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Andriy Shevchenko Bio Send To Friend
Heralded as the final piece in the jigsaw for Chelsea, Shevchenko has proved to be more of a missing link than a superstar talisman. Two seasons of poor form saw him labelled as perhaps the biggest multi-million flop in Premier League history.

Chelsea ended a three-year pursuit of one of the world's greatest players when signing Andriy Shevchenko prior to the start of the 2006 World Cup.

But it is arguable that Chelsea got their man too late in his career - he looked laboured in the Premier League as he struggled to adapt to the pace of the game after so long in Serie A.

Added to that, there was much speculation that he was Roman Abramovich's signing and not really wanted by Jose Mourinho. What is certain that were was little harmony for Sheva at Stamford Bridge.

The Ukraine international, who had been friends with Chelsea owner Abramovich for many years, moved to Chelsea for a fee of £30million from AC Milan.

All looked well for Sheva when he scored on his debut in a 2-1 Community Sheild defeat to Liverpool, a trademark finish from a one-on-one.

And he then bagged his first Premier League goal in his second appearance as the Blues lost 2-1 at Middlesbrough.

But the goals - and the performances - then dried up for the Ukrainian striker.

Shevchenko made his name with Dynamo Kiev, forming a deadly partnership with Sergiy Rebrov both at domestic and international level.

His strike partnership with Rebrov remarkably fired Kiev into the semi-finals of the Champions League in 1998/99 and at the end of the campaign Sheva was sold to AC Milan for a fee of £18million.

Shevchenko, born in Dvirkivshchyna, Kiev, built up a reputation as possibly the most feared hitman in Europe.

In his time in Milan he helped the Italian giants to the Serie A title and the Italian Super Cup, as well as Champions League success in 2003. It was Shevchenko who slotted home the winning spot-kick in the shoot-out against Juventus at Old Trafford.

His performances both domestically and in the Champions League led to the striker being voted as European Footballer of the Year in 2004. He was voted into the top ten of the European award in five of his six seasons at the San Siro.

After his penalty heroics in the 2003 Champions League final, Shevchenko found himself the villain of the piece against Liverpool in 2005.

With Milan threatened with relegation to Serie B as part of the match-fixing scandal at the end of the 2005/06 season, Shevchenko decided it was the perfect opportunity to move to England and finally join Chelsea.

Although there were many raised eyebrows when Chelsea spent £30million on a player aged 29, there could be no mistaking the quality of the striker.

Milan have repeatedly spoken of their desire to take Sheva back to the San Siro. And his future surely seems to lie away from the Bridge if he is to prosper again.