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Andriy Shevchenko – One of the Top 21st Century Forwards
Kyiv, July 11, 2012. Famous Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko took 11th position in the latest IFFHS rating of the best world strikers of the century. The Ukrainian player scored 74 goals in international matches in the period between January 1, 2001, and June 30, 2012. Ivorian football player Didier Yves Drogba took the first position in the Top 110 rating, having scored 100 goals.
Andriy Shevchenko scored his goals while playing for A.C. Milan, Chelsea FC London, and FC Dynamo Kyiv. He is the only Ukrainian footballer on the list. Other top players in the IFFHS rating are Miroslav Klose (second position, Germany), Ruud van Nistelrooy (the Netherlands), Thierry Henry (France), Samuel Eto’o Fils (Cameroun), and others. The EURO 2012 rival of Andriy Shevchenko Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden) took the 14th position on the IFFHS list with 69 scored goals.
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics chronicles the history of association football since 1984. The organization named Andriy Shevchenko one of the world’s most successful goal scorers in January, 2012. According to the IFFHS, Shevchenko scored 217 goals in 440 matches as of December 31, 2011.
The rating includes the most successful top division goal scorers among the still active players in the world. Andriy Shevchenko, 35, is 14th, while Yugoslav-born Aleksandar Đurić, 41, who scored over 300 goals, heads the list. Đurić is followed by the runner-up Estonian Maksim Gruznov, 37, and second runner-up Brazilian Rivaldo, 39.
Earlier, Ukrainian footballer was named the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of March 10, 2011, following Italian Filippo Inzaghi and Spaniard Raúl. In March 2011, Andriy Shevchenko was also voted number one CIS football player.
Interestingly, the second most prolific player in the history of A.C. Milan is none other than Andriy Shevchenko. He scored 175 goals with the club. Shevchenko is also the all-time top scorer of the Derby della Madonnina (derby between A.C. Milan and their local rivals Internazionale).
In 2004 Andriy Shevchenko won Ballon d’Or (the golden ball) – the European footballer of the year award. Together with Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov this makes for three Ukrainians honored with the award.
Official website of IFFHS