He is the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, he is the grandfather of all modern goalkeepers!
He was the first goalkeeper to break out of the goal line, and he was the peerless genius who got the goalkeeper out of the goal line!
He was the first goalkeeper to become a defensive leader, directing defenders how to defend with an excellent big-picture view!
He also pioneered goalkeepers kicking goalballs, and he pioneered the tactic of throwing the ball after a save to launch a counterattack!
He was named European Footballer of the Year 1963 and he is the only goalkeeper to receive this award!
In 2000, he was named Goalkeeper of the Century by FIFA!
The famous magazine "French Football" named and awarded the title of the best goalkeeper in the world every year after his name, Yassin.
The World Cup Golden Glove Award, formerly known as the Yashin Award, is an award established by FIFA in 1994 to recognize the best goalkeepers in the World Cup. FIFA named the award the Yashin Prize in honor of Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin.
1. The greatest shield and spear in world football: the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, Leo Yassin, the king of the ball, Pele
Last December, one of football's undisputed greats, Pelé, passed away, and the whole football world was plunged into grief.
The death of the Brazilian legend sparked tributes from all over the world, with fans remembering in a variety of ways the impact of the man who changed the face of world football.
Russia is no exception, and the Russian men's national team pays tribute to him by sharing an old historical photo of a smiling Pele.
But in addition to the legendary striker, there is another great player who has won a high status in the same generation - the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, the grandfather of all modern goalkeepers, the late great player of the former Soviet Union, Leo Yashin.
In 1970, when World of English Football voted the best player in the world, Yasin was only ranked second after Pele. Pele once spoke highly of his performance: "To break through the gates of Yassin, you need to work exponentially. ”
Pele is famous for scoring goals, while Yasin is famous for preventing goals. He was a goalkeeper like no other, and more than 50 years after his last game, and more than 30 years after his death, the Russian goalkeeper remains a benchmark for outstanding goalkeepers worldwide.
If Pele were chosen as the 11-man striker for the greatest football dream team in football history that many fans dream of, the goalkeeper's name would surely be Yassin.
Yashin was nicknamed "Black Spider," "Black Octopus" and "Black Panther" because of his acrobatic goalkeeper stunts and the color of his costume on the pitch — topped by a big, back-combed back.
Yaxin's iconic shiny back combed back resembles Xu Wenqiang, the underworld boss of "On the Beach".
Yashin was an impressive pioneer of Soviet goalkeepers with a storied 20-year football career.
2. Versatile and amazingly talented civilian hero: as a goalkeeper for the Dynamo ice hockey team, won the 1953 Soviet Cup
Born on October 22, 1929, to a family of industrial workers in Moscow, Yashin seemed destined not to thrive in football.
He was in the fifth grade of elementary school when he began his own work at the factory during World War II. After the war, Yassin continued to work in the factory, but suffered a so-called "nervous breakdown" at the age of 18, as this work experience caused him great damage.
"Is it depression?" I don't know," Yassin wrote in his autobiography. "The side effects of fatigue and boredom that had accumulated over the years began to manifest itself, and something inside me suddenly collapsed. At that time, I just felt very empty. ”
However, sport is an important outlet and opens up new opportunities for young Yashin, as if to find meaning in his life and career.
By this time he was already an avid football and ice hockey player, which he called his "redemption" because he combined football with new duties and life's pursuits.
In 1949 , at the age of 20 , Yashin was favored by Cherneginv , the coach of the Moscow Dynamo youth team, and Yashin was invited to join the Moscow Dynamo youth team.
Dynamo Moscow is one of the most powerful football clubs in the Russian capital, having made a groundbreaking tour of England in 1945, during which the team impressively went unbeaten in four matches against supposedly stronger home opponents.
However, when Yasin made his debut for Dynamo in 1950, he did not get off to the good start he had hoped, and he scored a modest shot, which he played only two league games that season.
Also hindering him is the "Tiger" Alek. Shekhomich, a respected figure in the team, left Yassin, early in his career, out of the team's main lineup.
Instead of seeking a chance to break into the first team elsewhere, Yasin worked wholeheartedly to become a top player at Dynamo.
He even served as a goalkeeper for the Dynamo ice hockey team, winning the 1953 Soviet Cup, and his first athlete title was earned from the national ice hockey competition, showing his versatility and amazing talent as an all-around athlete.
"I run, high jump, shot put, discus, fencing, boxing, diving, wrestling, skating, basketball, ice hockey, water polo and football. I spend the winter on skis and skates. I wasn't sure what I was best at," Yassin later recalled.
