Background
Shevchenko was born on September 29, 1976, in Dvirkivschyna, Ukraine. In 1979, his family moved to the newly built neighborhood in Kiev – Obolon.
Andriy Shevchenko of Dynamo Kiev in 1999
AC Milan
London, England
Frank Lampard, Steve Sidwell and Andriy Shevchenko during the Chelsea Training and Press Conference at Stamford Bridge on 23 October, 2007.
London, England
Andriy Shevchenko of Chelsea in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 26, 2007.
London, England
Andriy Shevchenko (L) of Chelsea celebrates with team mates after scoring his sides sixth goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on October 27, 2007.
Derby, England
Shaun Wright-Phillips of Chelsea celebrates with team mate Andriy Shevchenko after scoring the second goal of the game during the Barclays Premier League match betweeen Derby County and Chelsea at Pride Park on November 24, 2007.
London, England
Andriy Shevchenko of Chelsea celebrates as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on May 11, 2008.
Sunderland, England
Andriy Shevchenko of Chelsea looks on from the bench prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Chelsea at The Stadium of Light on March 15, 2008.
Cobham, England
Andriy Shevchenko chats to Paulo Ferreira during a Chelsea Media Open Day at Chelsea Training Ground on May 14, 2008.
Cagliari, Italy
Davide Biondini and Joaquin Larrivey of Cagliari with Andriy Shevchenko of AC Milan during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and AC Milan at the Stadio Sant Elia on October 5, 2008.
Milan, Italy
Andriy Shevchenko of Milan in action during the Serie A match between Milan and Bologna at the Stadio Meazza on August 31, 2008.
Portsmouth, England
Andriy Shevchenko of AC Milan waves after the UEFA Cup Group E match between Portsmouth and AC Milan at Fratton Park on November 27, 2008.
Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine
Andriy Shevchenko of the Ukraine lines up before the FIFA 2010 World Cup Group 6 Qualifying match between Ukraine and England at the Dnipro Arena on October 10, 2009.
Donetsk, Ukraine
Andriy Shevchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko of Ukraine are challenged by Vassilis Pliatsikas and Evangelos Moras of Greece during the 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off second leg match between the Ukraine and Greece on November 18, 2009.
L'viv, Ukraine
Andriy Shevchenko of Ukraine holds off Emanuel Pogatetz of Austria during the International Friendly match between Ukraine and Austria at the Lviv Arena on November 15, 2011.
Kiev, Ukraine
Andriy Shevchenko of Ukraine celebrates scoring their second goal with tea mates during the UEFA EURO 2012 group D match between Ukraine and Sweden at The Olympic Stadium on June 11, 2012.
Kiev, Ukraine
In this handout image provided by UEFA, Coach Oleh Blokhin of Ukraine and Andriy Shevchenko speak with the media during a press conference after the UEFA EURO 2012 Group D match between Ukraine and Sweden on June 11, 2012.
Ballon d'Or: 2004
Andriy Shevchenko is the third soccer player to be awarded the Golden Foot Prize. August 2005.
coach politician athlete footballer
Shevchenko was born on September 29, 1976, in Dvirkivschyna, Ukraine. In 1979, his family moved to the newly built neighborhood in Kiev – Obolon.
Shevchenko went to the 216th City School in Kiev.
In 1986 Andriy Shevchenko joined the youth system of Dynamo Kyiv. In 1992/93 he played for the reserves, proving himself the top scorer and on 28 October 1994 he made his first team debut in the match against Shakhtar Donetsk. He helped Dynamo Kyiv to claim Ukrainian Premier League title in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.
In 1999 Shevchenko signed a $25-million deal with AC Milan and made his first appearance for the Italian side on 28 August 1999, which was a 2-2 draw with Lecce. In his first season there he netted 24 goals in 32 game and was named Serie A Top Scorer as well as in 2003/04. He helped Milan to win Serie A in 2003/04, in 2004/05, 2005/06 they were league runners-up. In 2003 the team won UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup, in 2005 they were UEFA Champions League finalists. In total Shevchenko made 296 appearances and netted 175 goals before he left AC Milan in 2006.
In 2006 Shevchenko moved to Premier League side Chelsea for £30.8 million and made his debut on 13 August 2006 in a 1-2 loss against Liverpool. In 2006/07 and 2007/08 from time to time he missed games due to injuries and lost his starting position. For the 2008/09 season he was loaned to AC Milan but that season wasn’t a success for him and in August 2009 he signed for Dynamo Kyiv where he played until his retirement in 2012.
Between 1995 and 2012 Shevchenko represented the Ukraine national team, earning 111 caps and scoring 48 goals.
In the late 1990s, Shevchenko and other teammates of Dynamo Kyiv publicly backed the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united). During the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, Shevchenko publicly endorsed candidate Viktor Yanukovych.
After his retirement in June 2012, Shevchenko immediately joined Ukraine – Forward! (formerly known as Ukrainian Social Democratic Party) and took second place on the party list for the October 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election. This was in spite of him stating a month earlier that he wanted to coach after his playing career: "This is the world I understand, the world I want to stay in." In the election his party won 1.58% of the national votes and no constituencies and thus failed to win parliamentary representation.
In June 2005, he became an ambassador for the SOS Children's Villages charity. Shevchenko also has a foundation to support orphaned children.
Quotations:
"When I was a child, it was my dream to be a professional footballer. When I was 14 I visited Milan's San Siro stadium and remember thinking how unbelievable it was. From then onwards I vowed that one day I would be playing there - and I am very proud that I achieved this and also for everything else I have managed to achieve in football."
"There is a great responsibility on the team to perform well, because our supporters and the whole of the country are expecting us to do just that."
"My fitness is good. I hope to improve it even further during training."
"Each game we approach like a final. Today it was the opening game at home, we won and showed outstanding football qualities. We will be preparing for the next game the same way."
"I would like to thank everyone who supported me to be fit for the Euros. I had some fitness problems before the tournament, but I am here now!"
"In England everyone puts a lot of pressure on you when you have cost a lot of money."
"I feel less adrenaline in my body now, but more in my head. I tried to be at my best, and I succeeded."
Physical Characteristics: Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Quotes from others about the person
"Andriy is our locomotive. We don't have players of the calibre of Kaka, Cafu and Maldini to play alongside him, but he carries the team up."
Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin on how important Shevchenko is to the team.
"Shevchenko is the best attacker in Europe. He has a great deal of consistency and he just keeps scoring - which in Italian football is very difficult. He is a complete player, someone who can do everything on a football field."
Carlo Ancelotti coach at Milan, on how he regards Shevchenko as one of the best players in modern football
Shevchenko is married to American 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, D.C. The couple have four sons.