# Andriy Shevchenko (Андрій Миколайович Шевченко)
**Andriy Shevchenko** (Андрій Миколайович Шевченко; born 1976) is a Ukrainian former footballer who played as a striker for Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, and Chelsea, and is the all-time top scorer for the Ukraine national team with 48 goals in 111 matches.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) He won the [Ballon d'Or](https://www.edgepedia.org/ballon-dor) in 2004 as Europe's best player, became president of the Ukrainian Association of Football in January 2024, and now serves as the association's president.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, village of Dvirkivshchyna, Kyiv region, Ukraine[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) |
| Clubs | Dynamo Kyiv (1994–1999, 2009–2012), AC Milan (1999–2006, on loan 2008/09), Chelsea (2006–2009)[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) • [2](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko) |
| Milan record | 175 goals in 322 appearances over eight seasons; 127 goals in 226 Serie A matches[2](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dc-0e72b9601623-899df150239d-1000--shevchenko-makes-dynamo-return/) |
| Major honors | UEFA Champions League (2003), Serie A (2004), Coppa Italia, Italian Supercup, UEFA Super Cup, 5 Ukrainian titles, FA Cup, Carabao Cup[2](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko) • [4](https://figc.it/it/museo-del-calcio/hall-of-fame/le-stelle/andriy-shevchenko/) |
| Ballon d'Or | 2004, as AC Milan and Ukraine striker; third Ukrainian winner after Oleh Blokhin (1975) and Ihor Belanov (1986)[5](https://es.uefa.com/news-media/news/01a4-0f845223016f-bddbb1497133-1000--shevchenko-balon-de-oro/) |
| Ukraine record | 48 goals in 111 matches, the national team's all-time top scorer; captain at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2012[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) |
| Coaching and administration | Ukraine head coach from 2016 (Euro 2020 quarter-finals), brief spell at Genoa, president of the Ukrainian Association of Football since January 2024[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) |
## Early life and Dynamo Kyiv
Shevchenko grew up in Kyiv and was noticed as a boy by the Dynamo Kyiv scout and coach Oleksandr Shpakov, who invited him to join the club's academy.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) After the [Chernobyl disaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/chernobyl-disaster) he was evacuated and almost stopped playing football; a Dynamo coach visited him after his return to Kyiv and he resumed training, a turning point he later described as decisive for his career.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) At 13, on a trip abroad with Dynamo, he won the [Ian Rush](https://www.edgepedia.org/ian-rush) tournament in Wales and was named the best player of the competition, receiving a pair of Nike boots from Ian Rush himself.[6](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ian-rush-gave-me-a-pair-of-nike-boots-and-i-treasured-them-for-years-i-tried-playing-with-them-once-until-my-big-toes-poked-through-the-toe-area-how-a-liverpool-legend-helped-inspire-andriy-shevchenko)
He made his debut for Dynamo's first team in 1994 at the age of 18, after two seasons of recorded appearances for the reserve side Dynamo-2 Kyiv.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) • [2](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko) Under coach [Valeriy Lobanovskyi](https://www.edgepedia.org/valeriy-lobanovskyi), who had built title-winning Dynamo teams in 1974, 1986, and again from 1997, Shevchenko became a key player in one of the strongest Dynamo sides in the club's history.[7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker) • [1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) He won five successive Ukrainian league titles with the club and scored 60 goals in 116 league games in his first spell.[8](https://www.footylogos.com/careers/andriy-shevchenko) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dc-0e72b9601623-899df150239d-1000--shevchenko-makes-dynamo-return/)
His international reputation was made in the Champions League in the late 1990s, with goals against Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid, including a hat-trick against Barcelona at [Camp Nou](https://www.edgepedia.org/camp-nou).[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) In the 1998/99 season he was the Champions League's top scorer with eight goals, and Dynamo reached the competition's semi-finals.[9](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/andriy-shevchenko_%28Enciclopedia-dello-Sport%29/) • [1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko)
## AC Milan
Shevchenko transferred to [AC Milan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ac-milan) in 1999 in what was then a record deal for a Ukrainian player.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) He finished as [Serie A](https://www.edgepedia.org/serie-a)'s top scorer in his debut season with 24 goals.[2](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko) In the 2003 Champions League final against Juventus in Manchester, coach [Carlo Ancelotti](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlo-ancelotti) asked him to take the first penalty in the shootout; he refused, asking instead to take the last one, and scored the winning penalty that won Milan the trophy.[7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker) He then flew the trophy to Kyiv with the club's permission to pay tribute at the monument of Lobanovskyi, who had died a year earlier.[7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker)
**Peak years.** In 2003/04 he won the Serie A title and, on 13 December 2004, the Ballon d'Or awarded by *France Football*, finishing ahead of Ronaldinho of Barcelona and Thierry Henry of Arsenal.[2](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko) • [5](https://es.uefa.com/news-media/news/01a4-0f845223016f-bddbb1497133-1000--shevchenko-balon-de-oro/) He became the third Ukrainian to receive the award, after his idols Oleh Blokhin (1975) and Ihor Belanov (1986), and was later given the title of [Hero of Ukraine](https://www.edgepedia.org/hero-of-ukraine) by his country.[5](https://es.uefa.com/news-media/news/01a4-0f845223016f-bddbb1497133-1000--shevchenko-balon-de-oro/) • [7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker) Across eight seasons with Milan (1999–2006 and 2008/09) he scored 175 goals in 322 appearances, with 127 goals in 226 Serie A matches, and won a second Serie A top scorer title and three Champions League top scorer titles.[2](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dc-0e72b9601623-899df150239d-1000--shevchenko-makes-dynamo-return/)
## Chelsea and return to Dynamo
In 2006 Shevchenko joined Chelsea in a €36 million deal from Milan, shortly before the 2006 World Cup.