Lev Yashin
Lev Yashin was born on the 22nd of October 1929 in Moscow. He grew up in a Russian family of industrial workers during a time when World War II forced him to work in a factory at age 12. The war effort demanded his labor, but his health failed him by age 18 after he suffered a nervous breakdown. This medical crisis meant he could no longer perform heavy factory duties. A military factory in Moscow then offered him a new position. His life changed forever when someone spotted him playing for that factory team. Scouts invited him to join the Dynamo Moscow youth squad shortly thereafter.
Yashin made his debut for Dynamo Moscow in 1950 during a friendly match. That first game did not go well as he conceded a soft goal scored straight from an opposing keeper's clearance. He played only two league games that year and missed senior matches until 1953. He stayed determined while waiting in the reserves for another chance. During those early years he also played goalie for the Dynamo ice hockey team. He managed to win a USSR ice hockey cup in March 1953. He finished third in the USSR ice hockey championship as goalkeeper before stopping play in 1954 to focus solely on football.
He developed novel practices like punching balls out in difficult situations instead of trying to catch them. Other innovations included quick throws to begin counterattacks and coming out of the penalty area to anticipate danger. When asked about his secret he replied that the trick was to have a smoke to calm nerves then toss back a strong drink to tone muscles. He remained an imposing presence due to his tall stature and exceptional reflexes. These traits enabled him to produce acrobatic and spectacular saves throughout his career.
Yashin appeared in three World Cups from 1958 to 1966 as an unused squad member in 1970. The 1958 World Cup played in Sweden put Yashin on the map for his performances. The Soviet Union advanced to the quarter-finals during this tournament. In a group stage match against Brazil the team lost two goals to zero. Facing a Brazil team featuring Garrincha and seventeen-year-old Pelé in attack Yashin prevented the score from becoming a rout. His performance made an indelible impression on a global audience at the first internationally broadcast
World Cup.
He dressed head to toe in apparent black though it was actually very dark blue. This distinctive outfit earned him nicknames like the Black Spider or the Black Panther. To his fans he was always the fearless Black Panther. He often played wearing a cloth cap of burnt-brick color. The 1958 tournament marked the beginning of his international fame that would grow with every subsequent appearance. He kept four clean sheets out of twelve games played in World Cup finals.
Despite suffering two concussions during the 1962 tournament Yashin led the team to a quarter-final finish before losing to host country Chile. That tournament showed he was all too human having made some uncharacteristic mistakes. In the game against Colombia which the Soviet Union was leading four-one he let in soft goals including one scored by Marcos Coll directly from a corner kick. It was the first and only goal scored directly from a corner in FIFA World Cup history. The match finished in a four-four draw leading French newspaper
L'Équipe to predict the end of his career.
Yashin bounced back to win the Ballon d'Or in December 1963. One of his best performances that year occurred in the England versus Rest of the World football match where he made spectacular saves. From that point onward he was known to the world as the Black Spider because it seemed as though he had eight arms to save almost everything. He became the first and only goalkeeper ever to receive this award for European player of the year. He was additionally named posthumously to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020.
A bronze statue of Lev Yashin was erected at the Dynamo Stadium in Moscow after his retirement. Statues were also unveiled at Luzhniki Stadium in 1997 and Central Dynamo Stadium in 1999. The new billion-dollar Dynamo Moscow stadium is officially called Lev Yashin Stadium. Several streets are named after him in Russian cities while multiple monuments stand both in Russia and abroad. He appeared on a 2018 one hundred-ruble commemorative banknote from the Central Bank of Russia celebrating the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Yashin features in EA Sports' FIFA football
video game series as an Ultimate Team Icon added in FIFA 18. A Russian-language biopic about his life entitled Lev Yashin: Goalie of My Dreams was released on the 22nd of October 2017. Songs like Goalkeeper by Vladimir Vysotsky from 1971 and poems by Robert Rozhdestvensky honor his legacy. In 2019 France Football established the Yashin Trophy for the best performing goalkeeper awarded alongside the Ballon D'Or.
In 1986 following thrombophlebitis contracted while he was in Budapest Yashin underwent amputation of one leg. He died in 1990 of stomach cancer despite surgical intervention to save his life. He received a state funeral as a Soviet Honoured Master of Sport. His wife Valentina Timofeyevna survived him along with daughters Irina and Elena. When Russia hosted the 2018 FIFA World Cup Valentina still lived in the Moscow apartment given to her husband in 1964. He left behind a granddaughter and one surviving grandson named Vasili Frolov.
Vasili played as
a goalkeeper in Dynamo's youth section but never played a game with the senior side before retiring at age 23. He now runs a goalkeeper training school in Moscow near Spartak Moscow's current stadium. Another grandson died in 2002 at age fourteen from injuries suffered in a bicycle accident. After retiring from playing Yashin spent almost twenty years in various administrative positions at Dynamo Moscow. He also indulged in fishing which his wife called his second passion.
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Common questions
When was Lev Yashin born and where did he grow up?
Lev Yashin was born on the 22nd of October 1929 in Moscow. He grew up in a Russian family of industrial workers during World War II.
What innovations did Lev Yashin introduce to goalkeeping?
Lev Yashin developed novel practices like punching balls out in difficult situations instead of trying to catch them. His other innovations included quick throws to begin counterattacks and coming out of the penalty area to anticipate danger.
Which World Cup tournaments did Lev Yashin participate in from 1958 to 1970?
Lev Yashin appeared in three World Cups from 1958 to 1966 as an unused squad member in 1970. The 1958 World Cup played in Sweden put him on the map for his performances while the Soviet Union advanced to the quarter-finals.
Why is Lev Yashin known as the Black Spider or the Black Panther?
Lev Yashin dressed head to toe in apparent black though it was actually very dark blue. This distinctive outfit earned him nicknames like the Black Spider or the Black Panther because he seemed to have eight arms to save almost everything.
When did Lev Yashin win the Ballon d'Or award?
Lev Yashin won the Ballon d'Or in December 1963. He became the first and only goalkeeper ever to receive this award for European player of the year.
How did Lev Yashin die and what happened to his family after his death?
Lev Yashin died in 1990 of stomach cancer despite surgical intervention to save his life. His wife Valentina Timofeyevna survived him along with daughters Irina and Elena, leaving behind a granddaughter and one surviving grandson named Vasili Frolov.