Andriy Shevchenko is the new trainer of Genoa, the Italian club announces through the official channels. The Ukrainian former striker is the successor to Davide Ballardini, who received his congé after the disappointing start to the season. Shevchenko most recently served as head coach of the Ukraine national team, a position he left after the European Championship last summer.
Genoa is the first club in the coaching career of 45-year-old Shevchenko. He initially started as an assistant to the Ukraine national team in 2016 and was promoted to national team coach after a few months. He reached the European Championship last summer with Ukraine, where the the Dutch was the opponent in the group stage. Shevchenko’s team reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, where England eventually was 0-4 too strong. Shevchenko decided not to renew his contract after the European Championship.
As a result, he can now start his first job as a club trainer, as he has signed a contract with Genoa until mid-2024. It means Shevchenko will return to Italy, where he caused a furore at AC Milan between 1999 and 2006 and the 2008/09 season. The former striker – who went on to play for Dynamo Kiev and Chelsea – is the successor to Ballardini, who was appointed to Genoa in December of last year and i Grifone last season in Serie A.
The start of the season – with one win, six draws and five defeats – ended Ballardini’s fourth term as Genoa coach. In the end, a 2-2 draw last Friday was the final straw for the club management to evict Ballardini. Genoa was recently taken over by the American 777 Partners, which has great ambitions with the club from Genoa. So the first sign of those high ambitions is the appointment of Shevchenko.
Related
More sports news