Lev Yashin actively played football in 1950-1970. This Russian spent his entire career in his homeland in goal for the Moscow club Dynamo.
Yashin was 189 centimeters tall (without shoes). He had long arms. He always wore a black uniform while playing. When he saved the goal of his team, it seemed that he had a lot of hands, hence the nicknames: “Black Spider” and “Black Octopus”.
Fans back home in Russia called him the “Black Panther.” He did not miss a single goal in 270 matches for Dynamo Moscow and the national team.
Free kick expert
If the myths are to be believed, he saved 151 penalties in his career, defending his team's last stand.
When Norway played against the Soviet Union at Ullevål Stadium in 1961, the Norwegian goal was defended by Kjell Kaspersen. He believes that this figure is too high.
“This sounds absolutely incredible. I need to check this somewhere. Because it’s too implausible,” says Kaspersen.
But even if this figure is a bit exaggerated, Yashin was still a true expert at parrying shots off a chalk line.
Just ask the Portuguese Eusebio, who played on the same team with Yashin when footballers from all over the world took on the English in the anniversary match.
“Before the match, we trained on how to score, including free throws. And he took all the balls,” says Eusebio.
“He is the best goalkeeper in history, and he is - there is no doubt about it - the best penalty taker. Shooting a free kick when Yashin was at the goal is not at all the same as doing it when someone else is at the goal. Just the sight of him in goal caused many very confident players to quit the game. And I knew I had to hit the perfect ball,” he continues.
They say that Yashin missed the ball so rarely when taking free throws that, if this happened, he congratulated his opponent.
“The joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin in space can only be matched by the joy of stopping a good free kick,” Yashin once said: he was referring to the Soviet cosmonaut who became the first man in space to orbit the Earth .
Englishman Sir Tom Finney was so nervous before taking a free kick against Yashin at the 1958 World Championships that he decided to kick with the “wrong” foot to deceive the goalkeeper.
“He was a fantastic goalkeeper, he had a special talent for free kicks and he was just intimidating because he always wore black. But it didn't matter. All I thought about was: I need to score. I decided to shoot with my right: my leg was weaker, but I knew that he had seen me score several free throws with my left. And I got it! I managed to deceive Yashin!” - Finley recalled later.
In his homeland, Yashin is not just a star, but an icon. And therefore, there is nothing strange in the fact that it is Yashin who adorns the official poster of the World Championship, published recently in connection with the upcoming summer tournament in Russia.
He was ahead of his time
Today there are goalkeepers, such as Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich, who are excellent with their feet. This is where Yashin was ahead of his time.
He was known for being the team's last stand, capable of true acrobatic feats to save them when needed. At the same time, he was also known for always knowing what position to take, so there was no need for him to quickly improvise.
Yashin also had leadership qualities; he directed the defensive players at a time when the goalkeeper, as a rule, was on the line. On the field, Yashin was like a free defender, and if he was seen outside his 16 meters, there was nothing unusual about it. He berated his own defenders so often that his wife allegedly chided him for shouting too much on the field.
Back in 1961, Kjell Kaspersen and Norway lost 0-3. This was one of two matches in which Caspersen faced the famous goalkeeper.
“He was not one of those goalkeepers who stands in one place all the time. He worked really hard on the field,” Caspersen said.
It used to be quite unusual for goalkeepers to clear the ball out of the danger zone, they would most often attempt to tackle the ball instead. Yashin was not afraid to throw the ball away if he felt that it was the best alternative.
“They were more interested in keeping the ball than today's players. Today the balls are completely different, they are not easy,” says Kaspersen, who had to retrieve the ball from his goal three times during the match with the USSR team.
Context
Yashin - forever alive
Rzeczpospolita 02.12.2017Why do all Russians want to be goalkeepers?
The Guardian 02.11.2006The transition of European sports to the American model
Financial Times 08/19/2013 “They had an amazing team back then. I don’t even remember that he had any particularly difficult moments,” says Kaspersen about Yashin during that match.He played hockey
Yashin was born into a poor family in Moscow. His parents were workers. He began his football career at a defense plant in the Russian capital during World War II. He was 18 years old then. And it was here that the Dynamo club (Moscow) discovered him and invited him to play in their junior team.
He made his debut at age 21 in 1950, and it seemed like things couldn't get any worse. Yashin let the ball into his own goal from the opposing goalkeeper, who simply threw it out of his own goal. He only played two league matches that season and was not allowed to play for the senior team again until 1953.
But he stood at the goal not only on the football field. Yashin also played ice hockey, and once took third place among the country's hockey goalkeepers. He even won the national cup with the Dynamo Moscow team.
