Andriy Shevchenko has been appointed as Genoa’s new head coach and the former Chelsea striker will face his old manager Jose Mourinho in his first game in charge against Roma.
The 45-year-old joined the Serie A club on a deal until 2024 following the sacking of Davide Ballardini who was dismissed on Saturday after their 2-2 draw with Empoli on Friday night.
Shevchenko departed his role as Ukraine manager in August, which is his only previous coaching position to date. He steered the national team to the Euro 2020 quarter-finals for the first time in their history before they were knocked out by England.
Genoa’s new American owners, private investment firm 777 Partners, acted swiftly with the club flirting with the relegation zone having recorded just one win in 12 league matches this season.
“Kicking off this new adventure to bring back Genoa to its great history,” Shevchenko wrote in a Twitter post.
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Shevchenko returns to northern Italy 15 years after he left AC Milan, with whom he won a Serie A title, the Champions League, the Coppa Italia, the Italian Super Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup. The Ukrainian also picked up the 2004 Ballon d’Or during his time at the San Siro.
A meeting with Mourinho’s Roma side is Shevchenko’s first test as Genoa manager on November 14 at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.
The pair won the 2006/07 League Cup and FA Cup during their time together at Stamford Bridge and reached the final of the Champions League in the 2007/08 season.
Mourinho’s Roma are sixth in Serie A after six wins, five defeats, and one draw so far this term.
The Giallorossi succumbed to a 3-2 loss to Venezia on Sunday which saw them fall further behind league leaders Napoli.