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<\/p>\nAndriy Shevchenko opened up about the injuries he suffered through during his blighted career at Chelsea.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian legend was one of the most feared strikers in the world during his career, as the 2004 Ballon d'Or winner enjoyed seven years at AC Milan. After scoring 173 goals in 296 games for the Italian giants, Chelsea came calling and signed the striker in a \u00a330.8million deal.<\/p>\n
Despite the high hopes that the former Champions League winner would spearhead Jose Mourinho's side to a third consecutive Premier League title, it never worked out for Shevchenko, who was blighted by injuries during his time in West London.<\/p>\n
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Shevchenko scored just 22 goals across two years at Stamford Bridge before he was loaned out to AC Milan in the third year of his contract. In his new book, My Life, My Football, the ex-Ukrainian national team captain opened up about how his injuries led to his demise at Chelsea and the rest of his career at the top level.<\/p>\n
Following the 2006 World Cup, Shevchenko was nursing a knee injury suffered in a quarter-final defeat to Italy which he arrived with for Chelsea's pre-season. "I did my best and gave my all: that was just my way," he said. "Still, I knew my motor wasn\u2019t running as it ought to. The newspapers criticised me heavily but only I knew the real problem: that accursed fatigue that had never lifted."<\/p>\n
Was Andriy Shevchenko one of the greatest strikers of his generation? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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Despite winning the domestic cup double in his debut season, Shevchenko discovered a hernia which caused him to miss the FA Cup final against Manchester United as he admitted that the failed surgery caused him to lose his strength.<\/p>\n
"During the operation, something didn\u2019t go to plan. I didn\u2019t get back to what I was before. I lost all my strength. I was in a rich vein of form \u2014 the worst possible moment to suffer an injury." He played just 25 games in all competitions in his last season at Chelsea where he was riding the bench in yet another final as he could only watch Chelsea lose to Manchester United in the Champions League final in 2008.<\/p>\n
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The constant injuries had such a physical toll on him that he said: "I was barely a shadow of the player I used to be." A return to AC Milan in 2008 saw Shevchenko score just two goals in 26 games, before he ended his career at boyhood club Dynamo Kyiv in 2012.<\/p>\n