THE VIEW FROM UKRAINE
“The main strength of the current Ukraine national team is coach Andriy Shevchenko and his coaching staff. He was able to radically change the mentality of the players. The team’s playing style has become more modern and balanced too. I’m sure Ukraine has every chance of qualifying from the group.”
Yuriy Chernyaga, Komanda Online
“The players have ceased to be afraid of rivals. This is the psychology of winners. They could have been scared of the reigning European champions Portugal, but this did not happen. Our footballers got the necessary boost of confidence and this could be decisive for the team.”
Ihor Belanov, 1986 Ballon d’Or winner
Andriy Shevchenko is the most famous football personality since Ukraine’s independence. Nicknamed “Sheva”, he joined Milan in 1999 from Dynamo Kiev where, in 2004, he won the Ballon d’Or.
In the summer of 2016, he replaced Mykhaylo Fomenko as head coach of Ukraine by signing a two-year contract. He failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but made amends by helping the nation qualify for this summer’s Euros.
In June 2020, Shevchenko signed a contract extension until the end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.