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.
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.