For almost 30 years now, there has been no country called the Soviet Union on the world map, but you can still see fans in the stands in the T-shirt of the national team of a non-existent country. Why? I think I know the answer to this question.

History of the USSR national football team

• Participation in the final stage of the world championships: 7 times.
• Participation in the final stage of the European Championships: 5 times.

Achievements of the USSR national team

• European Champion 1960.
• Silver medalist of the European Championship in 1964, 1972 and 1988.
• Fourth place at the 1966 World Championships.

The USSR national team played the first match on November 16, 1924, i.e. two years after the formation of the Soviet state. The rival was the Turkish national team, which our team defeated in Moscow with a score of 3:0.

USSR national team at the world championships

The reasons for the absence of the USSR national team at the pre-war world championships lie on the surface - the USSR Football Federation was not a member of FIFA. But even after joining this organization in 1947, applications for participation in the 1950 and 1954 world championships were not submitted - the country's leadership was afraid of losing to the "bourgeois".

Only the gold medals of the 1956 Olympics and success in a number of friendly matches, including the victory over the current world champion of the German national team in 1955, opened the way for our team to the world championships.

Already in the first qualifying round, there was almost an embarrassment - having won both matches against the Finns, the USSR national team exchanged home victories with the Poles (3:0 and 1:2), and since no additional indicators were taken into account then, a third match was scheduled, which took place on neutral field in German Leipzig. If his team lost, it is not known how the fate of the USSR national team would have developed, and after how many years she would still be allowed to play in a major tournament.

Fortunately, the team of Gavriil Dmitrievich Kachalin managed to win with a score of 2: 0, and the hero of the match was the one who scored a goal and gave an assist. However, Streltsov, as well as Mikhail Ogonkov and Boris Tatushin, did not go to the championship for reasons far from sports, which was a loss for the team.

The first match our team played in a draw with the English 2:2, and during the match it led 2:0, and the England team equalized the score of an erroneously awarded penalty kick (the violation was outside the penalty area).

Then the USSR national team defeated the Austrians 2:0 and lost to the Brazilian team with the same score. As a result, the national teams of the USSR and England scored three points each and had to play an additional match, in which our team turned out to be stronger - 1:0.

In the quarterfinals, the Soviet players lost to the hosts of the Swedish national team. The official assessment of the performance of the national team was unsatisfactory, which in our time seems simply wild. But these are still flowers, below I will tell you what they did with the coach who won the “silver” of the European Championship.

But for now, back to the world championships. The team qualified for the next championship without any problems, and in the final part took first place in the group, ahead of the teams of Yugoslavia, Uruguay and Colombia. True, in the match with the latter there was an embarrassment: leading 3:0 and 4:1, the USSR team managed to draw 4:4.

In the quarterfinals, we again had to meet with the hosts - the Chile national team, and the USSR national team lost again, this time with a score of 1:2. They blamed the defeat, at the same time remembering him four goals conceded from the Colombians.

At the 1966 World Cup, the USSR national team was able to overcome the quarterfinal barrier and achieved the highest achievement in the world championships. This time our team showed a 100% result in the group stage, simultaneously taking revenge on the Chileans for the defeat four years ago.

Then there was a quarter-final victory over a strong Hungarian national team (the Hungarians managed to defeat the Brazilians, the reigning world champions, in the group stage), a 1-2 defeat in the semi-finals from the German national team and in the match for 3rd place from the Portuguese, led by the magnificent.

In 1970, the USSR national team was the strongest in the quartet with Mexico, Belgium and El Salvador (two wins and a draw), and in the ¼ finals in extra time lost to the Uruguayans 0:1.

Thus, in four consecutive world championships, the Soviet team consistently got into the top eight of the strongest teams in the world, making it to the semi-finals once. The result is more than decent, especially against the background of our current "masters".

After that, the USSR national team missed two world championships in a row without qualifying. Moreover, in 1973, our team took first place in its qualifying group, and in the play-offs it had to play with the Chilean national team. The first meeting in Moscow ended in a goalless draw, and the USSR national team did not go to the return match because of the military coup that had taken place in Chile, and a forfeit defeat was counted for it. So football again intervened in politics.

Only in 1982, the Soviet team was again at the World Cup. Having taken second place in the group after Brazil, the USSR national team advanced to the second group stage, where they defeated the Belgian team with a score of 1:0. To reach the semi-finals, ours needed a victory over the Polish team, but that match ended in a goalless draw.

The Soviet team began the final part of the 1986 World Cup with a 6-0 defeat of the Hungarian national team, after which many wrote it down as a championship favorite. Then there was a victory over the Canadian team and a draw with the French, and in the 1/8 finals the USSR team fell on the Belgians.

Twice our team led the score, but the Belgians bounced back, and in extra time they managed to snatch a victory 4:3 (he scored a hat-trick for the USSR national team). The Belgians scored two goals from an offside position, which remained unnoticed by the referee team led by Swede Eric Fredrikson. But this was not the main reason - the Soviet team reached the peak of form too early, demonstrating their best in the first matches

She went to the USSR national team as one of the favorites of the world championship in the rank of vice-champion of Europe. However, an unexpected defeat in the opening match against Romania (0:2) put the team in front of the need to play for victory in the match with world champion Argentina, which also lost in the first match.

This meeting was lost to the USSR national team 0:2, and with the score 0:0, the same referee Fredrikson did not put a penalty in a situation when he knocked the ball out of an empty goal with his hand. So one person turned out to be an evil genius for our team at two world championships at once. The defeat of Cameroon 4:0 did not change anything in the tournament plan - the USSR national team remained in last place in the group.

USSR national team at the European Championships

The first European Championships were, in fact, a cup tournament - the teams played according to the Olympic system, playing one match at home and away, after which four teams revealed the strongest in the final tournament, which was also held according to the Olympic system.

The USSR national team became the first European champion. Having passed the Hungarian national team in the first round, ours fell on the Spaniards, but at the behest of the dictator Franco, the Spanish national team turned out to be out of games with the Soviet team. So politics played the only time on the side of the Soviet team.

In the semi-final, the USSR national team defeated the Czechoslovak team 3-0, and in the final in extra time they snatched a victory from the Yugoslav team 2-1, the "golden" goal was on the account of Viktor Ponedelnik.

Four years later, the USSR national team again reached the final, which was held in Madrid, and the host team became the opponent. Then ours lost to the Spaniards 1:2, and the head coach of the national team was fired for this result. That is, the coach was fired for second place at the European Championships!

True, in fairness, I note that here it was not without politics - the aforementioned Franco was present at the stadium, and the leaders of the Soviet state did not forgive the coach for the defeat in front of the ideological enemy.

