Andriy Shevchenko helping rebuild childhood stadium destroyed by war in Ukraine

The former AC Milan striker has worked to raise money and awareness since his country was invaded in February last year.

Andriy Shevchenko contributed to the repair of a stadium in the war-torn city of Irpin (Jane Barlow/PA)

Andriy Shevchenko answered a plea to restore a stadium in the war-ravaged Ukrainian town of Irpin where he played as a child after being moved by the scale of the destruction inflicted by Russian forces.

The former striker, who as one of Ukraine’s most recognisable stars has worked to raise money and awareness since his country was invaded in February last year, travelled in August to the town outside Kyiv which had been a centre of fighting in the early weeks of the war.