The active period in the life of a professional athlete is determined by various circumstances. Accidental injury can at one point put an end to your future career. Vagiz Khidiyatullin, a player of the USSR national football team, was able to overcome an insidious obstacle that stood in the way.
Starting conditions
A couple of decades ago, football was considered the most popular game among Russian boys. At all latitudes of the great country, children recklessly chased a leather ball in any weather. Vagiz Khidiyatullin was born on March 3, 1959 in a mining family. Parents lived in the small town of Gubakha, located in the north of the Perm region. My father worked as a drifter in a mine. The mother was engaged in housekeeping. In those days, the miner's salary was quite enough in order to adequately support the family.
The child grew up from a young age in a friendly environment. He was thoroughly prepared for adulthood. They didn’t shout at Vagiz, they didn’t weave nonsense, but they handed him a shovel - they taught him to work. The future footballer willingly helped the elders in the garden and in other household chores. He knew well how his peers live and what they dream about. Khidiyatullin studied well at school. He participated in public life and was seriously involved in sports. The family had to move to the city of Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov region, since the mine in Gubakha was closed.
In the team of masters
The biography of Vagiz Nazirovich Khidiyatullin could have developed in different ways. At the start, he was just lucky. In the Rostov region, they were seriously involved in the training of football players. Some time after the move, the boy was noticed and invited to a sports boarding school. Leading coaches have a tradition at all times to attend sports schools in different cities. In the mid-70s, Vagiz was noticed by the head coach of the Moscow Spartak, the famous Konstantin Beskov. I noticed and invited to the team.
Khidiyatullin's sports career began in 1976, when he became the European champion in the junior team. A year later, he received a gold medal at the World Youth Championship. Discerning people understand that football is not only a "running around the field", but also a difficult tactical game. Vagiz, in parallel with the game load, decided to get a special education and entered the Institute of Physical Education. In 1988, our team won silver medals at the European Championship, which was held in France.
Private side
At the end of the championship, Khidiyatullin was offered a contract with the Toulouse club. In total, the footballer has lived in France for six years. During this period, he was seriously preparing for coaching. He completed training in special courses. In 1995 he returned to his homeland and after playing one season for Moscow "Dynamo" left the big sport. The reason is a chronic injury of the knee joint.
The personal life of a football player is full of funny and tragic events. His first wife left him for the famous and wealthy hockey player Vyacheslav Fetisov. The second life did not work out, but the son appeared. Today Khidiyatullin lives in his third marriage. The husband and wife raised two sons. The eldest son died tragically from his first marriage. Vagiz had to endure all these and other events. Love for football and creativity in the game keep it afloat today.