Once in the final part of the 1968 European Championship, the USSR national team again met with the hosts, this time with the Italian team. The match in Naples ended in a goalless draw. In this match, a unique event occurred for such a level of the tournament - after a goalless draw, the winner was determined by tossing an ordinary coin.

In 1972, the Soviet team again reached the final, but lost there to the German national team 0:3.

Since 1976, the format of the qualifying tournament has changed - now the teams played a group stage, and then the top 8 teams in the relegation matches determined the four finalists. Having won their group, the USSR national team in the quarterfinals lost on aggregate to the team of Czechoslovakia, the future European champion.

However, then the USSR national team failed twice to pass the qualifying tournament, and if in the selection for Euro 1984 we lost to the Portuguese, losing the decisive match due to a controversial penalty, then the previous qualifying round was clearly a failure - the USSR national team took last place in the group with Hungary, Greece and Finland.

And in 1988, the Soviet players reached the final again, defeating the British in the group stage (3:1) and the Italians in the semi-final (2:0) in brilliant style. Valery Lobanovsky's team demonstrated fast power football, and many called this game "football of the 21st century." But in the final, she was defeated by an equally magnificent squad, where Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten were the soloists.

In the qualifying tournament for the 1992 European Championship, the USSR team took first place, ahead of the Italian team, but due to the collapse of the country, the CIS team went to the tournament.

USSR national team at the Olympic Games

Football at the Olympics is special, for a long time the participation of professionals was prohibited in Olympic football tournaments, and later the age limit of football players was introduced.

But in the Soviet Union, as well as in other countries, the sport was nominally amateur, so the ban was easily circumvented. For the first time, the USSR national team became the Olympic champion in 1956, beating the same “amateurs” from Bulgaria in the semifinals, and from Yugoslavia in the final.

The "gold" of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, in my opinion, was more significant - in the semifinals, the Soviet team beat the Italians. And in the final - the Brazilian national team with, Bebeto and Romario in the composition.

In addition to two Olympic victories, I will mention the confrontation with the Yugoslav national team at the 1952 Olympic Games. Losing 1:5, the Soviet players managed to level the score, but lost 1:3 in the replay. Since Yugoslavia as a whole and its leader Josip Broz Tito were political opponents of the USSR and Comrade Stalin personally, the matter was not without execution.

The head coach of the team, Boris Andreevich Arkadiev, and 5 CDKA players were stripped of the title of master of sports, and the CDKA team was disbanded. Why army men? Apparently because there were the most of them in the team - the same 5 people (Dynamo Moscow and Tbilisi each had 4 representatives), plus the team's mentor Arkadiev, who also coached the CDKA.

USSR national football team players

There were always enough outstanding players in the USSR national team. It is not possible to list them within the framework of one article, I will only go through the record holders.

Record holders for the number of matches played

1. Oleg Blokhin - 112 matches.
2. – 91.
3. Albert Shesternev - 90.
4. Anatoly Demyanenko - 80.
5. Vladimir Bessonov - 79.

The best scorers of the USSR national team

1. - 42 goals.
2. Oleg Protasov - 29.
3. Valentin Ivanov - 26.
4. Eduard Streltsov - 25.
5. Viktor Kolotov - 22.

Coaches of the USSR national football team

During the entire existence of the USSR national team, 17 specialists worked with it, of course, there were no foreigners among them. Some have worked with the team several times.

I will list the names of the most prominent mentors: Boris Andreevich Arkadiev, Konstantin Ivanovich Beskov, Gavriil Dmitrievich Kachalin, Eduard Vasilievich Malafeev, Nikolai Petrovich Morozov, Mikhail Iosifovich Yakushin.

• The USSR team won the biggest victories with a difference of 10 goals - on September 16, 1955, the Indian team was defeated in a friendly match with a score of 11: 1, and on August 15, 1957, in the World Cup qualifying match, the Finnish team with a score of 10: 0.
• The USSR national team suffered the biggest defeat on October 22, 1958 in London in a friendly match against England 0:5.
• The USSR national team five times participated in the final stage of the European Championships, and only once failed to reach the final.
• The first and last matches of the USSR national team ended in the same victory - 3:0.

In conclusion, I would like to talk about the reasons for the success of the Soviet team. Undoubtedly, it was one of the strongest teams in the world, showing consistently high results over a long period of time.

Now it is fashionable to almost idealize everything connected with the Soviet Union. I am far from it, simply because I lived at that time, so I hope that I will be objective.

• First. The USSR simply had more human resources, the country consisted of 15 republics, each of which is now an independent country. Imagine that Andrey Yarmolenko, Yevgeny Konoplyanka and Henrikh Mkhitaryan could play for the Russian national team now.
• Second. Outstanding coaching school. Take another look at the list of head coaches for the team. These are not just outstanding masters of their craft - almost every one of them was the creator and conductor of his own style of play.
• Third. The USSR national team has always been very good physically. In the memoirs of Soviet football players, the thought constantly flashes: "they were afraid to play with us." It’s just that Soviet coaches understood that in technical terms, many teams are not inferior, or even superior to Soviet football players, and therefore acted according to the principle: “If we cannot outplay an opponent, then we must run over him.” It happened so often.

• Fourth. Patriotism. Now it sounds somewhat naive, but the players of the USSR national team fought on the field for their country, with something, and there was always complete order with ideologies in the Soviet Union. By the way, an interesting detail - among the Soviet football players there was not a single "defector" (as the USSR called people who refused to return to their homeland from a foreign trip, or who left the country fraudulently or illegally).

Like it or not, many experienced fans are nostalgic for the USSR national team. It is no coincidence that even the form of the Russian national team at the home world championship is strikingly reminiscent of the Soviet one.

I don’t know if it’s good to live with an eye to the past, but it turns out that we live.

First, the greatest players of the USSR national team!!!

So player number 1 is the greatest goalkeeper of the USSR national team - Lev Yashin

Yashin Lev Ivanovich Goalkeeper. Honored Master of Sports.

