For many fans of English football, Andriy Shevchenko is best remembered for his struggles at Chelsea. He arrived as a Ballon d'Or winner in 2006, costing £39.5m, but failed to live up to expectations.
Indeed, the Ukrainian forward delivered just nine Premier League goals in 48 matches and will be remembered as one of the most disappointing signings in football history. That said, he had a pretty impressive record everywhere else he played in his career.
At AC Milan, he bagged an astonishing 175 goals in 32 games, while he also managed 124 strikes for Dynamo Kyiv, and a record 48 for Ukraine – making him his nation's greatest ever footballer.
His time in England may not have gone so well, but Shevchenko appeared to take a lot from it. After all, when asked to name his 'Perfect XI' in 2010, the striker picked three Englishmen in his team. One of which, he dubbed as having the 'best work-rate' in modern football.
Shevchenko Was Blown Away by Wayne Rooney's Mentality
"He's not egotistical like many men of his speciality"
Having spent time at Chelsea, it made sense for Shevchenko to pick 'defender and a natural leader' John Terry in his team. He also chose Steven Gerrard, calling the Liverpool icon 'a world-class midfielder'.
He then named Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney in attack. He reserved special praise for the forward, saying:
"No player in modern football can match his efficiency and work-rate, and he's not egotistical like many men of his speciality. He's the sort of magnificent team player every coach wants in his starting XI."
Fellow Brits Frank Lampard and Ryan Giggs also got a mention, although both had to settle for a spot on his Dream XI's bench.
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Wayne Rooney Just Loved to Play
Work ethic was praised by Sir Alex Ferguson
While some forwards can be a little lazy, happy to let others do the work, while they save their energy to deliver the big moments, Rooney was never one to shy away from putting in the hard yards. During the early part of his career at Man Utd, during the 2005/06 season, he explained how it was just part of his game, telling Sky Sports:
"When I was a kid, I used to just love playing and practising and just playing football really. I really used to enjoy it, so I used to want it, want it bad and that's why I'm where I am at the moment.
"For any young kid to do that, they will have a chance. People say I play with my heart. To me, that means they see the work ethic I put in to football. I work hard and try 110 percent each game. You've got to do that. The fans see that and they appreciate that."
Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson had quickly grown to appreciate the Englishman's spirit on the pitch. He compared him to some legends, praising his personality: "I've been very, very fortunate that I have had some great players with wonderful heart.
"The names roll off the tongue - Cantona, Mark Hughes, Roy Keane, Bryan Robson. Now we have got this wonderful kid Rooney.
"I think, when you sum it all up, you can talk about his skill, his pace, his ability to beat a man, but the thing that always comes out is because he's got a heart to do it."