Andriy Shevchenko will commence his career as a club football manager on Sunday, November 21, against his former coach Jose Mourinho.
The 45-year-old former Ukraine international was appointed the head coach of Italian Serie A side Genoa last weekend. His appointment came hours after the club sacked coach Davide Ballardini.
Before he was asked to leave the club, Ballardini managed to help the club to win a game, draw 6 games, and record 5 defeats in Serie A this season. These poor stats have forced Genoa to remain on the 17th spot on the league table with 9 points in 12 games. The club is goals away from the relegation zone.
Hence, Andriy Shevchenko who has never coached a football club was appointed to prevent the club from sinking into relegation.
The 2004 Ballon d’Or winner is conversant with Italian football. Recall that he played for AC Milan between 1999 and 2006, scoring over 127 goals in 208 games.
Before he was appointed Genoa head coach, Shevchenko had served as the head coach of the Ukraine national team. He was appointed the coach of the country in 2016, months after he was appointed the country’s assistant coach.
He led the country to Euro 2020 in June 2021. Andriy Shevchenko managed to find a way to help the country reach the quarter-final stage of the European Championship for the first time in the history of the country.
Barely a month after the tournament, the former Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, and Chelsea striker decided to resign from the coaching job and stayed jobless until Genoa’s offer came.
The Italian club offered him a long-term deal that would see him remain in charge of the club until 2024 all things being equal.
“Kicking off this new adventure to bring back Genoa to its great history,” Shevchenko tweeted.
Iniziamo questa nuova avventura insieme per riportare il Genoa ai livelli della sua storia. 🔴🔵 @GenoaCFC @SerieA
— Andriy Shevchenko (@jksheva7) November 7, 2021
Kicking off this new adventure to bring back Genoa to its great history. 🔴🔵 @GenoaCFC @SerieA https://t.co/1b2lWUhIcN
Coincidentally, Andriy Shevchenko will test his managerial skills against legendary Jose Mourinho, a coach that signed him from AC Milan to Chelsea in 2006.
Fortunately for the Ukrainian manager, Mourinho’s team has been recording poor results in recent times. Recall that Roma lost 3-2 on Sunday, November 7 to Venezia. The loss pushed Roma to the 6th spot.
Mourinho would hope his team can bounce back on Sunday, November 21, when he and his boys visit Shevchenko’s Genoa. Roma are now 3 points away from the top four.
