Andriy Shevchenko Profile

Andriy Shevchenko is a former Ukranian soccer player and the current head coach of the Ukraine national team, for whom he was a lethal striker during his playing days.

Shevchenko began to make a name for himself at Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv before his 1999 transfer to AC Milan. In Italy, he wrote his name into Milan history books, helping them win the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League title and 2003/04 Scudetto.

Shevchenko signed for Chelsea in 2006 for a record Premier League transfer fee of £30million. With the Blues, he won the 2006/07 League Cup. However, he struggled to replicate his goalscoring form from AC Milan.

Even a loan move back to Milan in 2008/09 could not reignite Shevchenko's form, but he found his previous spark when he returned to Dynamo Kyiv in 2009.

Shevchenko became head coach of the Ukraine national team in July 2016 after five months as assistant coach.

While at Dynamo Kyiv, Shevchenko turned heads with his astonishing performances domestically and in Europe.

Shevchenko signed for AC Milan in 1999 for a reported transfer fee of £18million. He made his debut on August 28, 1999 in a 2-2 draw with Lecce. Shevchenko was Serie A's top scorer in 1999/00, his debut season, netting 24 times in 32 matches.

In 2000/01, Shevchenko scored another 24 goals in Serie A, coupling that up with nine in 14 UEFA Champions League matches. In total, Shevchenko scored 34 goals in 51 appearances that season.

The next two seasons were not as prolific due to injury. However, in 2002/03, he became the first Ukrainian-born player to win the UEFA Champions League.

He scored a vital away goal in the semi-final against city rivals Inter Milan. After a 1-1 aggregate draw, AC Milan moved on to the final against Juventus. Milan were victorious on penalties, with Shevchenko scoring the winner.

In 2003/04, Shevchenko was top scorer in Serie A as Milan won the Scudetto - their first top flight title in five years. His side also won the Supercoppa Italiana.

In 2004 Shevchenko became the third Ukrainian to win the Ballon d'Or, finishing above Deco, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry.

He would continue his top form into the 2004/05 season. Despite missing part of the campaign due to a fractured cheekbone, Shevchenko scored 26 goals in 40 appearances.

However, the season ended in disappointment as Milan narrowly missed out on the Serie A title. They then lost the UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool, losing in a penalty shootout after surrendering a three-goal lead in Istanbul.

Shevchenko was in sublime form in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League, scoring nine goals, including all four in a 4-0 group stage drubbing of Fenerbahce. However, Milan lost to eventual champions Barcelona in the semi-finals.

After a highly successful spell in Italy, Shevchenko transferred to Chelsea. His second spell at AC Milan was a brief loan move during the 2008/09 season, but he only scored two goals in 26 appearances - nine of which were starts.

Shevchenko was signed by Chelsea for £30million, which broke Michael Essien's Premier League transfer record from the previous season.

Shevchenko was relentlessly pursued by Roman Abramovich and his entourage, with the owner's persistence reportedly playing a pivotal role in swaying Shevchenko towards Chelsea and away from a six-year contract extension at AC Milan.

Shevchenko scored his first goal for the Premier League champions in a 2-1 Community Shield defeat to Liverpool at the start of the 2006/07 season. Shortly after, he scored in a 2-1 Premier League defeat to Middlesbrough.

Shevchenko struggled to find consistent goalscoring form, only scoring 14 goals in 51 appearances. However, he did contribute to Chelsea's League Cup success.

Injuries cut Shevchenko's 2006/07 season short and continued into the following campaign. After Luiz Felipe Scolari's appointment as Chelsea manager ahead of the 2008/09 season, Shevchenko was loaned out to AC Milan, before rejoining Dynamo Kyiv a year later.

Shevchenko made his Ukraine debut in 1995 and scored his first international goal against Turkey in May 1996.

After a series of near misses, Ukraine qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, largely thanks to Shevchenko's contribution during qualifying. He scored in wins over Saudi Arabia and Tunisia as Ukraine made their way to the quarter-finals in their first ever major tournament.

Shevchenko played for Ukraine at UEFA Euro 2012, which they hosted together with Poland. He bagged a brace in a 2-1 group stage win over Sweden, but a 1-0 defeat to England saw them eliminated from the tournament.

Shevchenko announced his retirement from international soccer with 48 goals from 111 caps. He bowed out as both Ukraine's youngest and oldest ever goalscorer.

Shevchenko became assistant coach of the national team in February 2016 and was then promoted to the managerial hotseat following Ukraine's Euro 2016 group stage exit. He led them to qualification for UEFA Euro 2020 ans they went on to reach the last eight before losing 4-0 to England.

Shevchenko caught the eye of Dynamo Kyiv while playing in a youth tournament and progressed all the way to the first team. He made his debut in 1993 and gradually turned into the star of a team which dominated Ukrainian soccer during the 1990s.

Shevchenko's first-half hat-trick in a 4-0 UEFA Champions League against Spanish giants Barcelona in 1997 put him firmly on the map. He also scored a three goals over two legs against Real Madrid and won five Ukrainian domestic league titles before leaving for AC Milan in 1999.

Shevchenko's second stint at the club was from 2009-2012 and he scored 30 goals in 83 appearances in all competitions.

Shevchenko briefly quit soccer for politics after the end of his playing career. He turned down a chance to coach the national team immediately after retiring and joined the Ukraine Social Democratic Party.

Shevchenko took second place on his party list for Ukraine's October 2012 parliamentary elections. However, his party failed to win parliamentary representation.

Following the nuclear meltdown at the Chernobyl Power Plant, Shevchenko was forced to leave his childhood home in Kyiv in 1986.

Andriy Shevchenko's net worth is reported to be €38million.