Andriy Shevchenko partners with Gatorade

Former Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko stars in Gatorade’s latest Team Talk campaign video. Shevchenko joins the Gatorade team as a “Confidence Coach”.

With recent data suggesting that teenagers suffer from a lack of self-esteem which directly affects their participation in grassroot sports, Shevchenko joins the Gatorade team to inspire the upcoming players at the Gatorade 5v5 tournament in ?stanbul, Turkey. 

In the video, Shevchenko speaks to the youngsters, talking about his experiences as a player, a manager, and the coaches who inspired him. 

Shevchenko can be seen in the video stating:

“The coach who inspired me the most is Valeriy Lobanovskyi who was the coach of Dynamo Kyiv. He’s a legend for Ukraine and a legend in world football. He brought discipline to my life, helping me understand that I am a role model, football players are very important figures in society. I understand the responsibility not only for myself, but the image for the country and the club.

“I used to manage the Ukrainian national team and I had great players, like Oleksandr Zinchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko, both world-class players. I always gave them guidance and my advice was to work hard, be disciplined and I emphasised that the best way to achieve success is working for the team. Football is a team game. I lost a couple of Champions League finals, but I never gave up. I always think positively. I’ve always tried to focus on a different challenge.

“I learnt a lot about his style in dealing with the staff and how he motivated the players. Sometimes his role was to calm the players in a very difficult emotional moment, he’s a great human being and a great coach.“

Robert Blythe, PepsiCo’s Senior Director, Sports and Hydration, said:

“The stats demonstrate that there is a crisis of confidence in grassroots football. As young people grapple with self-belief, it has never been more important to unlock the power of sport to help them tackle challenges both on and off the pitch. The Gatorade 5v5 tournament is a great opportunity for budding players to build their confidence whilst showcasing their passion and dedication for the game. Over 126,000 young people from around the world have taken part in the initiative since its inception, allowing the next generation to develop their team skills, build self-belief, and most importantly, have fun!“

Gatorade recently hosted its sixth edition of the “Gatorade 5v5”, which now features teams from 11 countries across Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and European regions. The tournament’s goal is to “support and inspire young players on their journey, whilst instilling them with confidence by offering unique opportunities to reap the benefits of sport”.