Andriy Shevchenko drew curtains on a five-year-long spell as the manager of the Ukraine national football team when his contract came to an end on 1st August 2021.
He steps down after a pretty successful stint as the head coach of his nation where he led them to their first-ever quarter-final in the European Championships.
Even though Ukraine were beaten soundly by England in the quarter-final in Rome by a scoreline that read 4-0 at the end of 90 minutes, Andriy Shevchenko and his charges exceeded expectations in UEFA Euro 2020.
As the all-time record goalscorer for Ukraine calls it a day in his managerial spell with the national football team, FootTheBall analyses five clubs where he could be a perfect fit as their manager in the seasons to come.
AC MILAN
This is the club where Andriy Shevchenko developed into one of the best players of the beautiful game under the tutelage of legendary Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti.
He arrived in Milan in 1999 and immediately hit the ground running as he won the top scorer accolade in Serie A in his very first season. Andriy Shevchenko also became the first player born in Ukraine to win the UEFA Champions League when he was in Milan.
In his seven seasons with Milan he scored 175 goals in 296 games as he also won the Ballon d’Or accolade for his exploits with the Serie A outfit in the calendar year 2004.
Currently AC Milan are managed by Stefano Pioli, who helped them to a second-place finish in Serie A in the 2020-21 season, though they watched bitter crosstown rivals Inter lift the Scudetto for the first time in more than a decade.
Shevchenko can be a suitable candidate for the managerial role at San Siro where he will be received by the fans with a lot of warmth and affection and may etch his name in footballing folklore by guiding them to the elusive Serie A triumph.
CHELSEA
There is no doubt about the camaraderie and bond that Shevchenko and Roman Abramovich have developed between them, with the Ukrainian spotted by the media enjoying Chelsea matches including the 2021 UEFA Champions League triumph in Porto.
Shevchenko spent two seasons from 2006 to 2008 in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, although he was not able to replicate his AC Milan form with the Blues in England under Jose Mourinho.
Despite this, Shevchenko is well loved by the Stamford Bridge faithful and would be the quintessential manager to replace the German tactician that is Thomas Tuchel in the dugout preferably.
Chelsea have a relatively young team in the Premier League and it would mean that Shevchenko would get the opportunity to manage players who have the potential to become a force to beckoned with both in England and Europe.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN
One of the possible destinations for Andriy Shevchenko can be Bayer Leverkusen in the German top-flight. Die Werkself are currently managed by Gerardo Seaone, who was appointed this very summer in the dugout for the German club.
But Shevchenko can replace him in the next 2-3 years at the BayArena as the Swiss manager’s average term in-charge at a club is just shy of 1.5 years during his managerial career thus far.
Shevchenko will, in Leverkusen, get a chance to manage a club that is excellent in producing spectacular talents in football like Leon Bailey, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz and Son Heung-min.
Working in such an environment will be beneficial to both Bayer Leverkusen and Andriy Shevchenko. The club would get a manager of considerable pedigree, while the Ukrainian would get to gain valuable experience in the realm of club football in one of the top 5 leagues of Europe.
SEVILLA
Los Nervionenses have proved that they are worthy of being counted among the top 4 teams in La Liga as they finished in fourth place during the 2020-21 season.
They acquired the services of Erik Lamela from Tottenham Hotspur and already have players of the likes of Lucas Ocampos, Marcos Acuna and Papu Gomez in their ranks.
They have an excellent manager in the form of Julen Lopetegui who has redeemed himself after rather disastrous spells with Spain and Real Madrid and Shevchenko can become his successor at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium to take the project forward.
Shevchenko can help them transform into a force to be reckoned with both in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in subsequent years and the Spanish club would obviously welcome someone as decorated as the former Ukrainian politician in their fold in Andalusia.
ATALANTA
Atalanta under Gian Piero Gasperini have scaled hitherto uncharted heights both in Italy and Europe. The Italian team have finished in 3rd place in the Italian top-flight for two consecutive seasons and have had a dream run of sorts in the UEFA Champions League.
Gasperini’s charges qualified for the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League in their debut season in Europe’s premier club competition.
Last season too, they finished ahead of the likes of Juventus, Napoli, Lazio and AS Roma in Serie A as they amassed 78 points and scored the highest number of goals in the Itallian top division (90 goals).
If Shevchenko joins Atalanta in the near future then he will have the mouth-watering prospect of leading then to even greater heights in Italy and effectively cementing his legacy both as a player and manager on the Italian peninsula for posterity to remember.