Foreign media nicknamed him "Black Spider" because he did not miss a single ball, as if he had several hands, not two. To fans all over the world, he was the "Black Panther". He developed his own style of play, thanks to which he became known as the best goalkeeper in the history of world sports. Lev Yashin is a football legend whose name, without exaggeration, is known all over the world.
Biography. Childhood and youth
Lev Yashin was born on October 22, 1929 in Moscow, in the Bogorodskoye district. The future world famous goalkeeper came from a working class family. His father worked at an aircraft factory, and his mother was a foreman at the Red Bogatyr. Parents often stayed late, so Leo spent his free time on the street with his friends. Then he fell in love with football. Interestingly, in yard games, Yashin preferred to be a scorer rather than a goalkeeper.
When he turned 12, the Great Patriotic War broke out. The teenager went to work at the factory where his father served. Having shown himself as a hardworking and responsible worker, at the end of the war Leo received the award "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945".
After the war, Lev continued to work at the factory, but constant physical and mental stress (in the evening he attended a school for working youth) caused depression, as a result of which Leo quit his job and left home. In order not to be a parasite, the future goalkeeper, on the advice of his comrades, entered military service. There they noticed his football talent and assigned him to the Dynamo youth team.
First successes and failures
In a friendly match between the main line-up of Dynamo and the youth team, Lev Yashin first showed himself as a talented goalkeeper. The youth team won with a score of 1: 0. After that, Lev was invited to the main team, where he became an understudy for Alexei Khomich, the best goalkeeper of that time, nicknamed "Tiger". There was no particular breakthrough in Yashin's career: Khomich already had an understudy, Walter Sanaya. Leo did not have a chance to show himself until 1950, when, through an unfortunate misunderstanding, both main goalkeepers were injured. A newcomer was put in to replace them. Unfortunately, in his first game, Yashin brought the team a setback: Lev conceded a goal into the goal, facing his own defender. At the next match in Tbilisi, he already conceded 4 goals, making the same mistake. He was suspended from the gate for 3 years. Nevertheless, Yashin was not completely removed from the team, remaining in the Dynamo reserve. He spent this time to his advantage, training in goal defense and at the same time mastering field hockey. In 1953, Lev Yashin brought his team a victory in the match for the Cup of the country. Also, for his successes in this sport, he received the title of master of sports and an offer to enter the national team of the country, but decided to focus on football and left hockey.
Career at the Dynamo club
Since 1953, Lev Yashin has become the main goalkeeper of Dynamo. In 1956, as part of the team, he took part in the Summer Olympics, where the national team won. In 1960, his skill brought Dynamo victory in the European Cup. Yashin's performance at this championship gave him worldwide fame. International newspapers began to write about the Soviet goalkeeper.
In 1962, Lev Yashin received a severe head injury, which caused the Soviet team to lose 2-0 in the match against Brazil. However, the loss did not prevent international observers from recognizing Yashin as the best goalkeeper of 1963. In the same year, Yashin proved that he deserves this title, having played brilliantly in the match dedicated to the 100th anniversary of English football. In the entire game, he did not concede a single goal. Then he became the owner of the Ballon d'Or, becoming the only goalkeeper in the history of football to receive this award.
In 1967, Lev Yashin received the Order of Lenin, the highest award of the USSR.
In 1971, Yashin's farewell match took place, which was attended by more than 100 thousand fans of the great goalkeeper.
Yashin defended the honor of the country for 14 consecutive seasons, taking part in 78 matches. During his career, he managed to reflect one and a half hundred penalties, which no goalkeeper could achieve in the entire history of sports. He also became the only goalkeeper in the USSR who played one hundred clean sheets.
Work as a coach. Last years of life
Even after leaving the big sport, Lev Yashin remained loyal to his native Dynamo, holding the position of the team's coach for several years. He trained new cadres for football, coached youth and children's teams.
In 1986, due to progressive gangrene, Lev Yashin had one leg amputated. In early 1989, doctors diagnosed him with abdominal cancer. Despite surgical intervention and numerous operations, it was not possible to save him. Lev Yashin died on March 20, 1990, a few days after receiving the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
Personal life
Lev Yashin's life partner was Valentina Timofeevna, with whom he had a strong family. His beloved wife gave him two daughters: Irina and Elena. Yashin also has a granddaughter and grandson, Vasily Frolov (the second grandson died at the age of 14 in 2002). Vasily followed the example of his grandfather and also played for the Dynamo youth team.
Mark on history
Several streets in different cities of Russia are named after Lev Yashin. Also, monuments were erected in his honor in his native country and around the world.
Lev Yashin left a memory of himself not only in the world of sports. Vladimir Vysotsky wrote the song "Goalkeeper" about him, poets Robert Rozhdestvensky ("Years are flying") and Yevgeny Yevtushenko ("The goalkeeper comes out of the gate") dedicated their poems to him. In 2018, a biographical film “Lev Yashin. The goalkeeper of my dreams."
