Andrei
Kanchelskis 7, Attacking Midfielder Born:
Kirovgrad (Ukraine) 23/1/1969Andrei
Kanchelskis became Rangers' record signing when
the pacy midfielder was bought for £5.5 million
from Italian Serie A side Fiorentina in July
1998.
Kanchelskis was born in Kirovograd in the
Ukraine and at 15 was sent to a school for gifted
footballers. He returned to play local football
where he was spotted by Dinamo Kiev. He spent
most of his time in the reserves, however, and in
1988 joined Shakhtyor Donetsk, the team he had
supported as a boy.
Within a year he had been capped by the Soviet
Union, coming on as a substitute against Poland
in August 1989.
He was signed by Alex Ferguson for Manchester
United after a Norwegian advertising executive
sent videos of Kanchelskis to Old Trafford.
Ferguson checked him out in an international
match against Germany and paid £650,000 for him
in March 1991. He made his debut in May against
Crystal Palace.
Kanchelskis won two Premier League
Championships with United, in 1992-93 and
1993-94, and was part of the latter season's
Double winning team with a 4-0 FA Cup Final
victory at over Chelsea at Wembly. He also won
the League Cup when United beat Nottingham Forest
1-0 in 1992.
Despite injury problems, Kanchelskis finished
the 1994-95 campaign as United's top scorer with
15 goals in all competitions. But, after a
dispute with the club, he was transferred to
Everton for £5 million in August 1995.
He scored 16 goals in his first season at
Goodison and played for Russia in Euro 96. In
January 1997, Fiorentina paid £8 million to take
him to Italy.
He made his Rangers debut in the 2-0 UEFA Cup
victory over Shelbourne at Ibrox in July 1998 and
scored his first goal in the next round in the
2-0 victory over PAOK Salonika.
He continued to be a fixture on the right side
of midfield in Dick Advocaat's preferred 4-4-2
formation. He weighed in with nine goals
including a spectacular volley against
Dunfermline in his first season.
However an injury sustained in the
Championship run in meant he missed most of the
team's pre-season work and consequently didn't
figure in Rangers early games of the 1999-2000
season.
He made his comeback in the 1-0 away at Hibs
at the end of August.
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