by Isi Esene

Former Chelsea stiker, Andriy Shevchenko has announced that he’ll be dropping the round-leather game for the game of politics.

According to the AFP, he has chosen to join a pro-business party called the Ukranian Forward! The party’s major promoter is Nataliya Korolevska, who broke away from the opposition party of jailed ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

While announcing his decision, the former player said: “Probably, I will shock all of you. My future will not be linked to football in any way… It will be linked to politics. I hope for your support,” he said in a statement on the Dynamo Kiev website.

The talismanic striker explained his decision saying, “I want to fulfil myself in politics and share the experience I gained in Europe, do something for my country.”

“I decided to join the team of Nataliya Korolevska because Ukraine Forward! is a party of the future, it is a party of young leaders.

“In politics, I plan to support the social sector and sport. After all, my main slogan is a healthy mind in a healthy body,” he said.

Ukraine Forward! is a new political force seen as a pro-business party which has no lawmaker in parliament but is hoping to win seats in October’s parliamentary elections.

By going into politics, Shevchenko will be following in the footsteps of another Ukrainian sports star, the heavyweight boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko.

Klitschko has founded his own political party with the acronym UDAR, which means ‘punch‘.

Shevchenko who was one of the most prolific European strikers had a very unproductive stint at Chelsea FC where he failed under Jose Mourinho to show what he had been known for in previous clubs.

All eyes will be on him to see how well he scores with his political ambition.