Born October 22, 1929 in Moscow. He died on March 20, 1990 in Moscow.
Pupil of the football school at the plant "Red October" in Tushino.
He played for the Dynamo Moscow team (1950 - 1970).
Spent 326 (22 seasons) matches in the championships of the USSR. The statistics of the public press center of the Moscow "Dynamo" for the farewell match of L. Yashin counted all his games. There were 812 of them. In terms of the number of medals won, he is the record holder among Soviet football players.
Champion of the USSR 1954, 1955, 1957, 1959 and 1963 USSR Cup Winner 1953, 1967 and 1970 In the list of 33 best players of the season - 14 times - a record of Soviet football.
The best goalkeeper of the USSR (Ogonyok magazine prize) 1960, 1963 and 1966
In the USSR national team - 74 matches - 14 seasons in a row, he played for the national team up to 38 years old (he played for the USSR Olympic team in 6 matches). He also played for the USSR national team in 9 unofficial matches.
Participant of the World Championships 1958, 1962, 1966 (4th place) Olympic champion in 1956. Winner of the European Cup in 1960. Silver medalist of the European Cup in 1964. He played 2 times for the world team (with England in 1963 and Brazil in 1968).
In 1963, he was the first and only goalkeeper to be recognized as the best football player in Europe and awarded the Golden Ball.
In 1985, he was awarded the highest award of the International Olympic Committee - the Olympic Order for his merits in the development of the Olympic movement. In 1988 he was awarded the FIFA Golden Order "For Services to Football".
Head of the Dynamo Moscow team (1971 - 1975). Deputy Head of the Football and Hockey Department of the Dynamo Central Sports Center (1975 - 1976). Deputy Head of the Football Department of the USSR Sports Committee for educational work (1976 - 1984). Senior coach of the Central Sports Center "Dynamo" for educational work (1985 - 1990). Deputy Chairman of the USSR Football Federation (1981 - 1989).

No. 2 This is striker Eduard Streltsov

Streltsov Eduard Anatolievich. Attack. Honored Master of Sports.

Born July 21, 1937 in the village. Perovo, Moscow region He died on July 22, 1990 in Moscow.

Pupil of the team of the Moscow plant "Frazer".

Played for the team "Torpedo" Moscow (1954 - 1958, 1965 - 1970).

Champion of the USSR in 1965 Winner of the USSR Cup in 1968

The best football player of the USSR in 1967 and 1968 (according to the results of a survey of the weekly "Football").

He played 38 matches for the USSR national team, scored 25 goals (including 6 matches, scored 2 goals for the USSR Olympic team). He also played for the USSR national team in 1 unofficial match.

1956 Olympic champion
Coach at the Torpedo club. Coach at the Sports School "Torpedo".
Awarded with the Order of the Badge of Honor.

No. 3 on our List is the great defender Igor Netto

Net Igor Alexandrovich. Midfielder Honored Master of Sports. Honored Coach of Russia.

Pupil of the youth team of the Moscow stadium "Young Pioneers".

He played for the team "Spartak" Moscow (1949 - 1966).

Champion of the USSR 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1962 USSR Cup Winner 1950, 1958, 1963

As part of the USSR national team, he played 54 matches, scored 4 goals (including in the USSR Olympic team - 9 matches, 1 goal). He also played for the USSR national team in 14 (scored 1 goal) unofficial matches.

Champion of the Olympic Games in 1956. Winner of the European Cup in 1960. Participant in the World Championships in 1958 and 1962.

Senior coach of the club "Omonia" Nicosia, Cyprus (1967). Senior coach of the club "Shinnik" Yaroslavl (1968). Head coach of the Iranian national team (1970 - 1971). Head coach of the Panionis club Athens, Greece (1976 - 1977). Coach at the club "Spartak" Moscow (1973 - 1975). Senior coach of the club "Neftchi" Baku (1979). Coach at the Sports School "Spartak" Moscow (until 1990).
He was awarded the Orders of Lenin and Friendship of Peoples.

#4 on our list is

Bubukin Valentin Borisovich. Attack. Honored Master of Sports. Honored Coach of the RSFSR.

Pupil of the Moscow factory team "Wings of the Soviets". The first coach is S. N. Shapinsky.

He played for the teams of Air Force Moscow (1952 - 1953), Lokomotiv Moscow (1953 - 1960, 1962 - 1965), CSKA Moscow (1961 - 1962).

USSR Cup Winner 1957

He played 11 matches for the USSR national team and scored 4 goals.

European Cup Winner 1960

Head coach of the Lokomotiv Moscow team (1966 - 1968). Head coach of the team "Tavria" Simferopol (1970 - 1972). Head coach of the team "Karpaty" Lvov (1972 - 1974). Coach at CSKA (1975 - 1978, 1981 - 1987). Head coach of CSKA Hanoi, Vietnam (1978).
Awarded the Order of Friendship. He was awarded the medal "For Labor Valour". He was awarded the Medal of Friendship of the Peoples of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

No. 5 is the incomparable gray-eyed king Fyodor Cherenkov

Cherenkov Fedor Fedorovich. Midfielder Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the Moscow sports club "Kuntsevo" and SDUSHOR "Spartak". The first coaches were M. I. Mukhortov and Anatoly Evstigneevich Maslenkin.

He played for the teams "Spartak" Moscow (1977 - 1990, 1991 - 1994), "Red Star" Paris, France (1990 - 1991).

Champion of the USSR/Russia 1979, 1987, 1989, 1993 Winner of the Russian Cup 1994

The best football player of the USSR in 1983 and 1989 (according to the results of a survey of the weekly "Football").

He played 34 matches for the USSR national team and scored 12 goals. He played 10 matches for the USSR Olympic team and scored 6 goals. He also played for the USSR national team in 1 unofficial match.

Bronze medalist at the 1980 Olympics
Since 1994, he has been coaching at the Spartak Moscow club.
Cavalier of the Orders of Friendship of Peoples and the Badge of Honor.

No. 6 is the goalkeeper, better than whom was only Lev Yashin - we are talking about Renat Dasaev

Dasaev Rinat Fayzrakhmanovich. Goalkeeper. Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the training groups of the Astrakhan team "Volgar". The first trainer is Herald of the Pale.

He played for the teams "Volgar" Astrakhan (1975 - 1977), "Spartak" Moscow (1977 - 1988), "Seville" Spain (1988 - 1991).

Champion of the USSR 1979, 1987

The best goalkeeper of the USSR (Ogonyok magazine prize) 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1988

The best football player of the USSR in 1982 (according to the results of a survey of the weekly "Football").

The best goalkeeper in the world in 1988 (according to IFFHS).

He played 91 matches for the USSR national team. He played 6 matches for the USSR Olympic team.

Vice-champion of Europe in 1988. 3rd medalist of the Olympic Games in 1980. Participant of the world championships in 1982, 1986, 1990. Played two matches for the national team.
Coach in the Russian national football team (2003 - 2005, 2006). Coach at the Torpedo club in Moscow (since 2007).

Victor Monday is #7 on our list

Monday Victor Vladimirovich. Attack. Honored Master of Sports.

He played for the teams "Rostselmash" Rostov-on-Don (1956 - 1958), SKA Rostov-on-Don (1959 - 1965), "Spartak" Moscow (1966).

He played 29 matches for the USSR national team and scored 20 goals. He also played for the USSR national team in 1 (scored 1 goal) unofficial match.
Winner of the European Cup in 1960. Silver medalist of the European Cup in 1964. Participant in the World Cup in 1962.
Head coach of the team "Rostselmash" Rostov-on-Don (1969).