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dc-0e72b9601623-899df150239d-1000--shevchenko-makes-dynamo-return/) • [7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker) His time in England was less successful, affected by injuries and strong competition within a squad that included [Frank Lampard](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-lampard), Petr Cech, John Terry, and [Arjen Robben](https://www.edgepedia.org/arjen-robben).[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) • [7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker) He made 78 appearances for Chelsea in total, winning the [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) and the Carabao Cup, and returned to Milan on loan for the 2008/09 season.[10](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/working-for-mourinho-was-a-great-experience-he-was-a-master-at-motivating-and-knew-how-to-strike-the-right-chord-with-each-player-we-were-his-soldiers-andriy-shevchenko-on-his-loyalty-to-his-former-chelsea-boss) • [4](https://figc.it/it/museo-del-calcio/hall-of-fame/le-stelle/andriy-shevchenko/) • [2](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko)
In August 2009, at 32, he signed a two-year contract with Dynamo Kyiv, the club where he had first made his name.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dc-0e72b9601623-899df150239d-1000--shevchenko-makes-dynamo-return/) He played there through the 2011/12 season, contributing goals and leadership, and retired after Euro 2012.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) • [11](https://fcdynamo.com/en/news/gud_bay_sheva)
## Ukraine national team
Shevchenko made his senior debut in 1995 and helped Ukraine qualify for its first World Cup, in 2006.[7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker) He went into that tournament carrying an injury that had kept him out for more than a month, and scored in the group-stage wins over Saudi Arabia and Tunisia as Ukraine reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Italy.[7](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker) • [1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko)
At Euro 2012, co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland and played in the final weeks of his career, he scored two headers in a 2–1 win against Sweden, giving Ukraine its first-ever win at a European Championship finals tournament.[11](https://fcdynamo.com/en/news/gud_bay_sheva) • [1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) He finished his international career with 48 goals in 111 matches, the national record.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko)
## Coaching and football administration
After retiring as a player, Shevchenko worked as an assistant with the Ukraine national team and became its head coach in 2016.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) Under his leadership Ukraine reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, and he later had a short spell as head coach of the Italian club Genoa.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) In January 2024 he was elected president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, a position he still holds.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) • [12](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/029f-1f1d6ade076e-783243385d05-1000/uefa_european_football_directory_2025-26.pdf)
## Standing in the game
Shevchenko is regarded as one of the greatest footballers in Ukraine's history and one of the most famous players of his generation in Europe.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) He is among Milan's all-time leading scorers and the leading scorer in the [Derby della Madonnina](https://www.edgepedia.org/derby-della-madonnina) against [Inter Milan](https://www.edgepedia.org/inter-milan), and he is the top Ukrainian scorer in Champions League history with 48 goals in the competition.[1](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko) • [13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHMhUxU6XAw) He was named Ukrainian Footballer of the Year six times.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dc-0e72b9601623-899df150239d-1000--shevchenko-makes-dynamo-return/)
## References
1. [Andriy Shevchenko, FC Dynamo Kyiv official website](https://fcdynamo.com/en/history/andrii-sevcenko)
2. [Andriy Shevchenko: stats and matches, AC Milan Hall of Fame](https://www.acmilan.com/en/hall-of-fame/inductees/andriy-shevchenko)
3. [Shevchenko makes Dynamo return, UEFA.com (29 August 2009)](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/01dc-0e72b9601623-899df150239d-1000--shevchenko-makes-dynamo-return/)
4. [Andriy Shevchenko, FIGC Hall of Fame](https://figc.it/it/museo-del-calcio/hall-of-fame/le-stelle/andriy-shevchenko/)
5. [Shevchenko, balón de oro, UEFA.com (14 December 2004)](https://es.uefa.com/news-media/news/01a4-0f845223016f-bddbb1497133-1000--shevchenko-balon-de-oro/)
6. [How a Liverpool legend helped inspire Andriy Shevchenko, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ian-rush-gave-me-a-pair-of-nike-boots-and-i-treasured-them-for-years-i-tried-playing-with-them-once-until-my-big-toes-poked-through-the-toe-area-how-a-liverpool-legend-helped-inspire-andriy-shevchenko)
7. ["The Ballon d'Or was my childhood dream", FourFourTwo interview](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/person/player/the-ballon-dor-was-my-childhood-dream-milan-said-the-only-way-to-win-it-is-by-playing-for-us-andriy-shevchenko-on-on-how-he-became-the-worlds-best-striker)
8. [Andriy Shevchenko: career timeline, FootyLogos](https://www.footylogos.com/careers/andriy-shevchenko)
9. [SHEVCHENKO, Andriy, Treccani Enciclopedia dello Sport](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/andriy-shevchenko_%28Enciclopedia-dello-Sport%29/)
10. [Shevchenko on his loyalty to his former Chelsea boss, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/working-for-mourinho-was-a-great-experience-he-was-a-master-at-motivating-and-knew-how-to-strike-the-right-chord-with-each-player-we-were-his-soldiers-andriy-shevchenko-on-his-loyalty-to-his-former-chelsea-boss)
11. [Andriy SHEVCHENKO (+ VIDEO), FC Dynamo Kyiv official website](https://fcdynamo.com/en/news/gud_bay_sheva)
12. [UEFA European Football Directory 2025/26, Ukrainian Association of Football](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/029f-1f1d6ade076e-783243385d05-1000/uefa_european_football_directory_2025-26.pdf)
13. [Andriy Shevchenko: all goals in European cup competitions, YouTube (Valentyn)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHMhUxU6XAw)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › Former Soviet footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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