Cup semifinals. Andriy Shevchenko finished with a total of 14 from 51 games. During the campaign Andriy Shevchenko netted Andriy Shevchenko 57th career goal in European competitions, leaving Andriy Shevchenko second behind Gerd Muller on the all-time European goalscorers list, before Filippo Inzaghi made the record Andriy Shevchenko own in the 2007-08 season. Shevchenko's 2006-07 season was cut short due to injury and a hernia operation. Andriy Shevchenko missed the UEFA Champions League 2006-07 knockout stage Semi-finalss against Liverpool and the 2007 FA Cup Final against Manchester United at the new Wembley Stadium on 19 May 2007. Andriy Shevchenko did however start for Chelsea in the 2007 Football League Cup Final victory over Arsenal F.C in which Andriy Shevchenko hit the bar which would have given Chelsea a 3-1 lead.

Shevchenko was handed Andriy Shevchenko first start of the season against Blackburn Rovers at home to cover for the injured Didier Drogba, but the game finished goalless. Andriy Shevchenko first goal of the season came three days later in a match against Rosenborg BK which was Jose Mourinho's last game as manager of Chelsea. After that Shevchenko was in and out of the starting lineup because of injuries and the appointment of Avram Grant following the departure of José Mourinho. Andriy Shevchenko finished with five league goals for the season. Shevchenko scored Andriy Shevchenko last goal in the 2007-08 in English football in the 1-1 draw with Bolton Wanderers F.C. The following season Andriy Shevchenko missed a penalty against Lokomotiv Moscow which Andriy Shevchenko chipped it straight down the middle just like Andriy Shevchenko did in the Champions League final in against Liverpool F.C. Chelsea went on to lose the game. Shevchenko also played a part in another pre season match which was against Andriy Shevchenko former team A.C. Milan. Andriy Shevchenko then returned to the italian club on loan just a few days later. Shevchenko rejoined Chelsea for the 09/10 season and the last year of Andriy Shevchenko contract.

Loan back to Milan

Shevchenko was loaned back to old club A.C. Milan for the 2008-09 season. Andriy wasn't used very often in the starting lineup at Chelsea, and with the appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari Andriy Shevchenko was deemed surplus to requirements. Due to this, Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani offered to take Shevchenko back to the San Siro.

Shevchenko's second spell was unsuccessful, as Andriy Shevchenko failed to score any league goals, and only achieved 2 goals in 26 appearances, however Shevchenko only started 9 of those games. At the end of the season, Milan confirmed that Shevchenko would be returning to Chelsea for the final year of Andriy Shevchenko 4-year contract where Andriy Shevchenko would rejoin former AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti.

International career

Shevchenko has 87 caps and 41 goals for the Ukraine national football team, whom Andriy Shevchenko represented at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Andriy Shevchenko scored Andriy Shevchenko first international goal in May 1996, in a friendly against Turkey national football team.

In March 2000, Dynamo manager Valeri Lobanovsky became the Ukraine coach, with the aim to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. Shevchenko scored 10 goals in the qualifiers, but Ukraine failed to qualify after losing a play-off against Germany national football team. Andriy Shevchenko scored a total of five goals in Ukraine's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers.

After only playing two games for A.C. Milan in the season 08/09 there was a lot of speculation (especially before England vs Ukraine in the world cup qualifiers) of Andriy being past Andriy Shevchenko best but Andriy Shevchenko silenced Andriy Shevchenko critics after Andriy Shevchenko fired in an equaliser against England at the New Wembley Stadium, however Ukraine went on to lose the game 2-1 after Andriy Shevchenko Chelsea F.C teammate John Terry had scored from a corner kick.

Personal life

Shevchenko is married to United States model Kristen Pazik. The couple met at a Giorgio Armani afterparty in 2002, and married on 14 July 2004 in a private ceremony on a golf course in Washington, DC. They communicate with each other in Italian, though Shevchenko had previously made public Andriy Shevchenko desire to learn English.

The couple have two sons: Jordan, Milan supremo Silvio Berlusconi is the Godfather of Andriy's first son, Jordan. The day after Christian's birth, Shevchenko scored in a 4–0 Chelsea victory over Watford F.C., and Andriy Shevchenko and several of Andriy Shevchenko teammates gathered and performed the popular Goal celebration Common celebrations as a tribute.

Shevchenko is a close friend of fashion designer Giorgio Armani, and has modelled for Armani and opened two boutiques with Andriy Shevchenko in Kiev.

Name

Shevchenko's first name (Андрій in Ukrainian alphabet) does not have a single way of being transliteration from its original spelling in the Cyrillic alphabet into the Latin alphabet. Andriy is the spelling used throughout the player's official web site ( Andrii is used by World Soccer Magazine magazine and Andrei by Sky Sports). The Ukrainian pronunciation is . Dinamo Kiev fans gave Andriy Shevchenko the nickname Sheva, a contraction of Shevchenko.