When we associate 1986 with Ukraine, the first reaction of ordinary people is Chernobyl, but for football fans, there are also shining points under the haze. This year, Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev won the European Cup Winners' Cup, and the final was just a week after the disaster broke out. At the end of the same year, The leader of the new generation of Ukraine, Belanov, became the winner of the European Golden Globe Award.
Although the Soviets and even the Ukrainians were familiar with the Golden Globe Trophy, Yasin and Blokhin set a benchmark for their descendants. But at such a turning point in the turmoil of history, football has become a shot in the arm to heal wounds, and people can feel the warmth from the human world in addition to their sorrow and despair.
Today, the name Belanov is deeply tied to the Ballon d'Or, and there are very few other stories when he is mentioned except for the trophy. But such a great star will certainly not be a one-sided hero, and even if his performance in 1986 is unique, we need to recognize it from a fuller perspective.
One. Late pragmatists
The three footballers born in Ukraine so far have all been strikers, and Blokhin is best known for his speed and ability to combine people and balls. According to his own recollections, when he was a child, he was almost selected by the Soviet athletics team as a sprinter, but he loved football and did not go. Later, Blokhin showed an absolute sprint ability that few people in the entire history of football can match, and the rhythm of his touch in the high march is also charming, and the step point is so just right, giving people a sense of mercury pouring smoothness.
Mr. Golden Globe of Ukraine of the third generation: Shevchenko-Blokhin-Belanov
The nuclear warhead Shevchenko's qualities are also outstanding, and his innate deterrent power makes him one of the most frightening shooters of his time. From the age of 21, when he shined in the Champions League, Sheva's instinct as a goalscorer has become well known, and his header grabbing points, long-range blasts and even various one-sword throat-sealing operations have helped Dynamo Kiev and Milan win a lot of glory.
Compared with these two, Belanov looks very inconspicuous, less than 1 meter 75 tall, slightly thin figure, accompanied by premature baldness, and even a hint of decadence. But as an attacker in the frontcourt, Belanov is full of vitality, his running ability is very strong, often appearing in key areas unconsciously, using the simplest way to silence his opponents.
In the possession of the ball, he does not have as many dazzling dribbles as Blokhin, often just a flash, a gap to raise the foot to shoot, which is somewhat similar to Sheva. Because of his body structure suitable for power, this short frequency and fast cold shot is full of power, sometimes like a cannonball out of the chamber, even the best goalkeeper is difficult to make a save response.
However, Belanov's goals are not small compared to Blohim and Sheva, with less than 15 goals in the peak season, coupled with playing in small and medium-sized teams in the early years, which led to his long-term departure from the mainstream vision. It's just that gold always has a chance to get ahead, and Soviet coach Lobanovsky noticed Belanov early on and kept lobbying him to join the giants Dynamo Kiev, and finally transferred to the line in 1985. In Loba's view, the goalscorer has extraordinary qualities, playing different roles in a single forward or double forward system, which is not reflected in the simple number of goals.
Belanov and his mentor Lobanovsky
Belanov was 25 years old when he joined Kiev, playing for the Soviet Union for the first time in the same year, an age that may have become famous for a talented teenager, but for the Ukrainian striker, everything has just begun. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?
Two. Belanov's personal performance in 1986
According to the data of the year, in the early 1986, let alone the Western football circle, even the Soviet Union's own media did not take Belanov seriously. When they analyzed the prospects for the 1986 World Cup, the Ukrainian was not among the highlighted stars, but his predecessor Blokhin attracted a lot of attention. The 33-year-old is plagued by injuries, but there are still many people who hope that he can play another World Cup.
Even after Kiev won the domestic league and the European Cup winners' cup, Belanov did not become the so-called flag bearer. At that time, in addition to him, Loba also had a number of good players such as Blohim, Zavalov and Rats, and Bilanov's Winners Cup Golden Boot had to be shared with two teammates, so he was not outstanding in all aspects.