No. 8 - this is Mikhail Meskhi

Meskhi Mikhail Shalvovich. Attack. Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of Tbilisi football schools №35 and FSM.

He played for the teams Dinamo Tbilisi (1954 - 1969), Lokomotiv Tbilisi (1970).

Champion of the USSR 1964

35 times defended the colors of the USSR national team, scored 4 goals. He also played for the USSR national team in 1 unofficial match.

He worked as a coach and director of the specialized children's football school "Avaza" in Tbilisi (1969 - 1991).
Awarded with the Order of the Badge of Honor. The SKA football academy in the city of Rostov is named after him.

No. 9 - this is Stanislav Cherchesov

Cherchesov Stanislav Salamovich. Goalkeeper. Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the Alagir FS "Spartak".

Played for Spartak Ordzhonikidze (1982 - 1983), Spartak Moscow (1984 - 1987, 1989 - 1993, 1995, 2002), Lokomotiv Moscow (1988), Dynamo Dresden, Germany (1993 - 1995) , "Tirol" Innsbruck, Austria (1996 - 2002).

Champion of the USSR/Russia 1987, 1989, 1992, 1993 Winner of the USSR/CIS/Russia Cup 1992, 1994 Austrian Champion 2000, 2001, 2002

The best goalkeeper of the USSR / Russia (Ogonyok magazine prize) 1989, 1990, 1992

Played 49 matches for the USSR/CIS/Russia national team. He also played in 3 unofficial matches for the USSR / Russia national team.

Member of the World Cup in 1994. Member of the European Championship in 1996. Member of the FIFA team in the match with the American team (1995) and the European team in the match with the African team (1997).
Head coach of the club "Kufstein" Innsbruck, Austria (2004). Head coach of the club "Wacker-Tirol", Austria (2004 - 2006). Sports director of the club "Spartak" Moscow (2006 - 2007). Head coach of the club "Spartak" Moscow (2007 - 2008).

Well, and closes the list of the greatest players of the USSR national team Givi Chokheli No. 10 in our list

Chokheli Givi Dmitrievich. Defender. Honored Master of Sports. Honored Coach of the Georgian SSR.

He played for the teams "Nadikvari" Telavi (1956), "Dynamo" Tbilisi (1957 - 1965).

He played 19 matches for the USSR national team. He also played for the USSR national team in 1 unofficial match.
Winner of the European Cup in 1960. Participant in the World Cup in 1962.
Coach in the Dynamo Tbilisi team (1966 - 1968, 1971 - 1972). Head coach of the Dinamo Tbilisi team (1969 - 1970, 1974). Head of the Dynamo Tbilisi team (1969, 1984 - 1985)

Well, now the 10 best players of the Russian team!

No. 1 is one of the best defenders Viktor Onopko

Onopko Viktor Savelyevich Defender. Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the Luhansk football school "Dawn". The first coach is Oleg Pilipenko.

He played for the clubs "Stakhanovets" Stakhanov (1986), "Shakhtar" Donetsk (1987 - 1988, 1990 - 1991), "Dynamo" Kyiv (1989), "Spartak" Moscow (1992 - 1995), "Oviedo" Oviedo, Spain ( 1995 - 2002), Rayo Vallecano Madrid, Spain (2002 - 2003), Spartak-Alania Vladikavkaz (2003), Saturn Ramenskoye (2004 - 2005).

Champion of Russia 1992, 1993, 1994 Winner of the Cup of Russia 1992, 1994

The best football player of Russia 1992, 1993 (according to the results of a survey of the weekly "Football"). The best football player of Russia in 1993 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper). Winner of the "Leader of the National Team" prize for 2002 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper).

He played 113 matches for the CIS/Russia national team and scored 7 goals. He played 3 matches for the USSR Olympic team and scored 1 goal. He also played for the Russian national team in 1 unofficial match.

Participant of the 1994 and 2002 World Championships. Member of the European Championships in 1992 and 1996.
Deputy Director of the RFU National Teams Department (since 2006).
Awarded with the Order "For Services to the Fatherland".

No. 2 - So far the best goalkeeper Sergey Ovchinnikov

Ovchinnikov Sergey Ivanovich Goalkeeper.

Pupil of the Moscow football school "Dynamo".

He played for the clubs "Dynamo" Sukhumi (1990), "Lokomotiv" Moscow (1991 - 1997, 2002 - 2005), "Benfica" Lisbon, Portugal (1997 - 1999), "Alverka" Alverka, Spain (1999 - 2000), " Porto" Porto, Portugal (2000 - 2001), "Dynamo" Moscow (2006).

Champion of Russia 2002 and 2004 Russian Cup Winner 1996 and 1997 Winner of the Portuguese Cup 2000 and 2001

The best goalkeeper of Russia (Ogonyok magazine prize) 1994, 1995, 2002 and 2003

He played 35 matches for the Russian national team. He also played for the Russian national team in 1 unofficial match.

Senior goalkeeping coach at the Lokomotiv Moscow club (2006 - 2007). Assistant to the head coach of the Dynamo Kyiv club (since 2007).

No. 3 - this is Alexander Mostovoy

Mostovoy Alexander Vladimirovich Midfielder

A student of the CSKA football school.

Played for Krasnaya Presnya Moscow (1986), Spartak Moscow (1987 - 1991), Benfica, Portugal (1992 - 1993), French Caen, France (1993 - 1994), Strasbourg, France (1994 - 1996), Celta Vigo, Portugal (1996 - 2004), Alaves, Spain (2005).

Champion of the USSR 1987, 1989 USSR Cup Winner 1992 Portuguese Cup Winner 1993 Intertoto Cup Winner 2000

Winner of the "Leader of the National Team" prize for 2001 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper).

He played 65 matches for the USSR/CIS/Russia national team and scored 13 goals.
Participant of the World Championship 1994. Participant of the European Championships 1996, 2004. European Youth Team Champion 1990
He was awarded the medal "80 Years of the State Committee for Sports of Russia".

No. 4 - Andrey Tikhonov

Tikhonov Andrei Valerievich. Midfielder Master of sports of international class.

The first coach is V.K. Fomenko.

He played for the teams "Vympel" Korolev (1991), "Titan" Reutov (1992), "Spartak" Moscow (1992 - 2000), "Wings of the Soviets" Samara (2001 - 2004, since 2008), "Khimki" Khimki ( 2005 - 2007).

Champion of Russia 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Winner of the Cup of Russia in 1994 and 1998
The best football player of Russia in 1996 (according to the results of a poll by the weekly Futbol). The best football player of Russia in 1996 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper).
He played 29 matches for the national team and scored 1 goal. He also played for the Russian national team in 1 unofficial match.