3. The pinnacle of great success: Yashin became a legend of Dynamo Moscow and won the Olympic gold medal for the Soviet national football team at the 1956 Olympic Games
During his football career, Yassin eventually managed to remove Homic from the starting 11 lineup of the Dynamo football team with his absolute strength, when Homic was injured in 1953.
Yassin eventually turned the No. 1 goalkeeper position firmly into his throne, beginning his own Dynamo glory era, eventually winning five Soviet League titles – four of them between 1954 and 1959 — and three Soviet Cup titles.
In the spring of 1954, Yasin was faced with a dilemma when he was both a candidate for the national ice hockey team and a goalkeeper for the Dinamo team, and he hesitated whether to continue hockey or play football wholeheartedly.
Yassin's initial success in Dynamo soon led to a call from the Soviet national football team, which was also the second person he met in his football career, and the coach of the national team, Semichastner, warmly invited him to join the national team: "Yashin, I appreciate your level, be a national team goalkeeper!" ”
He gave up ice hockey and worked full-time as a goalkeeper for the national football team.
In 1954, after receiving his first call-up to the national team, he shone in a 7–0 victory over Sweden. Over the next four years, he not only achieved success with Dynamo, but also won an Olympic gold medal for the Soviet national football team at the 1956 Olympic Games.
Yashin became a legend of Dynamo Moscow
In 1958, more football spectators around the world noticed Yassin's wonderful performance at the World Cup in Sweden. His "sweeper-style goalkeeper" prodigy – which was later imitated and popularized by the likes of Neuer, Alisson and ter Stegen – stood out at the World Cup, and his ability to read and control the game made him an overnight hit.
The Soviet Union were eliminated by hosts Sweden in the quarterfinals, but Yashin was named the best goalkeeper of this World Cup, and journalists around the world praised him as the best goalkeeper in this World Cup.
Two years later, he led the Soviet Union to victory at the first European Championship in France, making up for regret and heartache in Scandinavia.
The 1960 European Championship was then known as the European Cup, with Yasin conceding zero goals in the semi-finals and the Soviet Union beating Czechoslovakia 3-0.
The Soviet national football team that lifted the 1960 European Championship
In the final against Yugoslavia at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Yasin saved two free-kicks but were deflected by a deflected shot from captain Igor Neto. In the latter extra-time, Yassin made a crucial save as Yugoslavia failed to equalise Viktor Pondelnik's winning goal in the 113th minute.
The celebrations in Paris were relatively lackluster, with runner-up Yugoslavia's Dragan Sekurak saying: "The spectators in France want the charm of Western European football winning, and want Western European teams to reach the final, not mysterious teams from the other side of Europe." He commented at the celebration held at the Eiffel Tower that few people attended the award ceremony.
But when the Soviet national football team returned to Moscow, they were greeted with heroic cheers, celebrations and salutes from more than 100,000 of their compatriots at the Victory Parade at the Central Lenin Stadium (now known as Luzhny Stadium Base).
4. Jedi Rebound: In 1963, Yassin became the first and only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or in football
Yassin's heroic deeds in Paris were the glory before defeat. At the 1962 World Cup in Chile, he made a mistake against Colombia that led to a 4-4 finish, followed by the high-profile Soviet Union being eliminated again in the quarterfinals stage, losing 2-1 to host Chile.
"I couldn't believe I could go ahead in front of the great Leo Yassin," Chile's Eladio Rojas said years later, embracing the Soviet goalkeeper instead of his teammate for the first time of celebration. "I'm still, I'm so excited, all I want to do is hug him. Scoring in a Yashin game is like winning a big trophy. ”
In the early morning of June 18, 1962, Beijing time, Brazil defeated Czechoslovakia 3-1 and won the 1962 World Cup in Chile
Yashin became a scapegoat for the Soviet team's exit in the Chilean city of Arica, and was ridiculed by the newspaper "The Force of Decline" by the newspaper "The Army". He is likely to be mentally tortured by Rojas's hug and his missteps against Colombia, and he once kept asking himself: "What kind of goalkeeper would not be tormented by the ball he dropped?"
The only Soviet journalist covering the match blamed Yashin for the defeat, and after Yashin returned home, an avalanche of criticism fell on the goalkeeper.
"He must be in pain!" If he calms down, it's over. Whatever glory he has had in the past, he has no future," added Yasin himself, who was later revealed to have suffered a concussion against Chile.
Like all great players, Yassin led Dynamo to another league title for the first time in 1963 and became the first and only European goalkeeper of that era to win the Ballon d'Or in French football.
