Former football star announced for London competition

Former world football star Andriy Shevchenko joins the ranks of retired footballers who play padel. The Ukrainian has been announced as a participant in The Padel Classic, a Pro-Am tournament played at the iconic Hurlingham Club in London.

The Padel Classic will be played in May 2024 in London and has now announced former world star and 2004 Ballon d'Or winner Andriy Shevchenko as a player.

The competition will be at the classic Hurlingham Club ground in West London.

"As any retired athlete will tell you, when you end your professional playing days, you do not lose the competitiveness that has spurred you on during your career, and for me, it has been padel that I have turned my attention to in recent years. This is a fascinating sport, and I look forward to meeting Michael and other former sportsmen and women at The Hurlingham Club in May," Shevchenko said in a press release from the organization.

Michael he refers to is former cricketer and The Ashes winner Michael Vaughan.

Raising money for charity

In the past, both retired rugby players and cricketers have been featured in the tournament. The competition is organized by TTB Sport Capital and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and aims to raise money for Laureus Sport for Good, a global charity.

Charlie Grave, co-founder of the competition, said:

"We are delighted that Andriy and Michael are joining our growing band of sporting stars for the first Padel Classic at Hurlingham. There are few names more famous from the world of football over the last 30 years than Andriy Shevchenko, and in Michael Vaughan, we have not only our second cricketer for the Padel Classic but also one of England's greatest sportsmen of the last three decades.