- Title: UKRAINE: EUROPEAN FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR ANDIRY SHEVCHENKO THANKS HIS FANS
- Date: 31st December 2004
- Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (DECEMBER 31, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SLV PEOPLE AROUND MONUMENT TO VALERY LOBANOVSKY, TRAINER FOR DYNAMO KIEV 2. CLOSE UP OF MONUMENT 3. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WITH DYNAMO KIEV FLAG 4. ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO WALKING TOWARDS MONUMENT 5. ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO LAYING THE WREATH TOWARDS MONUMENT 6. BOY IN A DYNAMO KIEV
- Embargoed: 15th January 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KIEV, UKRAINE
- Country: Ukraine
- Reuters ID: LVA5VH3RGMYPLVO6RE4G9QA2UKDX
- Story Text: European Footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko
has thanked his fans in Kiev for their past support.
Andriy Shevchenko, the European Footballer of the
Year, visited his native Ukraine on New Year's eve
(December 31, 2004) to thank his fans for their support and to
show them the prestigious Golden Ball he received as an
acknowledgement of his goalscoring prowess.
He met his fans at the monument to Valery Lobanovsky,
Dynamo Kiev trainer, erected after Lobanovsky's death in
May 2002.
In the past 12 months the 28-year-old has won his first
Italian league title with AC Milan and finished top scorer
in Serie A with 24 goals. Off the field he married U.S.
model Kristen Pazik and in November she gave birth to a
son, Jordan.
On Friday he received a further title. Shevchenko and
heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko were awarded
their country's highest honour, being declared a "Hero of
Ukraine".
The outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma signed a
decree to honour the AC Milan striker "for his outstanding
contribution to Ukrainian football."
The former Dynamo Kiev striker has pace, the ability to
beat his man and strength in the air but it is his clinical
finishing that makes him such a respected striker.
Shevchenko is the first Ukrainian to win the award since
the country gained independence in 1991.
During the Soviet era Oleg Blokhin was voted the
Europe's best player in 1975 and Igor Belanov in 1986. Like
Blokhin, Shevchenko began his career with Dynamo Kiev.
Unlike his predecessor, he has not had the chance to play
in a World Cup or European Championship given Ukraine's
regular, heartbreaking play-off qualifying failures. He has
though had something Blokhin was denied -- the opportunity
to show his talent in a top west European league.
Shevchenko came to attention with Dynamo in the
Champions League in the late 1990s when he benefited from
the astute coaching of the late Valery Lobanovsky. The son
of a former Red Army officer, Shevchenko scored 17 goals in
26 Champions League games for Kiev, including superb
strikes against Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The team's run
to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 1999 made
Shevchenko the hottest property in European football,
although his shyness and the refusal of Dynamo to auction
him kept the hype within bounds. Milan took their time before paying
25 million U.S. dollars to bring him to the
San Siro, initially on a five-year contract.
In his first season in Italy Shevchenko was Serie A's
top scorer with 24 goals, despite a disappointing season
for the club, who finished 12 points behind champions
Lazio. Shevchenko equalled that tally the following season
and although injuries affected his next two seasons, it was
clear he was maturing into a truly great centre-forward.
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