Position: Forward
Born: 29.09.76
Club: AC Milan

Part of the most-feared strike duo in Europe in the mid-90s, Andriy Shevchenko has since carved himself out the reputation as perhaps the best sharpshooter on the continent.

While Sergei Rebrov struggled to settle in England at Tottenham then West Ham before returning to Dynamo Kiev, Shevchenko's star has risen to such an extent that Chelsea were reportedly ready to bid £60million for him last summer.

But even that world-record fee would not have convinced AC Milan to part with the jewel in their crown, who has helped them win the Serie A, Super Cup, Italian Cup and Champions League in his six years at the San Siro.

Shevchenko, whose full name is the tongue-twisting Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko, burst to the wider world's attention alongside countryman Rebrov in the late-90s as he helped Kiev into the Champions League semi-finals in 1998-99.

Not surprisingly European clubs were queueing up to sign him and he was snapped up by Milan for £18million in 1999.

That has proved to be money well spent, with the man they call 'Sheva' topping the scoring standings in Italy twice and scoring the winning penalty in the 2003 Champions League final against Juventus (although he did miss the crucial spot-kick two years later against Liverpool).

Named European Footballer of the Year in 2004, he has appeared in the top 10 of FIFA's World Player of the Year standings five times in the last six years.

A poacher supreme Shevchenko lives for goals and is unsurprisingly his country's record scorer, averaging roughly a goal every two games since making his debut as a raw 17-year-old against Croatia back in March 1995.

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