Andriy Shevchenko is regarded as one of the best to ever play for AC Milan and the striker himself believes his move to the club was ‘destiny’. At a recent event, he shared his thoughts on the move and his time there.
Shevchenko made a total of 322 appearances across two appearances with the Rossoneri, finding the back of the net a whopping 175 times. He won five major trophies with the red and black shirt, including one Champions League and one Scudetto.
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Speaking at Festival dello Sport, as cited by TMW, Shevchenko shared his thoughts on the move to Milan and his Ballon d’Or will. He also shared a background on what helped him settle in so well.
On the Ballon d’Or…
“Winning the Ballon d’Or was my dream ever since I was in the youth sector of Dynamo Kyiv. The right moment came during a great personal period with both Milan and the Ukrainian national team and it was wonderful, an incredible emotion.
“The news of the Ballon d’Or victory was given to me by a journalist I had known for some time. I also received compliments from Ukraine to whom I dedicated this trophy. To my country, to my people who have always been close to me.”
Winning it at Milan…
“Sometimes it’s also a question of destiny: I remember that when Ariedo Braida came to me with the Milan shirt he told me that with this shirt, I would win the Ballon d’Or. I loved Milan straight away. For me, Milan is always a great Milan.
“The most important goal for me is the penalty against Juventus in the Champions League final because a dream came true. The dream of winning that trophy and entering Milan’s history. And to enter the history of this club you have to win the Champions League. It’s a special team, and you understand it from the first moment you arrive.”
Settling in…
“At Milan, I didn’t have any kind of problem in terms of settling in. Especially in the first few months, my teammates helped me a lot, I was never left alone. My first roommate was Ambrosini and I managed to communicate right away. The first little words in Italian, the first conversations. Costacurta also accompanied me to training and Billy was fundamental because I learned a lot from him,” he stated.
Shevchenko hasn’t been as successful as a manager, last managing Genoa, and it remains to be seen if he will take on a new mission in the future. In any case, he will always be in the hearts of the Milan fans.
I hope he will never coach ACM. If he losing , fans will bashing and mocking him
Indeed. Great player, though he does not have coaching personality.