Egor Titov 5th on our list

Titov Egor Ilyich. Midfielder

Pupil of the football school of the Moscow "Spartak". The first coach is Anatoly Korolev.

Clubs: Spartak Moscow (1995 - 2008), Khimki Khimki (2008 - ...).

Champion of Russia 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Winner of the Cup of Russia 1998, 2003

The best football player of Russia 1998, 2000 (according to the results of a survey of the weekly "Football"). The best football player of Russia 1998, 2000 (according to the results of a survey of the newspaper "Sport-Express").
He played 41 matches for the Russian national team, scored 7 goals. He played 2 matches for the Russian Olympic team.
Participant of the World Cup 2002

№6-Vadim Evseev

Evseev Vadim Valentinovich Defender.

Pupil of the Moscow football schools Dynamo and Lokomotiv.

He played for the teams Spartak Mytishchi (1991 - 1992), Spartak Moscow (1993 - 1998, 1999), Torpedo Moscow (1998, 2007), Lokomotiv Moscow (2000 - 2006), Saturn Ramenskoye ( since 2007).

Champion of Russia 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004 Winner of the Cup of Russia 1998, 2000 and 2001
He played 20 matches for the Russian national team, scored 1 goal.
Member of the European Championship 2004

7th on our list is Alexey Smertin

Smertin Alexey Gennadievich. Midfielder

A pupil of the Barnaul football school "Dynamo" and the school of the Olympic reserve in Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Kemerovo region. The first coaches were Gennady Ivanovich Smertin, Gennady Vasilyevich Grishko and Valery Nikolaevich Belozersky.

Played for Dynamo Barnaul (1992 - 1993), Zorya Leninsk-Kuznetsky (1994 - 1997), Uralan Elista (1997 - 1998), Lokomotiv Moscow (1999 - 2000), Bordeaux Bordeaux, France (2000 - 2003), Portsmouth Portsmouth, England (2003 - 2004), Chelsea London, England (2004 - 2005), Charlton London, England (2005 - 2006), Dynamo Moscow (2006) , Fulham London, England (2007 - 2008).

Russian Cup Winner 2000 England Champion 2005 FA Cup Winner 2005 French Cup Winner 2002

The best football player of Russia in 1999 (according to the results of a poll by the weekly Futbol). The best football player of Russia in 1999 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper). Winner of the "Leader of the National Team" prize for 2003 and 2004. (according to the results of a survey of the newspaper "Sport-Express").
He played 55 matches for the Russian national team.

No. 8 - incomparable Dmitry Alenichev

Alenichev Dmitry Anatolievich. Midfielder Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the Sports School "Spartak", Velikiye Luki.

He played for the teams Energia Velikiye Luki, Mashinostroitel Pskov (1990 - 1991), Lokomotiv Moscow (1991 - 1993), Spartak Moscow (1994 - 1998, 2004 - 2006), Roma, Italy (1998) - 2000), Perugia, Italy (2000), Porto, Portugal (2000 - 2004).

Champion of Russia 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 Winner of the Cup of Russia 1994, 1998 Champion of Portugal 2003 and 2004 Winner of the Portuguese Cup in 2003 Winner of the UEFA Cup in 2003 Winner of the Champions League in 2004

The best football player of Russia in 1997 (according to the results of a poll by the weekly Futbol). The best football player of Russia in 1997 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper).

He played 55 matches for the Russian national team and scored 6 goals. He also played for the Russian national team in 1 unofficial match.
Participant of the World Championship 2002 Participant of the European Championship 2004
The owner of the honorary badge "Sports Glory of Russia".

9th on our list was Dmitry Loskov

Loskov Dmitry Vyacheslavovich. Midfielder

Pupil of the Kurgan FSH "Torpedo" and the Rostov sports boarding school.

He played for the clubs Metalist Kurgan (1990), Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don (1991 - 1996), Lokomotiv Moscow (1997 - 2007), Saturn Moscow Region (since 2007).

Champion of Russia 2002, 2004 Winner of the Cup of Russia 2000, 2001, 2007

The best football player of Russia 2002, 2003 (according to the results of a survey of the weekly "Football"). The best football player of Russia 2002, 2003 (according to the results of a survey of the newspaper "Sport-Express").
He played 25 matches for the Russian national team and scored 2 goals.
Member of the European Championship 2004

Well, No. 10, although he did not finish his career in the national team, he forever entered his name in its analogue - Andrey Arshavin

Arshavin Andrey Sergeevich. Midfielder Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the St. Petersburg football school "Change". The first coaches - Victor Vinogradov, Sergey Gordeev.

Since August 2000, he has been playing for the Zenit St. Petersburg club.

Russian Champion 2007 UEFA Cup Winner 2008 UEFA Super Cup Winner 2008

The best football player of Russia in 2006 (according to the results of a survey of the weekly Futbol). The best football player of Russia in 2006 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper). Winner of the "Leader of the National Team" prize for 2006 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper).

He played 41 matches for the Russian national team and scored 15 goals. He played 5 matches for the Russian Olympic team and scored 1 goal.

Awarded the Order of Honor and Courage. (THIS IS ALL FOR THE MOMENT)

BY SPECIAL REQUEST OF READERS, I AM ADDING THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS TO THIS POST:

№11 Valery Karpin

Karpin Valery Georgievich. Midfielder

A pupil of the football section at the ZhKO in Narva and the sports school of the Kalininsky district of Tallinn. The first coach is Yuri Shalamov.

He played for the clubs "Sport" Tallinn (1986 - 1987), CSKA Moscow (1988), "Torch" Voronezh (1989), "Spartak" Moscow (1990 - 1994), "Real Sociedad" San Sebastian, Spain (1994 - 1996 , 2003 - 2005), Valencia Valencia, Spain (1996 - 1997), Celta Vigo (1997 - 2002), Corujo, Spain (2007 - 2008).

Champion of Russia 1992, 1993, 1994 Winner of the Cup of Russia 1992, 1994 2000 Intertoto Cup Winner

Winner of the "Leader of the National Team" prize for 2000 (according to the results of a poll by the Sport-Express newspaper). The best universal player of the Spanish Championship 1998/99 (Don Balon magazine).

He played 73 matches for the CIS/Russia national team and scored 17 goals.

Participant of the 1994 and 2002 World Championships. Member of the European Championship 1996

General Director of the club "Spartak" Moscow (2008 - ...).

No. 12 Who did not finish his playing career, although which one finished, he is only 22, but he is ALREADY number one in our team Igro Akinfeev

Akinfeev Igor Vladimirovich Goalkeeper. Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the Moscow football school CSKA. The first coach is Desiderii Fedorovich Kovacs.

Plays for CSKA Moscow (since 2003).