In 1963, during the match between England and World United at Wembley Stadium, goalkeeper Yasin saved the ball
In 1963, England played against the World Eleven United at Wembley Stadium, the first time a world team had played against a national team. Yasin did not concede until Serbian goalkeeper Milutin Soszic replaced Yassin, who then conceded two goals to help the hosts win 2-1.
In 1963, Yassin won the Golden Globe
Yassin believes that Pele was mysteriously absent from England's match against the rest of the world at Wembley Stadium, and his brilliant saves in the game extended his career, and he won the Ballon d'Or award just months after losing 1-2 in a match commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the English Football Association.
Spain won the first major football title in their history in 1964 with the help of home field advantage and their team spirit
In May 1964, before the second leg of the quarterfinals of the European Championship in Spain, against Sweden, Yassin officially won the Ballon d'Or, which was considered his greatest achievement of the time.
The Soviet national team at the time won the pair 3-1 against Sweden in front of about 100,000 fans in Moscow. The Soviet Union eventually reached the final of the European Championship in Spain, but was eliminated 2-1 by the hosts in Madrid.
At the 1966 World Cup in England, Yassin continued his national team journey, although he missed the first two games due to injury. After his comeback, he led the Soviet Union to a World Cup all-time best fourth place in the Soviet World Cup after losing to West Germany in the semifinals.
5. Yassin's closing moment: Yasin played faithfully for only one club, Dynamo, for 20 years and for his homeland for 15 years
Yashin played for Dynamo for 20 years and for his homeland for 15 years. In 1970, he played in the last World Cup in Mexico, where he worked as an assistant coach and third substitute goalkeeper.
"I don't know if there's ever been a person who has ever been so important to a club," said Igor Chislenko, a former Dynamo team-mate of Yasin who, like Yasin, is a Dynamo legend.
But Yashin's commitment to football means more than just his loyalty to a club or country.
At the 1971 ceremony, 103,000 fans reportedly attended his last match for Dynamo, another European team led by England and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton.
Also in attendance were Pele, Eusebio and Franz Beckenbauer, also respected figures in the World Football Hall of Fame, who paid tribute to the man who set a record of more than 150 penalty saves and kept around 275 conceding zero goals. ”
Yashin once said: "The joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin flying in space, I will only be replaced by the joy of a nice penalty save."
"He made me a real footballer. When you can face the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, you will remember it for the rest of your life, you will realize that you can score against anyone," said Portuguese great Eusebio in tribute to Yassin.
Yashin became a football icon in Russia and around the world
Gordon Banks, winner of England in 1966, considered one of the greatest shot finishers of all time, similarly praised his Russian counterpart.
"Leo Yashin is a world-class goalkeeper, a real super goalkeeper. Everything he does is superb, and he's an exemplary goalkeeper for the next 10 to 15 years. ”
"I imagined myself doing some of the things he was doing. Even though I've played in the top league, I've tried to learn from him. ”
6 Yashin's widow said of her husband's unparalleled career: He never missed a training session
Yasin held the record 270 clean sheets during his career, saved more than 150 penalties and was named the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by FIFA, which established the Lev Yashin Award, also known as the Golden Glove Award, in 1994 to honor the best goalkeeper at the World Cup.
Valentina Yahina, widow of the legendary Soviet goalkeeper, spoke of her husband's illustrious career, determination and never-say-die drive: he never missed a single training session to perfect his technique.
The only goalkeeper in history to win the coveted Ballon d'Or, Yashin made 78 appearances for the Soviet Union and won gold at the 1956 Olympic Games and the 1960 European Championship with the national team.
He played in four World Cups and at the 1966 World Cup in England, the Soviet Union achieved their all-time best result – finishing fourth after losing 2-1 to Portugal in the third-place final. He also made 326 appearances for Dynamo Moscow, where he spent his entire career.
Yashin is a hardworking man who, despite his successes, worldwide fame and recognition, never allows himself to settle for his current achievements and tirelessly perfects his skills in training.
"He used to say, 'My job is to smash my bones to the ground.'" Practice, practice, practice all the time. He never missed a training session. When he came back from abroad, he always had a whole bag of dirty laundry. ”
Yashin, nicknamed "Black Spider" because of his habit of wearing black from head to toe, could have achieved even greater things by playing for some of the biggest football clubs in the world had it not been for the Cold War and the Iron Curtain of the West providing him with obstacles to playing abroad.
His successor in Dynamo, Vladimir Pilgey, said Yashin belongs to the kind of person fans always call by his first name. "To them, he is one of them, like a brother or a friend. After the game, he used to walk home with a large crowd of fans – he would ask them to help him with his sports bag," Piergey added.
