Lev Yashin – A Legend of Soviet Football

The Soviet Union has produced some world-class footballers over the years. However, none rival the legendary Lev Yashin in stature. The goalkeeper was the bedrock of the Soviet national team for sixteen years and earned admirers in East and West alike. To this day, his legacy looms large, both for Russian football and the game as a whole.

Humble Beginning

Yashin was born in 1929, the son of industrial labourers in Moscow. Life was austere, with the city still recovering from the upheaval of revolution and civil war. At the age of twelve, Yashin was made to work in a munitions factory to support the war effort against Germany.

It was here that the young Yashin made his first forays into football. Playing for the factory team, it quickly became apparent that he was immensely talented, gifted with great athleticism and an excellent reading of the game.

In 1949, he was spotted by a coach from Dynamo Moscow, who invited him to join the club. His career did not get off to a flying start, however. His first few appearances for the club were error prone, and he struggled to break into the first team, even at one point considering giving up football for ice hockey.  

His lucky break came in 1953 when Dynamo Moscow’s first-choice keeper retired. Yashin stepped in to fill the void and established himself as a stalwart between the goal posts.

Innovative Approach

By 1954, Yashin had been selected for the national team. The Soviets were on the rise. They had amassed a talented generation of young players, and in 1956 they managed to win gold in the Olympics. In the coming years, they would go on to make their mark in several major tournaments, and Yashin would be an integral part of this.

By this time, it was becoming apparent that Yashin was different to any other goalkeeper who had come before. The art of goalkeeping was still undeveloped, and keepers would find themselves spectators for much of the ninety minutes, staying planted to the goal line.

However, Yashin had a proactive attitude and introduced a number of innovations. He was amongst the first to rush out of goal in order to confront incoming strikers, and command the entirety of his penalty areas by coming out to punch crosses. He also initiated attacks, throwing the ball up field in order to trigger counter-attacks.

Perhaps most radically, he took personal responsibility for marshalling the defence. His teammates recall: “The moment the other side started an attack, Lev Yashin would instantly tell the defenders where they should be in the field.”

Another thing that set Yashin apart was his appearance. With a well-built frame and standing at well over six feet tall, he had an imposing physique. He had a trademark look and, dressed entirely in black, he cut an intimidating figure. This led to him being dubbed the “black spider”.

Rise to Global Prominence

It was the 1958 World Cup where the world learnt of Yashin’s brilliance. He put in a string of amazing performances, helping the Soviet Union advance to the quarter-finals. In particular, his one-man stand against the eventual champions, Brazil, earned him plaudits. He went on to be named as one of the players of the tournament.

Two years later, Yashin was pivotal in helping the Soviet Union win its only major tournament, the 1960 European Championships. The competition was in its infancy and only seventeen teams entered, a far cry from today’s expanded version. However, the Soviet Union faced tough opponents in the campaign, and in the final they encountered a Yugoslavia team with plenty of attacking menace. The Yugoslavs had taken an early lead. However, Yashin’s heroic shot-stopping virtually single-handedly kept the Soviets in the game. As it was, they were able to overturn the one-goal deficit, scoring a winning goal in extra-time.

Yashin continued to be an ever-present sight in the Soviet team throughout the 1960s, representing them at the 1962 and 1966 World Cups, as well as the European Championships of 1964 and 1968. In that time, he was recognized as one of the most influential players in the game, winning the Ballon d’Or in 1963. Indeed, he still holds the distinction of being the only goalkeeper to have won the award.

By the time Yashin hung up his goalkeeping gloves in 1970, he had notched up seventy-eight caps for his nation, and 326 appearances for Dynamo Moscow. Overall, he amassed an incredible 270 clean sheets during his career.

His testimonial in 1971 demonstrated what a respected and well-loved figure he had become. The match was played at the Lenin Stadium in Moscow. It was attended by fellow giants of the game such as Pelé, Eusébio and Franz Beckenbauer, and watched by an adoring crowd of 100,000.

Legacy

Time has not dented Yashin’s mystique. He is now widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper to have played the game, and the award given to the best goalkeeper at the World Cup is named in his honour.

Furthermore, he has to be seen as one of the most influential players in the history of the game. Many of the innovations he introduced are now common practice amongst goalkeepers the world over. English goalkeeper Gordon Banks paid testament to his impact:

“Lev Yashin was first-class, a real super goalkeeper. His positional play was excellent, but everything he did was top-class. He was the model for goalkeeping for the next ten to fifteen years, without a doubt. I visualised myself doing some of the things he was doing; even though I was already playing in the top division I used to learn from him.”

Back in the Soviet Union, Yashin was virtually deified. He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the highest civilian honour bestowed upon citizens of the nation. After his death in 1990, he was given a full state funeral as a Soviet Honoured Master of Sport. On the day, the streets of Moscow were lined with grieving admirers looking to pay their respects.

Perhaps the place where he is most fondly remembered is at Dynamo Moscow, the club for which he dutifully served for twenty years. A bronze statue of the Black Spider was unveiled outside the Luzhniki Stadium in 1997, and to this day the chant “Only Yashin, only Dynamo” is a mainstay amongst Dynamo fans.

© Sathesh Alagappan