Champion of Russia 2003, 2005, 2006 Winner of the Cup of Russia 2005, 2006, 2008 UEFA Cup Winner 2005

The best goalkeeper of Russia (Ogonyok magazine prize) 2004, 2005, 2006

Played 29 matches for the Russian national team. Played 2 matches for the Russian Olympic team.
Bronze medalist of the European Championship 2008
Awarded the Order of Friendship.

No. 13 The leader of the attacks of our current team Roman Pavlyuchenko

Pavlyuchenko Roman. Attack. Master of Sport.

Pupil of the Stavropol SDYUSSHOR "Dynamo". The first coach is Vyacheslav Tokarev.

Played for Dynamo Stavropol (1999), Rotor Volgograd (2000 - 2002), Spartak Moscow (2003 - 2008), Tottenham Hotspur London, England (2008 - ...).

Winner of the Cup of Russia 2003
He played 24 matches for the Russian national team and scored 10 goals. He played 5 matches for the Russian Olympic team and scored 3 goals.
Bronze medalist of the European Championship 2008 Included in the symbolic team of the European Championship 2008 according to UEFA

USSR TEAM PLAYER Nikita Simonyan!

Simonyan Nikita (Mkrtych) Pavlovich (Pogosovich). Attack. Honored Master of Sports. Honored Coach of the USSR.

Pupil of Sukhumi football. The first coach is Shota Lominadze.

He played for the teams "Wings of the Soviets" Moscow (1946 - 1948), "Spartak" Moscow (1949 - 1959).

Champion of the USSR 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958 USSR Cup Winner 1950, 1958

He played 20 matches for the USSR national team, scored 10 goals (including 3 matches, scored 2 goals for the USSR Olympic team). He also played for the USSR national team in 3 (scored 2 goals) unofficial matches.

Olympic champion in 1956. Participant of the 1958 World Championship.
Head coach of the Spartak Moscow team (1960 - 1965, 1967 - 1972). Head coach of "Ararat" team Yerevan (1973 - 1974, 1984 - 1985). Head coach of the team "Chernomorets" Odessa (1980 - 1981). Head coach of the USSR national team (1977 - 1979).
Cavalier of the Orders of the Badge of Honor, the Red Banner of Labor, Friendship. Cavalier of the Olympic Order of the IOC. Awarded the FIFA Order of Merit for Football. Awarded the UEFA Ruby Order.

“14 in a real legend, he first left the national team, but after 2 years Guus Hiddink called him back under the banner of our team! So we are talking about Sergei Semak !!!

Semak Sergey Bogdanovich. Midfielder Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the Lugansk school of the Olympic reserve. The first coach is Valery Vasilyevich Belokobylsky.

Played for Presnya Moscow (1992), Karelia Petrozavodsk (1992), Asmaral Moscow (1993 - 1994), CSKA Moscow (1994 - 2004), Paris Saint-Germain Paris, France (2005 - 2006) ), "Moscow" Moscow (2006 - 2007), "Rubin" Kazan (since 2008).

Champion of Russia 2003 Winner of the Cup of Russia 2002, 2005 UEFA Cup Winner 2005
He played 55 matches for the Russian national team and scored 4 goals. He played 3 matches for the Russian Olympic team.
Bronze medalist of the European Championship 2008 Champion of Russia 2008

No. 15 on this list will be a public favorite, one of the most dedicated players in our championship, Yuri Zhirkov

Zhirkov Yuri Valentinovich Midfielder Honored Master of Sports.

Pupil of the Tambov "Spartak". The first coach is Vladimir Kovylin.

He played for the team "Spartak" Tambov (2001 - 2003). Since 2004 - in CSKA Moscow.

Champion of Russia 2005, 2006 Winner of the Cup of Russia 2005, 2006, 2008 UEFA Cup Winner 2005

He played 28 matches for the Russian national team.
Bronze medalist of the European Championship 2008. Included in the symbolic team of the European Championship 2008 according to UEFA.
Awarded the Order of Friendship.

10

• Position: defender
• Nickname: Ivan the Terrible
• Year of birth: 1941
• Year of death: 1994

His fans nicknamed him "Ivan the Terrible". All his life, Albert defended the colors of CSKA. With this club, he managed to win the title of champion of the USSR only once. In the national team, his career has developed more successfully. Shesternev shone at the 1964 European Championship and at the 1966 World Championship. The authoritative French magazine France Football regularly included the Soviet defender among the best players.

9

• Position: defender
• Nickname: Khurtsy
• Year of birth: 1943

Khurtsilava in the center of defense was a real wall. He chose Dynamo Tbilisi as his only team. His track record includes the bronze medal of the World Championship (1966) and the silver medal of Euro-72. In the USSR national team, Murtaz "grew" to the honorary title of "captain".

8

• Position: defender
• Year of birth: 1959

This player, who plays for Dynamo Kyiv, has 5 gold medals of the USSR champion. He was the winner of the Cup of Cups. Anatoly put on the jersey of the national team for 3 consecutive World Cups. He won silver at Euro 88. Demyanenko was one of the players that fans affectionately call "two-core". Anatoly was a modest "plowman", selflessly devoted to football.

7

• Position: midfielder
• Year of birth: 1939
• Year of death: 1984

This "handsome" and the legend of the "Torpedo" team has a difficult fate. Valery was in a car accident and could not recover from the consequences. Drank. And he was killed, as it is believed, in a drunken showdown. And he was a football player from God. No wonder he was included in the list for the Golden Ball. At the World Cup in England, Voronin's talent was revealed in all its glory.

6

• Position: midfielder
• Nickname: goose
• Year of birth: 1930
• Year of death: 1999

This player went down in history as a great football gentleman. It was he who asked the referee (World Cup - 62) not to count the goal, which he wanted to mistakenly write down to the USSR national team. The ball into the goal (it was the goal of the national team of Uruguay) flew through a hole in the net. The captain of the USSR national team saw this well. The goal was not counted.

5

• Position: midfielder
• Nickname: People's footballer
• Year of birth: 1959
• Year of death: 2014

This player, smart and technical, has become a symbol of Spartak. Fedor's career in the national team did not work out. But he remained in history the standard of Spartacus. Twice Cherenkov was recognized as the best football player in the country. He became the champion of the USSR 3 times. I even managed to win the Russian championship once. Fedya, as his fans affectionately called him, was a real people's favorite.

4

• Position: attack
• Nickname: Kozmich
• Year of birth: 1934
• Year of death: 2011

One of the best forwards in the history of Soviet football. He is from the golden composition of Euro-60. Silver medalist of Euro-64. It was Ivanov who became one of the top scorers of the World Cup in Chile. The Soviet football player shared this title with such great football players as Vava and Garrincha. This fact confirms that he was a true world-class master.