7. Unique Yashin The ordinary and flawed side of ordinary people: The generous and easy-going Yashin always likes to secretly smoke a cigarette before the game to relax his nerves and drink a glass of vodka to relax his muscles
Yashin's generosity means he is unabashedly dedicated to anyone.
"He was generous, even too generous," Yassin's widow said. "He could easily give his signature black suit to anyone who asked him. Whatever he brought back from abroad, he would share it with his friends. He didn't even bring much to his family and himself. He is a very kind person. ”
His successor in Dynamo, Vladimir Pilgey, said Yashin belongs to the kind of person fans always call by his first name. "To them, he is one of them, like a brother or a friend. After the game, he used to walk home with a large crowd of fans – he would ask them to help him with his sports bag," Piergey added.
Yashin with a medal of honor on his chest
However, contrary to what is believed, Yasin is not always the exemplary professional athlete people think.
"My secret? Before the game, I would smoke a cigarette to relax my nerves and drink a glass of vodka to tone my muscular state," he once revealed.
Despite the great achievements of Yashin in football, Yashin reportedly fell out with the club Dynamo in his later years, especially with president Peter Bogdanov, who boasted of his political influence, allegedly preventing Yashin from leaving the country due to his frequent refusal to issue visas to his wife.
8, Yasin's sad farewell: In 1986, due to thrombosis, he was forced to amputate his right leg; In 1990, at the age of 60, he died of complications from stomach cancer!
Yashin after retirement
France Football magazine awarded Yasin the Ballon d'Or in 1963 and named the goalkeeper award after him, and undisputed the Russian to be the greatest dream team in football history in 2020.
In November 2003, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of UEFA, the Russian Football Federation named him the most outstanding player in Russia in the past 50 years, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the country and the people in 1967 for the Order of Lenin.
Yashin commemorative coins issued in Russia in 2010
Yashin is a great figure to be respected at the Dynamo Club. For sponsorship purposes, its stadium is known as VTB Arena, but it is also named after Yassin, whose statue can be found outside the court.
2021 is his 92nd birthday, and the Dynamo players wore a vintage jersey in his honor and continued the tradition in 2022.
Dynamo Moscow fans, during a match in 2019, unveiled a flag for Yashin
In 2019, Yashin's legendary deeds were presented to a new generation in the form of the film "Leo Yashin: The Goalkeeper of Dreams", based on his life.
The official poster for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia was unveiled in Moscow, with Yashin's signature save
Sadly, Yassin has not been able to witness many of these tributes to his great career.
In 1986, he developed a blood clot on his leg and was forced to amputate his right leg due to thrombosis. In 1990, at the age of 60, he died of complications from stomach cancer, accompanied by his wife and two daughters.
In 1989, Yassin visited Dynamo Stadium to watch a match held to celebrate his 60th birthday
Yassin's death was reportedly announced during the European Championship match between Dinipro and Benfica at the Meteor Stadium. As part of the Lisbon Club delegation, Portuguese idol superstar Eusebio shed tears.
Hailed as one of the greatest players in football history, the man called Yasin "the invincible goalkeeper of the 20th century." Many will find this hard to question, not only because of Yassin's team and individual accolades, but also because of his sheer influence on his goalkeeper.
As the best player of the fifties and sixties of the 20th century, the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, in the Hall of Fame of football icons, the Russians will surely have the honor of the greatest goalkeeper number 1 shirt.
Decommissioned Yashin
9. Epilogue: Pele is the sharpest spear in the history of football, Yassin is the strongest shield in the history of football: paradoxical, what is the result?
"Someone used to say that teams with Pele always lead 1-0 at the start of the game. The team with Yashin will always win 2-0. Bailey said of Yashin.
In 1970, when World of English Football voted the best player in the world, Yasin was only ranked second after Pele.
Pele is famous for scoring goals, while Yasin is famous for preventing goals. Pele is a striker like no other, and Yassin is a uniquely talented goalkeeper
In 1958, the World Cup in Sweden, the strongest shield in the history of football encountered the sharpest spear in the history of football for the first time!
In 1965, Yasin posed with Brazilian superstar Pele
Yasin met 17-year-old Pele and eventual champions Brazil in the group stage. Although, in the end, the Samba Army won 2-0, Yasin single-handedly limited and firmly sealed the South American's goal growth through a series of top saves.
The Soviet Union were eliminated 2-0 by hosts Sweden in the quarterfinals, but Yasin was named the best goalkeeper of this World Cup, and journalists around the world praised him as the best goalkeeper in this World Cup.
In the end, Brazil defeated host Sweden 5-2 in the final, and Pele scored 2 more goals to win the Swedish World Cup!