But although he himself thought about focusing entirely on hockey, football became the Russian’s vocation. He returned to the 1st League team Dynamo Moscow thanks to his rival goalkeepers being injured, and eventually became number one in the team. Yashin, in particular, participated in four World Championships as a member of the USSR national team: in 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970.
Hell Kaspersen says that Yashin never relied on chance.
“He was a very nice and likable guy. He had a goalkeeping diary with him that he used, a diary with different exercises, etc.,” says Kaspersen, who later used illustrations from this diary in his own book.
Kaspersen speaks of Yashin as a true role model.
“He was a model for most goalkeepers. After all, one must always strive for the ideal,” admits Kaspersen.
"Class"
Briton Gordon Banks is also considered one of the best goalkeepers in the history of football; in the last century he became the number two goalkeeper. Banks was full of praise when talking about Yashin.
“Lev Yashin is a class act, a real super goalkeeper. He always knew what position to take, it was just fantastic. But everything he did was fantastic,” Banks said in an interview with the BBC.
“For a man of his size, he had incredible flexibility, he was magnificent. One of the best I've seen. And even in the next 10-15 years, he continued to be a role model for goalkeepers,” Banks admitted.
True, it is unclear whether he could have become a model for football players in anything else, because, as you know, Yashin smoked. He allegedly smoked four packs of cigarettes a day - in addition to the fact that before the game he was not averse to having a drink.
When asked what the secret of his success was, he answered:
“Smoke to calm your nerves, and then drink something strong to relax your muscles.”
“That’s what most people did at the time,” Caspersen says of smoking.
Died of stomach cancer
Yashin developed gangrene in one leg and suffered from an ulcer he received as a result of a bad habit acquired during World War II. In 1984, he had to have one leg amputated. However, he never quit smoking.
He died at the age of 60 in 1990 from stomach cancer. He was buried with state honors - his status in his homeland was so high.
Yashin received many awards - both for life and after his death in 1990. There is a monument to him in front of the Dynamo stadium in Moscow. FIFA named him the best goalkeeper of the last century in 2000.
Curriculum vitae by Lev Yashin:
Height: 1.89 m
Role: goalkeeper
Club: Dynamo Moscow (812 matches)
Team: USSR (78 matches)
Awards: Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) in 1963, included in the FIFA World Cup Team (2002), included in the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team (1994), included in the 20th Century World Team ( 1998. Recognized as the best goalkeeper of the century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics IFFHS. Winner of Olympic gold (1956) and World Cup gold medal (1960) as a member of the USSR national team. Was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the highest award for civilians in the Soviet Union.
Sources: BBC, Goal.com, FourFourTwo, FIFA.com
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
We didn't miss a single goal!
In order to promote a healthy lifestyle, popularize mass sports and develop physical culture and health work, on the basis of a resolution of the presidium of the Krasnodar regional organization of the trade union of workers of public education and science of the Russian Federation, a sports competition was held among members of the Trade Union in the Dinsky district.
The opening took place at school No. 2 in the village of Dinskaya. Teams from the city of Krasnodar, Vyselkovsky, Dinsky and Ust-Labinsky districts met. They competed in the following sports: volleyball, chess, table tennis, mini-football, and also met standards within the framework of the GTO physical education and sports complex.
The Dinsky district team had no equal in mini-football and table tennis! Our colleagues B.A. distinguished themselves. Gritsoy, S.V. Redko.
Dinsk football players did not miss a single goal, taking 1st place in this sport. Names of the invincible: A.V. Dichenko, A. Lymar, I. Simonenko, M. Ustinov, K. Manyshev, S. Tomka, R. Shabanov.
According to the results of the Spartakiad, first place in the team competition went to the city of Krasnodar, 2nd place to the team from the Dinsky district, 3rd place to the Ust-Labinsky district. The winners received cups and medals.
The competition was held at a very high level. The main judge of the competition was V.I. Golovko, physical education teacher, secondary school No. 4.
I am sure that our colleagues will remember the Spartakiad for fair play and vivid impressions! The teams fully demonstrated their sportsmanship, and most importantly, they received unforgettable minutes of communication.
After the competition, everyone was treated to a delicious lunch, which was made possible thanks to the participation of our sponsors.
We express our words of gratitude to the deputy of the district council N.M. Dmitrenko and his team, district council deputy D.V. Golovenko, as well as everyone who was next to us and supported us!
N.I. TARASKINA,
Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Dinskaya District Municipal District,
Chairman of the district trade union of educators.
The main result of the 2017 Russian Championship was the victory of Duslar-Konkovo. One of the best players of the tournament was the triumphant goalkeeper Anton Simkachev, but it was not he who received the prize for the best goalkeeper, but the Volna goalkeeper Mark Ryutin.