3

• Position: attack
• Year of birth: 1937
• Year of death: 1990

An incorrigible bully and a great player. Only due to bureaucratic stupidity, Streltsov could not become the greatest player in the history of Soviet football. In Sweden, Pele became great, and the Russian Pele went by stage to the camp. In places of deprivation of liberty, Streltsov went bald, irradiated with radiation. He was suspended from football for a long 6 years. He returned and delighted the fans again.

2

• Position: attack
• Year of birth: 1952

Oleg was the owner of the Golden Ball. He won the USSR championship 7 times. During his career, Blokhin hit the opponent's goal almost 400 times. By right, he is considered one of the best strikers in the history of Soviet football. Blokhin holds the record for the number of appearances for the USSR national team.

1

• Position: goalkeeper
• Nickname: Black spider
• Year of birth: 1929
• Year of death: 1990

Leo became the first goalkeeper to be awarded the Ballon d'Or. According to sports historians, Yashin should be considered the best goalkeeper in the history of world football. For two decades he defended the gates of the Moscow Dynamo club. Yashin is an Olympic champion and Euro 60 champion. Lev Ivanovich was the only one of all the players who was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

In the spring of 1949, at a training camp in Gagra, 19-year-old Yashin played one of the first matches for Dynamo - against the Stalingrad Tractor. Their goalkeeper knocked the ball far, and Yashin collided with his defender Averyanov and missed. A year and a half later, Yashin made a mistake in the first official game for Dynamo, colliding with Vsevolod Blinkov, and Parshin from Spartak equalized the score. And yet, by the mid-fifties, Yashin became the main goalkeeper of Dynamo, and then the national team, with which he successfully went to the Olympics in Melbourne. “After winning the Olympics, they returned home, first on the ship Georgia, and then by train from Vladivostok to Moscow,” Oleg Belakovsky, the doctor of the Olympic gold team, told me. “At every station we were greeted with demonstrations. Just on the eve of the New Year, a bearded man with a bag on his shoulder burst into the car: “Sons, where is Yashin?” Leva went up to the old man, and he took out moonshine, a bag of seeds and fell to his knees: “That's all there is. Thank you from all the Russian people." After two goals from Chile in the 1/4 finals of the 1962 World Cup, Yashin was ardently scolded by journalists and he retired from football. He fished, picked mushrooms in Novogorsk, and then returned and, having conceded only six goals in the championship, made Dynamo the champion and became the best player in the world. Yashin is the only goalkeeper in the history of football who received the Golden Ball, he won the gold of the 1956 Olympics and the 1960 European Cup, reached the semi-finals of the 1966 World Cup and became the country's champion five times with Dynamo.
Alternative: Rinat Dasaev.

Protection


In his youth, Shesternev was the champion of Moscow in the 100 meters, but he chose football, becoming a goalkeeper in the railway team. By the age of twenty, he changed his role and ended up in CSKA, where he revealed himself in 1961 with Konstantin Beskov. At twenty-one, Shesternev became the captain of CSKA, and at twenty-five he went with the national team, which was coached by torpedo player Nikolai Morozov, to the World Cup in England, where he was also captain and finished the semi-final against West Germany with a dislocated shoulder. In 1968, Shesternev got out with the national team to the semifinals of the European Championship. “0-0 with Italy after two overtimes,” recalled the goalkeeper of that team, Yuri Pshenichnikov. - There was no penalty, they threw a coin. Shesternev was asked: “A coat of arms or a crown?” Yakushin, experienced in tossing, shouted: “Coat of arms! Coat of arms! ”, And Shesternev was confused and fell into a stupor. Yakushin to him: “The coat of arms, your mother!”, But Shesternev was silent. Then the referee Istvan Zsolt turned to the captain of the Italians Facchetti, he said: “Coat of arms” and Italy reached the final, where they beat Yugoslavia. Years later, Facchetti admitted in an interview: “I didn’t even guess. The Russian coach said, and I repeated. Two years later, Shesternev won the national championship with CSKA, surpassing Dynamo in the replay of the golden match, and then tied up with a player's career, passing the captain's armband in the national team to Murtaz Khurtsilava.
Alternative: Anatoly Maslenkin

“I saw that the newcomer, having got into the society of the country's champions, behaved confidently and calmly,” Boris Arkadiev, the coach of the CDKA, described his first impressions of Bobrov. - It was a real talent, by the will of God, and a master of individual play. His speed tracing was amazing.” Bobrov scored 80 goals in 79 matches for CDKA and five goals in three matches for the national team. In 1945, Bobrov joined Dynamo Moscow on a tour of Great Britain and became the top scorer there with six goals in four games. “It’s not like playing with such legs - you can’t walk,” said the surgeon Landa, who repaired Bobrov after fractures or dislocations. Bobrov led the CDKA to five championship titles - three football and two hockey, and then defected to the Vasily Stalin Air Force team, and overslept its flight to Sverdlovsk, where 11 hockey players and two employees of the air force team died. “Stalin loved Seva and forgave him everything,” said sports doctor Oleg Belakovsky. - When I first arrived in Moscow, Bobrov had a fight with the Air Force coach Dzhedzhelava and watched the next match with me on the podium. After the game we celebrate my arrival in Astoria. Seva liked two girls. He tells me: "Invite any of them to dance and say that Bobrov invites them to visit." The ladies ended up with young people, but we agreed that they would say goodbye to them and join us. In the night we arrived at Seva, but after us General Vasilkevich came there with two assistants: "Vasily Stalin demands you to him." Bobrov sent a general, then Seva was seized and taken away. He returned in the morning: “Everything is fine. Stalin punched me in the face, I apologized for missing the match. That's all".
Alternative: Victor Monday

Trainer


The author of historical achievements - victories at the 1956 Olympics and Euro 1960. “In 1956, it was he who discovered such an outstanding full-back as Mikhail Ogonkov,” Nikolai Starostin wrote about Kachalin in his book. - From the double of the Moscow Spartak - straight to the first team! I admit that Kachalin is less original than B.A. Arkadiev is not as temperamental as K.I. Beskov, less cunning than M.I. Yakushin, or not as mysterious as V.A. Maslov. But on the other hand, he is more stable and far-sighted than any of them.” Kachalin, according to his players, was a modest and sincere person, wrote poetry, was fond of oriental poetry, played the mandolin and piano, and performed romances beautifully. Alexey Paramonov recalled that during a tour of South America, Kachalin saw a mariachi ensemble on the street, asked one of them for a guitar and began to play.
Since the time of Kachalin, our team has already won the football tournament of the Olympics, but it seems that his achievement at the Euro will remain unique.
Alternative: Valery Lobanovsky

Gold medals of the first Euro and three silver sets, five successful performances at the Olympics and the semi-finals of the World Cup -66 - the USSR team is a thing of the past, but is a team. Soccer.ru continues the January series.