However, before the World Cup, the Soviet Union decided to put Lobanovsky at the helm of the national team, and he brought with him a dozen Kyiv concubines, and Belanov's future suddenly brightened. You must know that at this time, he is still a new sharp of the national brand, and he did not have much glorious resume in the past. But somewhat surprisingly, in the single forward formation that Loba tried to discharge, the choice was made for Belanov as a single arrow.
1986 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 Soviet Union 3-4 Belgium Belanov scored a hat-trick
In the group stage, the team went relatively smoothly, and Belanov himself scored a penalty, but there was nothing worth writing about. However, the glory of his life was almost condensed in the ensuing Round of 16, and there is nothing to repeat about the classic showdown between the Soviet Union and Belgium. Later generations mention the game itself, which is nothing more than criticizing the referee for pitting the Soviet team, and Belanov's hat-trick.
There are not too many individual dominations in the history of the World Cup, such as Eusebio vs. North Korea in 1966, or Maradona vs. England in 1986, and the results are often good. Only this Belanov single-handedly defeated Belgium, making him one of the very few "futile" heroes who are praised.
Three. The 1986 Golden Globe clash
Are these performances in the first half of the year alone enough to win the Ballon d'Or? There have been many discussions in later generations, and the author has his own views. First of all, the World Cup winner was Argentina, and the possibility of winning the golden ball in a single cup is very small, so we have to follow the line of the national team and discuss it along the trend.
Platini, who has won the Golden Ball for three consecutive years, also led France to the semi-finals of the World Cup this time, but the 31-year-old has appeared to be insufficient, which is not the same as two years ago. At the club level, Juve's golden generation has also come to an end, although it has won the Serie A title, but the personal efficiency of the King of Putian is not as good as before, and the team has done nothing at the European level. So he has no advantage over Belanov and is slightly inferior.
1986 FIFA World Cup semi-final rummenigge and Platini exchange flags
As for another European ace, Rummenigge, he has also entered the twilight of his career at this time, in fact, he has shown obvious signs of decline since 1982. Although he played in the 1986 World Cup with an injury and scored key goals in the final, he did not significantly beat Belanov's hard goods in all respects.
Therefore, Belanov's potential competitors should be the leaders of the new era, but the confidence of others is insufficient. At the world cup level, the only non-traditional giants in the final four are Belgium, but whether it is Thurlemens, Schiff or Pfaf, it is not enough to become Mr. Ballon d'Or.
1986 WORLD CUP Spain 6-1 Denmark Butragueno staged senior year
At the Club's European level, the Champions League was taken by the Eastern European dark horse Bucharest Star, this kind of team has almost no soil to give birth to the Ballon d'Or; the League Cup winner is Real Madrid, but the current striker Butraguenot is average, and the World Cup is amazing enough for Denmark's senior high, but the slaughter match is not the same as the Battle of Soubi. So Butragueño is a strong opponent of Belanov, but there is no strong advantage.
In the 1986 FA Cup final, Lineker helped Everton open the scoring
In addition, we must find another person, that is, the world cup's top scorer Lineker, the Englishman's individual performance is indeed outstanding. In addition to 6 goals in 5 World Cup games, he is at evertent at the club level, scoring 30 goals in League One in a single season and 38 goals in 52 games of the club, all of which are the peak of his career.
But he did not get a weighty championship, the World Cup was eliminated by the old horse, the club level Toffee won the league championship in 1985 and 1987, except for the Red Army in 1986, which was robbed of the rest of his life, only to gain the league + FA Cup double Asia, which has also become the biggest shortcoming of the gentleman's shooter.
Belanov with the Ballon d'Or Trophy
So from a comprehensive comparison, Belanov's biggest competitor in 1986 should still be Butragueno, and whoever won the award can understand. The final trophy went to the Ukrainians, and there was nothing surprising about it, when a glimmer of light appeared in the dark night of Chernobyl.