Soccer: Shevchenko takes top honour

Andriy Shevchenko believes the European Footballer of the Year award crowns a "beautiful year" and the Ukrainian soccer star has every right to get a little emotional.

In the past 12 months Shevchenko, 28, has won his first Italian league title with AC Milan and finished top scorer in Serie A with 24 goals.

Off the field he married American model Kristen Pazik and in November she gave birth to a son, Jordan.

Now Shevchenko's goalscoring achievements have been acknowledged with the prestigious Golden Ball, sealing his place in European soccer's hall of fame.

The former Dynamo Kiev striker has pace, an ability to beat his man and strength in the air, but it is his clinical finishing that makes him the continent's most respected striker.

Shevchenko is the first Ukrainian to win the award since the country gained independence in 1991. During the Soviet era Oleg Blokhin was voted the continent's best player in 1975 and Igor Belanov in 1986.

Like Blokhin, Shevchenko began his career with Dynamo Kiev. Unlike his predecessor, he has not had the chance to play in a World Cup or European Championship given Ukraine's regular, heartbreaking playoff qualifying failures.

He has, though, had something Blokhin was denied -- the opportunity to show his talent in a top west European league.

Shevchenko came to attention with Dynamo in the Champions League in the late 1990s when he benefited from the astute coaching of the late Valery Lobanovsky.

The son of a former Red Army officer, Shevchenko scored 17 goals in 26 Champions League games for Kiev, including superb strikes against Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

The team's run to the semifinals of the Champions League in 1999 made Shevchenko the hottest property in European football, although his shyness and the refusal of Dynamo to auction him kept the hype within bounds.

Milan took their time before paying US$25 million ($36 million) to bring him to the San Siro, initially on a five-year contract.

"For two years someone from Milan was watching me in almost every game in the Champions League and I knew they were there," Shevchenko said after joining the Italian club.

Milan may have been unsure whether the young man from Kiev would be able to cope with the criticism, obsessive scrutiny and pressures of life in Serie A. Many players from the former Soviet bloc had failed to settle in Italy.

But Milan received instant reward -- in his first season in Italy Shevchenko was Serie A's top scorer with 24 goals, despite a disappointing season for the club, who finished 12 points behind champions Lazio.

Shevchenko equalled that tally the following season and although injuries affected his next two seasons, it was clear he was maturing into a truly great centre-forward.

The first big honour came soon enough with the 2003 Champions League and Shevchenko played a major part in Milan's success.

Injuries and poor form meant his place for the semifinal second leg against Inter Milan was at risk, but Carlo Ancelotti's decision to keep faith paid off as Shevchenko got the goal in a 1-1 draw which booked a place in the final against Juventus.

At Manchester United's Old Trafford Shevchenko had a goal disallowed before the game finished 0-0 after extra time. He still ended up the hero after he kept his nerve to strike the winning spot kick in the shootout.

The arrival of Brazilian Kaka at Milan, adding an injection of pace from behind the front line, brought out the best in Shevchenko last season when they outclassed their rivals to win the title.

Shevchenko was again top scorer in Serie A, again with 24 goals. He claimed both goals in the 2-1 win away to closest challengers AS Roma in January and was on target in the 3-1 win at Juventus in March.

A Shevchenko header sealed the 1-0 win over Roma that clinched the crown at the San Siro and means the club's 17th league title will always be associated with his name.

He has continued his scoring form this season with 11 goals from 15 matches.

- REUTERS