Goalkeeper

Lev Yashin. Who, if not Lev Ivanovich, who was and, it seems, will remain the first and last goalkeeper awarded the Golden Ball? I don’t want pathos about the best goalkeeper in history, who fifty years ago played like no one else ever, because this is not fair even to those who are also impressive, however Yashin is the most legendary goalkeeper in the world, and that's absolutely correct. Two decades at the gates of Dynamo Moscow, five championships, three cups, Olympic gold medals and victory in the Euro-60 final - the first in history. He also played at the World Championships, won fourth place in England. A legend of legends, and although there is also Dasaev, Lev Ivanovich is the first number.

Defenders

Vladimir Bessonov. A native of Kharkov, he played for Dynamo Kiev for a decade and a half, and although it was not always possible to play from bell to bell, because he broke his cervical vertebrae, he survived four knee surgeries at a time when medicine was not as developed as it is now, but at the same time managed to become the best player in the Youth World Cup as a forward, then play in the center of the field with adults and in defense, up to the libero position. Without difficulty, he will close the right edge of this team, because he knew how to do everything on the field. And the daughter of Vladimir Vasilyevich went to her father - Anna collected dozens of medals at the European and World Championships and two bronze medals at the Olympics, doing rhythmic gymnastics.

Albert Shesternev. "Ivan the Terrible" from the center of defense played all his life for CSKA, with whom he could only once become the champion of the USSR, but he successfully played for the allied team - both at Euro-64 and at the World Cup -66 he was a notable defender who performed at the level of the best masters of his time, yielding little to them and earned the fame of one of the strongest players in Europe of his time by getting into the lists of France Football. If then it was possible to leave for the West, he could well have received an invitation from prominent clubs of the sixties. It just didn’t work out, as a result, Albert Alekseevich spent his best years in a T-shirt of the “army men”, ended his career due to an injury at the age of thirty, then abused alcohol, died at fifty-three.

Murtaz Khurtsilava. The most important football player in the history of Georgia is considered by many to be the star of an old era, Boris Solomonovich Paichadze, covered in legends told with a Caucasian temperament, but in this team, the Georgian legend will be at the center of defense. Frankly, it was difficult to choose, since two Dynamo Tbilisi defenders at once took the USSR to the field with a captain's armband, playing very strong. All my life we ​​have performed in our homeland, but between Chivadze and Khurtsilava we will choose the one who is older, who is sometimes called the strongest Georgian player of the second half of the last century. And who played in the semi-finals and finals of major international tournaments - the medal of the World Cup -66 and the silver of Euro-72 is in the honored veteran.

Dynamo Kiev was the base club of the USSR national team during the third football dawn, so it is not surprising that its representatives are in this squad. Demyanenko won the championship five times, took the Cup of Cups, played at three world championships, became the silver medalist of Euro-88. Of course, one can also recall other prominent left-backs of the older generation, however, Anatoly Vasilyevich, nicknamed “Mulya” (in childhood, he mispronounced his neighbor’s nickname) proved to be strong at a time when there was no unambiguously strongest club and the best team in the world that could beat everyone and each for years.

Midfielders

Valery Voronin. Many Torpedo legends have a difficult fate - Voronin got into a car accident in 1968, from the consequences of which he did not recover, started drinking, was killed, it seems, in a drunken fight. But before that he won two championships, was the best player in the USSR - also twice, was in the lists of the best players in Europe according to the poll for the Golden Ball - in the top ten, which says a lot, and received the highest marks at the World Cup in England and at the Euro two years earlier. Alain Delon of Soviet football, unfortunately, was not as happy off the field as he was in the national team and Torpedo.

Igor Netto. He played hockey well, like Yashin, but the Spartak football club managed to pull him out of ice captivity and got a man who would win the Olympics, Euro 60 and will remain a gentleman in the history of football because Igor Aleksandrovich at the World Cup -62 as the captain of the USSR national team helped the referee not to count the goal of his own team. The famous story - the ball hit the gates of Uruguay through a hole in the net. Eight years from now, Latin Americans won't respond with the same "fair play" principle, but that's another story. And Netto is the legendary midfielder of Spartak in the championship fifties, Gus is in place here.

We understand that choosing another midfielder is very difficult. There were Zavarov, Muntyan, Sabo, Kipiani, many other legends, later Mikhailichenko appeared, having managed to charm many, but take a look at the whole squad and you will understand that he lacks Cherenkov. Perhaps the main person in the history of Spartak, despite the legendary Netto, and a football player who was not fully revealed in the team. Although this did not prevent the midfielder become the best player of the USSR twice - there are three more such people, and only Blokhin has three awards, win the championship three times and even have time to take the Russian championship. Legend, it's a pity that so early - the year before last at 55 years old.

forwards

Valentin Ivanov. Monday or Ilyin are legends, Belanov won the Golden Ball, Meskhi played wonderfully, Protasov was also an incredible class forward, skillful and productive, like many, many others, but it’s impossible not to include Valentin Kozmich in this squad, since we are talking about the same legendary forward as his competitors. How not to get lost in Russia, having been born in Moscow with the surname Ivanov? It's very simple - win Euro 60, become second in four years, losing only to Spain, be the top scorer of the World Cup in Chile, sharing the title with Garrincha, Vava and other legends, win trophies with Torpedo and earn the glory of a world-class master.

Edward Streltsov. The bully, of course, was a noble, but how he played! There should be a person in the USSR national team who was prevented from becoming the greatest Russian player in history due to the traditional corporate stupidity of that time. But a strange case and subsequent imprisonment did not prevent him from becoming a legend. Instead of going to the World Cup in Sweden, where all the experts were waiting for him, as well as the young star of the Brazilians Pele, Eduard went on the stage to cut down the forest, then he was irradiated with radiation at work, went bald, lost six football years and became like an old man. Although he returned to Torpedo to score goals again, he did not win everything he could. Although he was a master of an incredible level, he appeared on the lists of the best players in Europe even after returning from prison.

The only player of the USSR national team with more than a hundred matches in history, the top scorer, one of the three Ukrainians with the Golden Ball. He devoted almost two decades to Dynamo Kiev, with which he won seven league titles, held the cup five times, won three international trophies - two Cup Cups and one UEFA Super Cup, and then Bayern itself became Blokhin's victim. He needs no introduction, because he was the player of the year three times, taking over the baton from Lovchev (yes, the same one). In total, Oleg Vladimirovich scored almost four hundred goals in his career, that is, he scored more often than in every second match. One of the strongest forwards of his time, unconditional and honored member of any variant of the symbolic team of the USSR.