Twenty years ago, in December 2004, Andriy Shevchenko received the most prestigious award in the world of football. He became the first and remains the only Ukrainian to win the "Ballon d'Or" since independence.
Andriy Shevchenko (photo: A. Yushchak)On the anniversary of the award, Shevchenko brought the trophy to Ukraine. It is exhibited in Kyiv in Taras Shevchenko Park. Here, the "Ballon d'Or" will remain from December 7 to 15, and on the 16th it will embark on a tour across Ukraine.
The "Ballon d'Or" is a football award established by the French magazine France Football in 1956. It is awarded annually to the best player in the world (up until 2007 — to the best player in Europe). Throughout the history of the award, only three Ukrainians have won this trophy: Oleg Blokhin in 1975, Igor Belanov in 1986, and Andriy Shevchenko, who received the award on December 13, 2004.
In 2004, Andriy Shevchenko first became the champion of Italy, he was the top scorer in Serie A for the second time, and won the Italian Supercup. A year before that, Shevchenko won the Champions League with AC Milan. Additionally, Andriy Shevchenko was the captain of the Ukrainian national team, which successfully began the qualifying cycle in 2004, after which they qualified for the World Cup for the first time.
“This is one of the exciting moments of my career. I am glad that today the "Ballon d'Or" is in Kyiv and that it will travel — on a journey through Ukrainian cities, to inspire children to play football. To remind that effort and perseverance yield results. To prove that everything is possible if you truly love what you do. I believe that in Ukraine, the next owner of the "Ballon d'Or" is already growing up,” noted the president of the Ukrainian Football Association Andriy Shevchenko.
The "Ballon d'Or" will be presented in Kyiv until December 15 inclusive. Subsequently, Ukrzaliznytsia will transport the trophy across Ukraine. In particular, it will visit Kramatorsk, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Andriy Shevchenko's hometown, Yahotyn.
In each city, the award will be displayed at the central railway station, where it will be accessible to all who wish to see it.
