FOR a player so calm and composed in front of goal, Andriy Shevchenko seems to lose his head after scoring. Having caused uproar in Milan with his passionate celebration of his first goal for Chelsea, the Ukraine striker was forced into a bizarre denial yesterday, insisting, in the manner of Glenn Hoddle at his most desperate, that he never did them things.
Desperate to ingratiate himself with his new fans the 29-year-old has offended those he left behind in Italy, leaving himself in a muddle. Footballers, it seems, must be more careful kissing badges than presidential candidates kissing babies.
“I tell you the truth,” Shevchenko said. “The only shirt I ever kiss is the one of my country. When you celebrate a goa,l you don’t know what you are doing and it was never my intention to do that.
“When I was at Milan I won the hearts of the fans, not with celebrations but with the quality of my play over seven years. Over here, I want to play well and win people over with my hard work and the quality of my play. The only shirt I ever kiss is the Ukrainian shirt.”
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The normally reticent Roman Abramovich may have erupted with delight at his new favourite’s assured finishing in the 2-1 defeat by Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday, but Shevchenko’s older friends were less than impressed. Already sore at losing their star man, fans, players and management from AC Milan queued up yesterday to question the speed with which he has forgotten them.
“It’s best if I don’t say what I really think,” Gennaro Gattuso, the Milan midfield player, said, while Carlo Ancelotti was even more sarcastic. “Evidently, he has already settled in,” the Milan coach said.
The strongest condemnation came from Giancarlo Capelli, the leader of the Ultras, the club’s most hardcore supporters. Known universally as “The Baron”, Capelli developed close links with Shevchenko during his time at the San Siro, inviting him to watch Milan’s final match of last season against AS Roma with the Ultras in the Curva Sud stand, nicknamed the Lion’s Den. Eager to part on good terms, Shevchenko was shrewd enough to attend.
“I can’t believe it,” Capelli said. “I feel really bitter because Andriy promised us Ultras that he would never kiss a jersey that wasn’t Milan’s. To think that he would do so now, after his very first goal, well, that makes me very sad. His farewell was already controversial among the Ultras and I don’t know how they will react after this gesture.”
Chelsea fans will delight at being the new object of his affections, no matter how superficially, particularly if he builds on his promising performance in the FA Community Shield. After an injury-plagued World Cup, Shevchenko’s sharpness seems to be returning as he has put his knee problems behind him, the result of intensive work at the training ground and on the treatment table. Along with his family, Shevchenko brought Silvano Cotti, an Italian masseur, with him from Milan, whose costs he will pay out of his own wages as he seeks to maintain his fitness.
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For all his admirers in Milan, a haul of only two important trophies in seven years represents a disappointing return, with a Scudetto and Champions League winner’s medal sitting alongside the Ballon d’Or on Shevchenko’s mantelpiece. It is this search for silverware that took him to Stamford Bridge and into the path of José Mourinho, a serial winner.
“There are two special memories in my career — playing for Ukraine in the World Cup and winning the Champions League, which was a great moment,” he said at his boot launch with Reebok.
“The pain of Istanbul [where Milan lost to Liverpool after going 3-0 up] still burns me and I ache to win the competition,” he said. “Chelsea have a good chance of winning the Champions League as the quality of the players is very high. We have a great manager, a very clever man who has already won the Champions League and a lot of other trophies. We also have a good chance of winning the league and there are only a few teams that can stop us.”
Having previously worn Lotto and Mizuno, Shevchenko may change his mind as often as he changes his boots.