Milan ace is Germany's nightmare

The Ukraine's top scorer Andrii Shevchenko proves to be Italy's most valuable asset

The 2002 World Cup qualifying tournament is reaching its final stages across the globe amidst new world-wide heightened tension.
Africa was the first continent to wrap up its qualifying campaign in July with four of the five France '98 finalists; Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia along with the newcomers Senegal will represent Africa in Korea and Japan next year.
Argentina are the only South American nation to have secured their place amongst the 32 finalists. With two rounds of South America's gruelling World Cup campaign still to be played next month, Paraguay, Ecuador and Brazil seem to be joining Argentina. Uruguay, in all likelihood, will playoff Australia for the last available berth.
China brought an end to 44 years of misery as they clinched their berth for their first ever participation with a 1-0 win over Oman with two games remaining in their campaign. Iran or Saudi Arabia will be Asia's other qualifier.
Europe concluded its qualifying (group) campaign earlier this month with nine group winners advancing to the finals. The Republic of Ireland will square off against Asia's third team next month while eight other European countries will face each other in four pairs of playoff series November 10 and 14.
England's dramatic qualification for the World Cup sent three times World Cup champions - Germany - to a playoff series against Ukraine. The match-up is a tricky one as the Ukraine boast Europe's top scorer - Andrii Shevchenko - in the continent's World Cup qualifying run with nine goals.
Since joining Milan in the summer of 1999, Andrii Shevchenko has established himself as one of Italy's Serie A most prolific scorers. Most would agree that Serie A is the toughest league in the world for strikers.
It's been something of a graveyard for big money forwards from abroad - Ian Rush, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Hakan Sukur and Thierry Henry to name but a few. But not Shevchenko.
"When a big star comes over they are immediately faced with the fact that they must play well and start scoring goals. They are given no time to adjust to life in Italy and to the pressure which comes from both the press and the fans. There is very little time for the player to find and express himself and as such he can't show his true potential. For strikers it means they can't score goals and they get into a vicious circle which is very difficult to get out of," admits Andrii Shevchenko.
The Ukraine may be only 10 years old as a nation, but its soccer pedigree belies that tender age. The performances in Europe of Dynamo Kyiv have helped establish the country's reputation within the game.
The Dynamo Kyiv youth academy is responsible for producing the majority of the club's stars. Shevchenko is by far the biggest name in its long line of graduates.
Olexander Lysenko coaches at the Kyiv youth academy. He was there when Shevchenko took his first steps to superstardom.
"I would say that Andrii's greatest quality was his ability to listen. He was like a sponge in many ways. Andrii always listened to what I had to say and he took on board the advice I would give him. He took this advice out on to the soccer field and the results were very rapid," recalls Olexander Lysenko.
"Sheva," as he has become known in Italy, admits he is indebted to Kyiv for what he learnt there as a youngster.
He is still only 25, so that is not so long ago. Nowadays, the Milan and old Kyiv shirts with his name on the back are tributes to the idol Ukranian youngsters dream of emulating.
"I was only 10 years old when I first went away on a tour with the club. We went to Italy. That just shows you the kind of investment the club puts into its youth programmes. The whole organization of the club is based around developing the best young players in the country. It is easy to see that it has paid dividends because Dynamo Kyiv has always produced great players and continues to do so today," said Andrii Shevchenko.
Dynamo Kyiv have won the Ukraine championship every season since its inception in 1992. But it is in the Champions League, of course, where Dynamo have excelled.
Shevchenko and Serhii Rebrov, who is now in England with Tottenham, formed an almost telepathic understanding up front, scoring 36 Champions League goals between them over five seasons.
The pair powered Kyiv to the quarter finals of Europe's premier club competition in 1998 and the semi finals in 1999.
"There was no secret. Andrii and I just had a great understanding without even having to speak to each other. We are soul-mates on the field and have a fantastic understanding. After all we played together for four years and we hit it off together straight away," said Serhii Rebrov.
Despite the success, Dynamo Kyiv are unavoidably a selling club. Their leading assets are enticed by the lure of lucrative contracts in the West. Shevchenko, for example, was sold for 23 million U.S. dollars and Rebrov for 16 million.
Nevertheless, Kyiv's president is proud his club helped develop such a talent.
"The departure of Shevchenko, Rebrov and Luzhny are positive for the image of Dinamo Kyiv. It reflects well on our club when, for example, Shevchenko won the golden boot in his first season in Serie A. That was great for us because it meant that we had produced the best player in the Italian league," said Dynamo Kyiv president Grigory Surkis.
Shevchenko and Rebrov still form a lethal partnership when they spearhead the attack for the Ukraine national team. An agonizing play-off defeat to Slovenia saw them just miss out on a place in Euro 2000. But they have clinched a play-off place against Germany for next year's World Cup Finals. They would be a fitting showcase for Sheva.
"Soccer in the Ukraine is developing very positively. There are some great clubs like Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk, which are still producing a constant stream of talented players. As for the national team, we have not yet played in a major tournament but I am sure one day we will qualify for the World Cup finals or the European Championships," hopes Andrii Shevchenko.
In his first season at Milan, Sheva topped the Serie A scoring charts with 24 goals. That achievement made him the first player since Michel Platini in 1983 to become "Capo Cannoniere" in his debut season. Last season he netted 24, finishing runner-up to Hernan Crespo, and he has already scored four times this campaign.
"He is a great player and still only young. So he has still got time to improve a great deal. He was top scorer in Italy in his first season. And he has yet to fulfil his potential because, in my opinion, he could be more consistent and could become the weapon, the outstanding player that is really needed here at Milan," said Shevchenko's AC Milan team-mate Demetrio Albertini.
If a player of Albertini's talent and experience believes he is not the finished product yet, then that is a frightening thought for opposing defences.
With Milan finally looking like true challengers for the Scudetto once again, expect more celebrations from the goal-machine that is Andrii Shevchenko. And he might just derail Germany's World Cup campaign next month.

Publication Date: 2001-10-21
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=527