You're reading: Guardian: Andriy Shevchenko’s political ambition may break spell of Ukraine icon

It was just as Kenneth Branagh was finishing his Isambard Kingdom Brunel as Caliban piece and the chimneys were replacing the bucolic ideal in the Olympic opening ceremony that the news began to come through: Andriy Shevchenko was retiring from football to take up a career in politics. In a sense, of course, it's no great surprise.

He’s
35 and has been struggling with injuries for some time – but still,
there seemed something appropriate about word coming at just that point.
Innocence, the days of grass and frolics, gone and replaced by
something probably necessary, perhaps even exciting, but undeniably
dirty.

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