The legend of Ukrainian football Andriy Shevchenko was included in the Hall of Fame of Italian football in the category "Foreign footballers". The ceremony took place in Koverciano, where Shevchenko received well-deserved recognition for his outstanding achievements as part of the Italian club Milan. During his speech, he read an emotional letter expressing his gratitude to Italy and the club that has become his second home.
As reported by the Italian Football Federation, Andriy Shevchenko was nominated in the "Foreign Footballers" category and received his award at a solemn ceremony in Koverciano.
Also inducted into the Hall of Fame are Italian footballer, former Roma coach Daniele De Rossi, Italian national team coach Luciano Spalletti, Aredo Bride, Roberto Boninceni, Valentina Giacinti, Agostino Di Bartolomei, Vincenzo D'Amico and Manlio Scopinho. At the ceremony, Shevchenko read his letter addressed to Italy and Milan. "This is a letter from a Ukrainian child who dreamed of visiting you.
Our first meeting was on TV and I immediately fell in love with you. I saw Maldini, Baresi, Maradona, Platini, Van Basten, Baggio, Vialli, and froze as they froze in front of the greatest works of art. I saw people's passion, almost a religion. I saw stadiums full of history. My first trip abroad as a child was to Italy, first to Rome and then to Agropoli for a tournament. I was immediately impressed by everything about the people, especially the generosity. I felt good here and I thought:
I have to come back here no matter what." And so it happened. Dear Milan, thank you for believing in me. You immediately, from the first day, made me feel like a member of your family. We won a lot together, and I got to know extraordinary people, especially the Berlusconi family, Adriano Galliani, Ariedo Bride, the Maldini family. They become Milanistas from the first day and forever
Shevchenko noted that "entering the Hall of Fame of Italian football is a huge privilege, and for that I thank all my partners at Milan, the club's managers and its fans."
Koverciano, where I am today, is not only the birthplace of Italy, it is known everywhere. All the best coaches have come from here, and I would like to tell you, the guys from the Italian national team, one thing: Italian football is loved all over the world. Protect him and honor him. Finally, I would like to thank all of Italy for supporting Ukraine at the most difficult moment in our history. What is normal for others is hope for us. The hope that we are still here, every day and forever. Italy, I love you
Andriy Shevchenko started his football career in "Dynamo" Kyiv, for which he made his debut on November 8, 1994, coming on as a substitute in a match against "Shakhtar" Donetsk. With Dynamo, Shevchenko became the champion of Ukraine 5 times and won the Cup of Ukraine three times.
In the summer of 1999, the Italian "Milan" paid 25 million dollars for Andrii. On August 29, 1999, he made his Serie A debut in a match against Lecce, and in the first season he became the top scorer in Serie A, scoring 24 goals in 32 league games. In general, Shevchenko played for Milan from 1999 to 2006, where he won medals in the Italian championship, the Italian Cup, and also won the Champions League. In 2004, Shevchenko received the Golden Ball.
In 2006, Shevchenko moved to the English "Chelsea" for 30.8 million British pounds. English fans called this transfer one of the most unsuccessful. Having failed to gain a foothold in the "pensioners", Shevchenko will return to "Milan" on loan for a year. The 32-year-old player could not win a place in the starting line-up and spent most of his playing time in matches of the UEFA Cup, Italian Cup, or after coming on as a substitute in Serie A matches.
In total, in 322 matches for Milan, Shevchenko scored 175 goals and provided 45 assists. In August 2009, it became known that Shevchenko was returning to Kyiv "Dynamo", where he spent three years, and in 2012, after the home Euro-2012, he ended his football career.
From 2016 to 2021, Shevchenko led the Ukrainian national team, with which he made it to the 1/4 of Euro-2020. After finishing his career in the national team, Shevchenko headed the Italian "Genoa", where he worked for only one year, and was fired due to poor results. In January 2024, Andrii Shevchenko was elected the new president of the Ukrainian Football Association. The delegates at the extraordinary Congress of the UAF voted for the relevant decision.
