The former Ukrainian soccer player and coach is one of the most recognized celebrities around the world from the country that was attacked by the Russian army this morning. In the same way that many compatriots have done, he has wanted to condemn the offensives and defend the homeland from him.
Andriy Shevchenko is an icon in Ukraine. During his career as a footballer he managed to place Dynamo Kyiv in the European elite and later became a legend in AC Milan. His time at Chelsea was more discreet and he retired at the club in the capital of his native country. 268 goals in 539 games, a Champions League, a Serie A or a European Super Cup made him a living legend of this sport.
His coaching career has been more low-key for the time being. He was Mykhaylo Fomenko’s assistant in the Ukrainian national team and later took over the reins, holding the position for five years (2016-2021) in which promotion to the Nations League A and the quarterfinals of the last European Championship have been the most notably. However, what he assumed on the pitch makes him one of the voices of his country, something that he has used to defend it after the Russian attacks:
“Ukraine is my homeland! I have always been proud of my people and my country! We have been through many difficult times and in the last 30 years we have formed ourselves as a nation! A nation of sincere, hard-working and country-loving citizens! freedom! This is our most important asset!”
Similarly, other Ukrainian players such as Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has wished Vladimir Putin dead, Roman Zozulya, Andriy Yarmolenko or Artem Kravets, among others, have shown their discontent towards the war that has broken out as a result of the Russian offensive on different cities, including the capital: Kiev.
UEFA has published a message in which it has stated that an emergency meeting will take place to see how it deals with the situation in its competitions, so that in the next few hours we could have news about something that affects far beyond the world of sport.
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