Andriy Shevchenko describes his everlasting love for Milan. “These colours will always be in my heart, the club which made me a Champions League winner and helped me achieve everything in football.”

The 43-year-old Ukraine coach spent seven seasons with the Rossoneri before going on to Chelsea and Dinamo Kiev, retiring in 2012.

“Red and black, these colours will always be in my heart,” he told the official Milan Twitter account.

Andriy Shevchenko describes his everlasting love for Milan. “These colours will always be in my heart, the club which made me a Champions League winner and helped me achieve everything in football.”

The 43-year-old Ukraine coach spent seven seasons with the Rossoneri before going on to Chelsea and Dinamo Kiev, retiring in 2012.

“Red and black, these colours will always be in my heart,” he told the official Milan Twitter account.

“They are the colours of the club that gave me so much, one which made me a Champions League winner and helped me achieve everything in football.

“Milan had been following me for two years before the transfer and Italian football’s popularity at the time was simply huge, especially with teams like Juventus, Milan, Roma and Napoli, teams that stood out during that period and had the best players.

“I was 22 years old and ready for the next step in my career, to test myself in the toughest league and play against the best teams in the world.

“It wasn’t easy for me to adapt at the beginning. The coach at the time, Alberto Zaccheroni, had a huge role in my good start for the club. He was a smart man and a very good coach, who introduced me gradually, so I wasn’t always in the starting XI, but I did feature and gradually built up confidence.”

Sheva truly made his mark during the epic 4-4 draw with Lazio, where he scored a hat-trick at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

“I felt great and became Capocannoniere in my debut campaign. Of course, I was happy, but wanted to win something with the team. The second season was very difficult for us, because there was a change of coach. Despite this, I had a great campaign and scored 24 goals, but we didn’t win anything.

“The year we won the Scudetto in 2003-04, it was between Juventus, Milan and Roma. Midway through the season, we were seven or eight points behind Roma, so the win in Rome was very important and we closed the gap to one point in the space of a month.

“Winning the Scudetto at San Siro against Roma, the main contenders, was a simply unforgettable day. I remember how special it was to see Milan fans in the stadium celebrating this great team. It was definitely one of the best moments of my football career.”

That triumph, along with the Champions League in 2003, also helped Shevchenko to lift the Ballon d’Or in 2004.

“It was very emotional, especially when it was handed to me at San Siro at the next home game, in front of the Milan fans. Seeing all those people was unforgettable.

“Milan is my second home, so my eight years I spent there brought me closer to the Italian people. I’ll remember Italy for what I won and achieved, but above all for my relationship with the Italian people and fans, especially those of Milan.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector