Andriy Shevchenko is a footballer born to Mykola and Lyubov on September 29, 1976 in Dvirkivshchyna, Ukraine. He married American model Kristen Pazik on July 14, 2004 and they have two sons, Jordan and Christian. A prominent striker, Andriy Shevchenko is the third highest scorer in the European club competition records.
Andriy Shevchenko made his international debut as a part of Ukraine national team in 1995 and netted his first goal in May 1996 in a friendly against Turkey. He scored a total of ten goals in the 2002 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup qualifiers. Andriy Shevchenko made his first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in the 2006 edition. As of 2008, he has played in 82 games scoring 37 goals for the Ukraine national team, including the five that he scored at the 2008 European qualifiers.
Andriy Shevchenko began his sporting career as a competitive boxer in the Ukrainian junior league, but decided to move on to football because of his lack of size. Boxing’s loss was football’s gain and Andriy Shevchenko was noticed by Dynamo Kiev scout Alexander Shpakov at the age of 10 while playing in a youth tournament at school, and invited him to join Dynamo’s youth program. As a member of Dynamo’s Under-14 team, he played in the Ian Rush Cup in Wales, finishing the top scorer in the game, for which he received a pair of boots from the Liverpool striker. He gradually moved into their first team and during the five seasons that he spent there, he helped his team win the Ukranian Premier League five times in a row netting 60 goals in the process.
Andriy Shevchenko shifted to A.C Milan in 1999 for $25 million, a record transfer fee then. With 24 goals in 32 matches, he became the first foreign player to win the Serie A scoring title. He became the first Ukrainian to win the Champions League when AC Milan lifted the trophy in 2002-03. He finished as the top goal scorer in Serie A again during 2003-04 with 24 goals in 32 outings, helping his team lift the Scudetto, the Serie A championship title, for the first time in four years. Andriy Shevchenko finished off the season by winning the 2004 European Player of the Year title. On February 8, 2006, his strike against Treviso made him the second all-time goal scorer of A.C Milan.
On May 28, 2006, Andriy Shevchenko made a move to Chelsea FC for a fee of £30 million. He played his first game for Chelsea in the FA Community Shield against Liverpool. He struck his first Premier League goal against Middlesbrough, which was also his 300th goal in international football. He continued his goal-scoring spree at the 2006 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League. His goal against Tottenham Hotspur FC helped Chelsea to the semifinals of Football Association Challenge (FA) Cup.
Andriy Shevchenko rejoined A.C Milan on loan, and made his returning debut against Bologna on August 31, 2008.
