His club football triumphs included the UEFA Champions League victory in 2003 with Milan, when he scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out against Italian arch-rivals Juventus in the final. He was less lucky in 2005, again with Milan, and 2008, with English club Chelsea, when he was on the losing side in the final. However, he is the fifth highest goalscorer in European competitions with 67 goals.

Shevchenko began his senior career with his local club Dynamo Kiev in 1994, playing in the team which won the league title in all five years he was there. It was no surprise when he was transferred to Italian giants AC Milan in 1999 for a reported fee of US$25million.

After his highly successful time at Milan, he transferred to English club Chelsea for a fee reported to be more than £30 million. He suffered from injuries there and only played 48 times in three seasons, scoring just nine goals. In 2008, he moved back to AC Milan on loan for a year, before returning to Dynamo Kiev. He retired in July 2012.

Shevchenko is also the record goalscorer for his national team Ukraine, with 48 goals in 111 games. He led Ukraine as captain to the quarter-finals in their first ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 2006. Following the 2012 European Championships, Shevchenko retired as Ukraine's youngest and oldest goalscorer.