- “Duslar” regained the title of Russian champion. Share your emotions...
Wow, emotions are running high. It's hard to describe what's happening right on the heels of it. We haven’t played with the guys for a long time, we missed each other. Although we didn’t concede a single goal in the two decisive matches, the victory was not easy for us.
- It seemed that you would celebrate louder...
We were emotionally drained after the 1/3 final match with Magistral. They left a lot of strength there. We had a very hard time with Volna in the first match of the Final Three. A team from St. Petersburg plays indoor football. They fought back the entire match. It's good that we put the finishing touches on them.
It was already easier for us with CDKA. We had a break, and they were playing the second match in a row, so they got worse physically.
There was no doubt that you would play today, because yesterday you had an unpleasant and painful clash with Erik Korchagin?
No, everything is okay. Yesterday, when I arrived home, I came to my senses and realized that I would play both matches. I set myself up properly. Everything worked out, everything worked out.
- To keep a clean sheet in the Final Three – was that a fundamental moment?
Of course, this became my goal. You know that they score a lot in the LFL. It’s very nice to play five games in a tournament and not miss four of them. We only conceded three goals. This is an excellent indicator.
The real breakthrough was the performance of Volna, which finished second. After the award ceremony, the football player of the team from St. Petersburg, Timur Huseynov, summed up the results of the tournament.
- How do you evaluate Volna’s performance at the Russian Championship?
For a debutant, we performed well and achieved a good result. They played on the principle of “one for all and all for one.”
- If you had said before the tournament that Volna would win silver, how would you have reacted?
Of course, I would be delighted. We have proven that not only “Golden” or “GrandForward” are capable of achieving high results at all-Russian competitions. Amateur football is well developed in the Northern capital. Our performance is a clear confirmation of this.
- At the same time, the team is criticized for rather unspectacular football...
Yes, I read interviews and articles where they say a lot about our style of play. But the score is on the scoreboard, and our result is second place. We didn’t concede goals in defense, but scored as much as we needed in attack to win.
- Playing defense is Volna’s trump card. Agree?
There are no questions for the defenders and the goalkeeper and there cannot be any. There are questions for the forwards, but the coaches will sort it out. We will work on our attacking game.
- Which match turned out to be the most difficult for Volna at the Russian Championship?
For me personally, this is a meeting with the ESPC. The playing of the Stary Oskol group is an example of discipline. We had the hardest time in this game.
- How would you celebrate second place? Will there be a holiday?
I don't know yet. First I want to get home. The management has not given us any promises yet (laughs).
The 2011 Russian champion CDKA came third for the third time in its history. One of the playing directors of the Moscow club, Oleg Poltevsky, explained why his team failed to achieve more.
- How can we evaluate the third place for CDKA?
We are upset, some guys took off their medals immediately after the award ceremony. Of course they are disappointed. It’s a shame that the Final Three turned out this way for us, but if we consider the tournament as a whole, CDKA showed itself more than worthy. Getting into the top three when there were 18 teams in the tournament is not bad.
- Why didn’t you manage to score at least one goal in the Final Three?
We didn't have enough strength and emotions. Yesterday was a difficult day. In my opinion, our rivals in the playoffs - Leonov-MFL and Dzhoker - are even stronger than Duslar and Volna. It was as if all our leading players were replaced for the Final Three.
- Alexander Tumenko noted yesterday that CDKA is easier to play with those who do not sit back in defense...
This is not the reason for the defeat. We just didn't have enough gas. We are not professional teams who purposefully prepare for such tournaments. The team collapsed at the end of the tournament.
Artyom Romanov, vsporte.ru
Igor Akinfeev became the main hero of the Russia - Spain match, which, thanks to his saves, ended in victory for our team. Celebrating their progress to the quarterfinals, the Russians chanted the goalkeeper's name. Akinfeev became the best player of the match, Sergei Shnurov dedicated poetry to him. But such love from the people did not always surround the athlete
The youngest
Akinfeev was born in Vidnoye, near Moscow, and played football from the age of four. He stood up for goal already in the second training session. He played at school at CSKA and its junior clubs, and joined the main team in 2002. In 2003, during his debut match in Samara, he saved the first penalty and was recognized as the best player in the meeting between CSKA and Krylia Sovetov. At that time, Akinfeev was 17 years old.
The following year, Akinfeev already played for the Russian national team in a friendly match with Norway. So he became the youngest debutant in the team.
