Andriy Shevchenko has spoken about some of his memories with AC Milan, including the team that he remembers most fondly and the legends he associates with the club.
Shevchenko is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and the best spell of his career undoubtedly came while he was at Milan, with whom he won the Ballon d’Or after the 2003 Champions League triumph.
The Ukrainian spent eight seasons with the Rossoneri and won five trophies. His penalty at Old Trafford lives long in the memory, while 24 of his 175 goals with the Diavolo came in the Scudetto-winning campaign that followed.
In an exclusive interview with Goal Italia, Shevchenko spoke about his relationship with the Rossoneri, the characteristics that a Milan player must have and what makes Carlo Ancelotti so special.
What sweet memories does the word ‘Milan’ evoke?
“I immediately think of Old Trafford, the season in which we won the Champions League, my Milan. A great success, then the Scudetto the following year.
“But if we talk about Milan in general, the Milan of van Basten, Rijkaard, Gullit, Paolo Maldini, the Milan of Sacchi who impressed me so much that I started following Milan.
“I was a young boy, very young, I was still playing in the Dynamo Kiev youth team, it was a great team, in those years Milan was stellar, with great players, it had never been seen before.”
Was the 2004-05 Milan squad the strongest, despite not winning in Istanbul?
“Maybe as a complete squad, yes, that Milan had a great season, it had the strongest players of the moment in all roles.”
What qualities must Milan players have?
“Personality, humility, quality, a Milan player must give everything, because San Siro is a very difficult stadium, very special, Milan fans expect a lot from you, you must give everything to them.”
Who is the best coach you worked under?
“I put Ancelotti at the top. I put Lobanovskyi because he is my first coach, who transformed me, changed me, gave me everything, but Carlo is a great coach, he has won with all the teams, he has worked with great players, he has worked in so many generations which is even more difficult.
“He was still young but there is a big difference in mentality and he still manages to give enthusiasm, to find a beautiful relationship with the players, to win which is the most difficult thing, to motivate the players to win. Carlo is great.”
What happened in the ucl final 05 was tragic and I’ll be very surprised if we see another team get outplayed for so long and completely undeserved winners like Liverpool were that night .
As for seva WORLD CLASS I remember when milan signed him and I remember seeing him before on itv ucl highlights when still in the Ukraine.
Berlusconi thought the world of him and help him a great deal those were the days
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GALLIANI your legacy as well as others will NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
I finished reading his autobiography half a year ago. Fascinating stuff. Really opens up what kind of family Milan was back then. Highly recommended read coming from a guy who reads a book in 3-4 years. 😀
Actually no. It was probably Beckham’s book I read a while ago. I still have some pages left in the Sheva book. Gotta arrange time to finish it soon.
For years Inter had R9 and we were playing catch-up, Sheva had impressive seasons for Dynamo Kiev in the CL and then we got him…amazing day. I remember Ruud Gullit being asked ‘is he as good as Ronaldo’ to which Ruud replied ‘oh he’s better’…