Not even Chernobyl could stop Shevchenko from rising to success

He is one of the biggest if not the biggest Ukrainian footballers of all time, former politician and current manager of the Ukrainian national team. Where he ended up sounds dreamy but it was all far from ideal when he started.

Former Chelsea and Milan forward Andriy Shevchenko was 10 years old when one of the biggest man-made disasters happened 200 kilometers from the place where he grew up.

In April 1986, reactor No.4 in the nuclear power plant exploded, causing the worst nuclear disaster in history both in terms of cost and casualties.

Back at the time, Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union, and the Chernobyl disaster actually took place not that far from where Shevchenko spent his childhood.

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His career story is one to be admired - coming from Ukrainian football which was given little to no attention and became one of the best centre-forwards during the end of the 90s - beginning of the 2000s.

After finishing his career as a player and trying himself in politics, Shevchenko became the coach of the national team.

Before he showed his talent at Dynamo Kiev's first team, there were obstacles. Hardcore obstacles. Ex-former forward even said his friends from Kiev have all died.

In his new book 'La mia vita, il mio calcium', which was written by Alessandro Alciato, Shevchenko penned intimate details of his life and childhood.

"I hope not to surprise anyone by saying that everything seemed normal to me,"

"I was 10 years old, I had fun like crazy playing football everywhere, they took me to the Dynamo Kiev academy.' Shevchenko explained in an interview with Corriere Della Sera.

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"Then reactor 4 exploded and they took us all, I still feel pain, buses from the USSR arrived and took all us children between 6 and 15. I was 1,500 kilometres from home and I remember living as if I was in a movie."

Soon after that Soviet Union collapsed, bringing new kinds of issues. But Shevchenko's own troubles come not from the Chernobyl disaster, but rather other life influences.

"In my neighbourhood I began to have less and less, all my friends died, not from radiation, but from alcohol, drugs or problems with weapons," he added.

"The cracks in the wall of the USSR were getting bigger, the world we knew was collapsing, and like all people, my friends no longer believed in anything and got lost.

"It was only my parents' love and football that saved me."

Shevchenko had most success with the Rossoneri - he scored 127 goals in 208 games and also won the Champions League with Milan in the 2002/03 season.