6 January 1939 - The Man Who Powered Dynamo

Iconic Dynamo Kyiv player and manager Valeriy Lobanovsky was born on 6 January 1939. He would eventually guide Kyiv to the first major European honor for any Soviet club, winning the 1975 Cup Winners' Cup.

Born in Kyiv, Lobanovsky joined Dynamo's youth team, then played there professionally from 1957 to 1964. He was a prolific scorer, especially from set pieces, tallying 42 goals in 144 league appearances for his hometown team while winning the club's first Soviet Cup (1954) and league title (1961). He retired from playing in 1968, after two seasons each with Chornomorets Odessa and Shakhtar Donetsk.

He moved quickly into management, taking charge of Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 1969 before Dynamo called him back in 1974. There, his then-novel scientific approach to training and diet helped the club to European victory in his first season, beating Ferencváros in the 1975 Cup Winners' Cup.

Lobanovsky remained with Dynamo until 1990 (taking a brief break in 1982-83 to manage the Soviet national team). During his tenure, they won eight league titles, six Soviet Cups, and the 1986 Cup Winners' Cup. He returned again in 1997 and picked up where he had left off, winning five consecutive Ukrainian Premier League titles and advancing to the semifinals of the 1998-99 UEFA Champions League.

In 2002, he suffered a stroke after a match and died one week later. In honor of his service, Dynamo renamed their stadium in his honor.

12 March 2009 - The Ukraine Is Not Weak!

On 12 March 2009, Dynamo Kyiv and Metalist Kharkiv became the first Ukranian sides to meet in a UEFA competition. Their historic meeting came in the Round of 16 of that season's UEFA Cup.

One of the most successful clubs in Ukraine, Kyiv entered the competition with an established European pedigree, having previously participated in numerous Champions League/European Cup and UEFA Cup matches, as well as winning the 1975 and 1986 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups and the 1975 UEFA Super Cup. They had qualified for the 2008-09 Champions League, but their third-place finish in that competition's group stage sent them into the UEFA Cup Round of 32. There, they advanced over Valencia on away goals to set up the meeting with Metalist in the Round of 16.

Metalist, on the other hand, was a relative novice. The 2008-09 UEFA Cup was only their second time in European competition, with the first being the previous season's UEFA Cup (where they were eliminated in the first round by Everton). They got off to a much stronger start in 2009-10, opening their campaign with a 4-2 aggregate win over Besitkas to advance to the group stage. There, they finished at the top of their group, over more experienced European sides Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Hertha Berlin, and Benfica, then rolled over Sampdoria 3-0 in the Round of 32.

The Round of 16 match-up was held in Kiev, where the home side staked their claim with a 1-0 win thanks to a 54th-minute header from midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic (pictured). Metalist battled back to win the second leg 3-2, but Kyiv again advanced thanks to their two away goals.

Kyiv advanced all the way to the semifinals where they ran into yet another Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk who beat Kyiv 3-2 on aggregate and went on to win the title with a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen.

29 September 1976 - Sheva, The Ukranian Dynamo

On 29 September 1976, Ukrainian international and Ballon d'Or winner Andriy Shevchenko was born in the Soviet village of Dvirkivschyna, located in the Kiev province of what is now the independent state of Ukraine. He would grow up to become one of the most celebrated strikers in Europe.

Shevchenko played his youth team football for Dynamo Kyiv, with whom he signed his first professional contract in 1994. He went on to make 166 appearances for Kyiv, scoring 94 goals. Along the way, he helped them win five consecutive Ukrainian Premier League titles (1995-99), three Ukrainian Cups (1996, 1998, 1999), and three Commonwealth of Independent States Cups (1996-98).

In 1999, he moved to AC Milan for a $25 million transfer fee. He was an instant success for the Rossoneri, scoring 24 goals in 32 league matches to claim the Serie A scoring title in his debut season. It was the first season in Shevchenko's professional career that he did not win a league title, however, as Milan finished third, behind Lazio and Juventus. He earned his first silverware with Milan in 2003, winning both the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League trophies. Milan won the Scudetto the following season, with Shevchenko again finishing as the league's top scorer. 2004 was a good year for him, as FIFA also awarded him the Ballon d'Or. All told, he made 296 appearances for Milan in all competitions, scoring 173 goals.

In 2006, Shevchenko transferred to Chelsea, who paid £30.8 million for his services, setting a record for the highest fee paid by an English club. His time at Chelsea was less successful, as injuries and disagreements with manager Jose Mourinho, and later Avram Grant, limited his playing time. He played only two seasons for Chelsea, who then loaned him back to Milan for the 2008-09 season. In the fall of 2009, he returned to Ukraine and his old club, Dynamo Kyiv.