The "Sheva" beloved by the entire country — Zelenskyy emotionally congratulated Shevchenko on his anniversary
Kyiv • UNN
The President called Shevchenko a national legend and thanked him for bringing joy and pride to Ukrainians. On September 29, the footballer turned 50.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, Andriy Shevchenko, on his 50th birthday, UNN reports.
"When a person turns 50 and is a national legend of Ukraine, it is appropriate to address him as ‘Andriy Mykolayovych.’ But when he is our outstanding player and coach, who has brought Ukrainians joy and pride so many times, and when he is truly close to the entire country, you want to say simply: Sheva! Happy birthday!" Zelenskyy wrote.
The president thanked Shevchenko "for everything," especially for the emotions so needed during these difficult days—for all our people and all our warriors, as well as for all Ukrainians, whom our national team has given such a boost of positivity in recent days.
"Happy anniversary, legend. Victories to you, to our national team, and to our country; peace to us all. Glory to Ukraine," Zelenskyy added.
Update
Today, September 29, the president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, former player of "Dynamo," "Milan," and "Chelsea," former forward of the Ukrainian national team, Ballon d’Or winner, and former head coach of the national team, Andriy Shevchenko, is celebrating his 50th birthday.
In 2022, Shevchenko received the "National Legend of Ukraine" distinction from the President.
"A legend of Kyiv’s ‘Dynamo’ and the Ukrainian national team. A Champions League winner and Ballon d’Or holder. His name has been included on the list of the 100 best footballers in history. These and many other titles made him famous throughout the world. And now they help him unite the whole world to support and assist Ukraine. Ambassador of the UNITED24 platform, our great athlete, great champion, our legend Andriy Shevchenko," Zelenskyy said in 2022.
UNN reported that Shevchenko was congratulated by his former clubs. Shevchenko himself thanked everyone for the congratulations on Instagram.
"Today, on my birthday, I want to thank my parents—for the fundamental rules of life and for your unconditional love. My family—for your support, for being there even when I am far from home. You are my support. I thank my coaches—for their high standards, guidance, and belief in me. Each of you has left a mark on my life. I thank my teammates—without you, I would not have achieved what I achieved. And I thank my opponents—you forced me to become stronger. I thank my friends—for loyalty and sincerity that did not depend on either victories or defeats. And I thank all the fans—for your passion, energy, and support in good times and bad. Thank you, Ukraine. My homeland. You are my strength and my pride. Glory to Ukraine," Shevchenko said.
In the comments, former teammates and opponents congratulated "Sheva." In particular, his Chelsea teammates Michael Ballack, John Terry, and Paulo Ferreira; his Milan teammate Alessandro Costacurta; as well as his fiercest opponents—Nicola Ventola and Christian Vieri of Inter.
Recall
Andriy Shevchenko’s transfer to"Milan" took place thanks to a VHS tape from the Mediaset newsroom. The Italian club’s scouts were not present at the famous match against "Barcelona," where the Ukrainian forward scored a hat-trick, so the sporting director had to order a video recording of the game from journalists, after which the Italian club completed the transfer.