Until 2007, the football player’s career was developing well. He participated in prestigious tournaments, received the title of best goalkeeper and rejected offers to play for foreign clubs, preferring to remain in his native CSKA. During the match against Rostov, Akinfeev received a serious injury - a cruciate ligament rupture. Nobody thought that he would be able to recover before the end of the season. But the goalkeeper succeeded. The next year he became the youngest member of the symbolic “Lev Yashin Club”. Only goalkeepers who have not allowed a single goal into their own goal for 100 matches can get there.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil became the most unsuccessful period in his career for Igor Akinfeev. In the match against South Korea, he missed a goal absurdly.
Despite the fact that during the game with the Belgian national team they shone a laser pointer in the goalkeeper's eyes and this fact was recorded, the opponents' victory was still counted. As a result, the Russian team did not make it out of the group stage.
In 2015, during a match with the Montenegro national team, Akinfeev was hit by a fire. For the football player, it all ended with a concussion and a burn to the neck. He did not make any claims to the fan.
A year before the World Cup, there was an unsuccessful match for the Russian team with the Mexican national team. Many considered the missed goals offensive to the Russian football players.
In 2017, Akinfeev ended the Champions League anti-rector streak, which had lasted since 2006. The goalkeeper missed goals in 43 Champions League matches in a row. For 11 years, not a single match with him went dry - a total of 85 goals were scored against him.
Nevertheless, Akinfeev joined the Russian national team, which is currently performing very successfully at the World Cup.
Please criticize. Negativity from all sides? Should I go and hang myself now?
Igor Akinfeev.
Akinfeev does not like to give interviews. For the yellow press, he is a boring hero - an exemplary family man, does not get into scandals, and has not been seen with alcohol at noisy parties. He accepts failures steadfastly, treats fans with respect and is not offended by their criticism.
However, one day he couldn’t stand it - after the match, fans began to indignantly ask him why he missed several goals. Akinfeev lost his temper, cursed and left. The phrase “Go and stand in goal yourself” became a meme for fans - perhaps precisely because it was the only rudeness from the goalkeeper.
Photo source: RIA Novosti/Evgenia Novozhenina Second wind
Footballer Maxim Bokov told “360” that the real turning point in Akinfeev’s career was the call from the coach of the main team of CSKA Valery Gazzaev to the coach of the “double” of the same club with a request for a goalkeeper. The latter sent Akinfeev, who took the chance and tried to impress Gazzaev. The football player managed to do this. And the real test of strength and professionalism was the injury received in 2007, after which Akinfeev returned to duty as soon as possible.
I know for sure that he would like to stay at CSKA and finish his career there, because this is his home. But again, everything depends on him, on his desire and his sporting achievements
Maxim Bokov footballer.
“I think right now that he got a second wind after this,” the expert summed up.
It seems to Maxim Bokov that the scale of Akinfeev’s failures was inflated by the press. He believes that the goalkeeper managed to be the captain of the national team for so long thanks to his personal qualities.
“It’s important how a person feels about missed goals. One begins to tear his hair out, another begins to look for those to blame, while the third - in the case of Igor - gets together and starts and shows himself as a person ready to solve problems,” the footballer said.
Photo source: RIA Novosti/Alexey Filippov CSKA Youth Sports School coach Oleg Kornaukhov does not agree with Bokov. In his opinion, the turning point in Akinfeev’s career happened when he saved an 11-meter kick in a match with the Samara club “Wings of the Soviets”. The goalkeeper was 16 years old.
He keeps everything to himself. When you look at him during important matches, you can never tell whether he is nervous or not. He knows how to behave
Oleg Kornaukhovcoach of Youth Sports School CSKA.
“It was a transition from a young player to a professional player. He confirms everything else year after year. The best goalkeeper in Russia. No one comes close to him,” says 360’s interlocutor.
Kornaukhov describes Igor Akinfeev as a non-emotional person. In addition, as a footballer he is very calculating. “Mastery, reading the game. Have you seen Igor catch balls in incredible jumps? He knows where the ball will fly, he calculates where it will fly,” the expert concluded.
The coach is inclined to explain unsuccessful moments by saying that a person cannot help but make mistakes.
Hero of the Russians
Now Akinfeev is a hero for Russians. This was heard on the evening of July 1, when all of Moscow in one impulse chanted his name. Popular recognition is also visible on social networks. For a high-class game, the goalkeeper was “awarded” with the Monomakh cap.
With such a goalkeeper, getting to the final is not a problem.
Sergei Shnurov released another poem.
A project for a monument to Akinfeev’s leg, with which he hit one of the balls in the match with Spain, is being developed on Twitter.
Users are slowly sorting out objects that can be kissed.
According to users, Akinfeev was included in the list of the most beautiful people on the planet. True, the football player ended up in last place.
The history of the Russian national team is indeed somewhat reminiscent of the story of Cinderella.
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